If you’re looking for some family fun this Independence Day, we suggest heading to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

Relax on your day off by listening to live blues music enjoying a hot dog and root beer float. Blues artists will perform live music throughout the garden Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday to provide a cool, relaxing backdrop. For lunch, stop by the historic Restaurant DeGolyer for tea sandwiches. Or if you’re looking for a more casual option, take a picnic to enjoy while listening to the free entertainment.

The 66-acre garden offers a plethora of picturesque places to lay out your blanket and enjoy a homemade meal. After your picnic, take some time to see “Wind Sculptures in Motion: The Kinetic Art of Lyman Whitaker” displayed in the garden through July 31. Each piece of Whitaker’s artwork is organic in nature and responds to the changing currents of the wind, which provides a special movement. The sculptures range in height from five to 27 feet, and 140 sculptures are arranged artfully in groupings throughout the garden for viewing.

Besides the music and art, the Arboretum has lots of fun activities lined up for the holiday weekend. Don’t miss the Empanada Cookhouse Cooking Demonstration and Sale on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday where you can learn to make your own salsa verde from scratch, avocado ice-candy (a trendy frozen summer treat with a Latin twist) and a brisket empanada using smoked brisket with pickled red onions and melted pepper jack cheese. Yum! If you have a sweet tooth, the Humble Pie Demonstration on Sunday will teach you how to make a scrumptious cherry pie!

The event also promises many activities that the little ones will love including an arts and crafts table using and discussing natural components such as flowers, plants, animals, conservation and recycling. There will also be a story time where kids can join Eddie the Eagle and enjoy a patriotic story with the United States national bird, the bald eagle. Other activities include a red, white, and blue fruit tasting, a science experiment with rockets that explores air pressure and explosions and much more.

Saturday, June 30 through Wednesday, July 4, active and retired members of the military and first responders with a valid photo I.D. will receive free general garden admission. So enjoy the summer sun as you celebrate Independence Day!

Austin-based Kaitlin Street is currently the EIC Editorial Assistant at Texas Lifestyle Magazine and a student at The University of Texas at Austin.