The exterior of the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Largely unused for more than a decade, Fair Park’s natural history museum has reopened, but only on Sundays, during the FIFA Fan Festival and the park’s weekly farmers market.
It’s the latest step from Dallas park leaders who, hoping to attract more visitors to the grounds, are seizing on the World Cup festivities drawing crowds of soccer enthusiasts to South Dallas. The festival can hold up to about 35,000 fans each day, running through July 19.
“The biggest thing for us is starting to get the word out that, hey, we’re open and there are things to do. Come out and see what we have,” said Brett Wulke, Fair Park’s general manager.
Across the Leonhardt Lagoon, the natural history museum will open for free on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendance will determine if the museum expands its schedule. Air-conditioning in the building is out, but leaders are working on a temporary solution, hoping to fully resolve the issue by early July.
“To tour here is like doing a tour of Texas, and you’ll see all the land forms and the various animals,” said Walt Davis, a volunteer with the Texas Master Naturalists who helped reopen the exhibits.
Other updates at Fair Park have come just in time for World Cup festivities at the fairgrounds. In recent weeks, city leaders celebrated millions in improvements at the African American Museum. Large banners at that building promote the newly opened Nelson Mandela exhibition. At the Hall of State, an original copy of the Declaration of Independence is on display to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary.
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Raul Robles, interim assistant general manager for Fair Park, speaks to Brett Wulke, general manager of Fair Park, in front of a diorama scene of Gray Foxes set in Cedar Hill in Dallas County on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
A diorama scene of a grizzly bear on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
A diorama scene of elk set in Red River County on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
A diorama scene of a raccoons set in Denton County on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
A diorama scene of a mule deer and roadrunner set in the Davis Mountains in Jeff Davis County on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
A diorama scene of ocelots with a Bobwhite Quail set in the Big Thicket in Hardin County on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
A diorama scene of a coyote surrounded by Snow-on-the-mountain plants set in the Double Mountain in Stonewall County on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
A diorama scene of a nine-banded armadillo and a white-tailed deer set in Kennedy County on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
A diorama scene of elk set in Red River County on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
Related: World Cup fans packed a bar with cheers during FIFA Fan Fest in South Dallas
The Old Mill Inn, a restaurant space, was remodeled and reopened, at least temporarily, earlier this month. The children’s aquarium will be offering carousel rides in addition to pedal boat rides at the lagoon. The Texas Discovery Gardens is also hoping to attract visitors with a promotion for Fan Fest attendees to buy one ticket and get one free.
The park department began managing Fair Park in September, scrambling to transition and set up contracts for services like security and events after a tense split from its previous operator. Leaders have touted improvements to the grounds, and are now considering new ways to generate revenue, including new amenities or even a hotel, to help cover the cost of immediate repair needs.
Overall, the park has hundreds of millions in deferred maintenance.
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Wulke said that in the past, there hasn’t been a plan to tackle maintenance issues. Now, he said he’s excited to figure out ways to better serve the community and help the fairgrounds make money.
Related: Could Dallas’ Fair Park get a hotel, other amenities in plan to generate revenue?
“I want to see activity here every single day,” Wulke said. “Let’s go, start doing this and reinvesting in Fair Park.”
The natural history building is still labeled as the visitor center for Fair Park First, the park’s former manager. It’s been closed and used as office space, but Wulke wants to change that.
Walt Davis, a volunteer with the Texas Master Naturalists, poses in front of a diorama scene of elk set in Red River County on display at the Museum of Natural History in Dallas’ Fair Park Wednesday, June 17, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
“We have a desire to make it active every day,” Wulke said. “We’re hoping that this is a building block to get it going that direction.”
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The idea for opening the museum came from discussions with Davis and the park’s programming manager, Wulke said. Davis had worked for the museum for 25 years, leaving in the ‘90s before the site closed in 2012. He’s also written a book about the site and its story.
Inside, visitors can take in dioramas with hand-painted backdrops and foliage crafted to be accurate to different environments, along with taxidermied animals. Master naturalist volunteers will be there to talk with guests.
Last Sunday, there were about 25 guests. Some were first-timers, others remembered the museum from their childhood.
“This exposure has made it clear to us that there’s a greater demand for coming into this museum than we anticipated,” Davis said. “So, the master naturalists right now are figuring out ways they can cover more dates.”
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.