For Jennifer Scripps, there’s no place like home. She’s studied and worked in metropolises around the country, but the Dallas native found her most fulfilling role back in her hometown—leading Downtown Dallas, Inc. and raising her two boys here.
“My kids know that I love this city—they joke about it and draw pictures of mommy with Dallas T-shirts on,” Scripps laughs. “So I hope they really love the community that they’re blessed to be living in too.”
Here, Scripps shares her insider knowledge on what makes Big D special and how she’s raising her sons with gratitude and perspective.
Interview with Jennifer Scripps
DFWChild: Tell us a little about Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI).
JS: We are the chief advocate, champion and steward for the Dallas core—everything inside the highway loop. It’s one-and-a-half square miles, it’s a huge downtown, and keeping it clean and safe is kind of the bedrock expectation. We provide 7-day a week clean and security teams—most people would recognize by the blue jackets and the green trucks. We have a 5-day a week homeless outreach team and downtown ambassadors. We also program all of the downtown parks and partner with the parks department.
We provide a lot of energy for economic development—everything from new hotels, offices, corporations, getting to Dallas. A lot of our planning has looked at good urbanism: how do we create a walkable, 7-day-a-week downtown?
DFWChild: How have you seen downtown change over the years?
JS: When I grew up in Dallas, it was an office district, and we came downtown for a parade once a year and maybe to go to Neiman Marcus department store. There was no Arts District, there were no parks. Entertainment has become so much more of what people are seeking and I think it makes us more competitive for people going back to the office—if you have to go back to the office three or four days a week, wouldn’t you like to come to an authentic city rather than a suburban office park?
Find something each week to do for yourself. Whether it’s a workout, lunch with a friend, coffee after school drop off.
DFWChild: What’s a great hidden gem downtown for families?
JS: First, the Dallas Farmers Market, which we have really watched grow and evolve. A lot of people think you go there and you get your pumpkins, but every single weekend there are things to do in the Farmers Market. There’s lives music, there’s the big sheds where you can get tacos, a grilled cheese, ceviche. The breadth of dining options, the people watching—it’s great.
Then just a couple of blocks north is the brand new Harwoord Park that opened last year. It has pickleball, an amazing playground with these really cool mammoths that look like giant Wooly Mammoths because those were the prehistoric animals that were in this area. That district is just so rich for kids and families—you can eat, you can play, you can people watch. It’s not expensive and it’s not ticketed; you can just go anytime and you have to worry about naptimes and schedules.
DFWChild: DDI has such a broad scope. How do manage the demands of your job there and your job as mom?
JS: We’re really organized as a family. We do a lot of planning, every weekend we kind of break down the week ahead.
And also, just learning to say no. For example, we love Scouting; both boys are in it, Andy and I are both Den leaders. But we realized that our family does not like the Pinewood Derby (laughs). It was always an exercise in frustration, and so we’ve just not done it. We like hiking, we like games and camping, but we don’t build racecars in our family. And you know what? That’s OK. We had to remember, this is supposed to be fun. So we’ve figured out how our family ticks and those things to say to no to.
DFWChild: What advice would you give another busy mom?
JS: I had a friend that said this and it really stuck with me: Find something each week to do for yourself. Whether it’s a workout, lunch with a friend, coffee after school drop off. And, of course, it doesn’t always happen, there are times that you’re just too busy. But it’s so easy to skip that stuff all the time and then you wake up and your kids are at camp and you’re like, what am I supposed to do with myself?
DFWChild: What’s important to you to instill in your boys?
JS: One thing that’s so important—and I never thought about it as a global thing—when somebody says stop it, respect that. If the issue is something you’re saying, close your mouth. If you’re poking somebody, stop doing that. When you think about the future, about having good judgement, being loving partners and fathers, being in tune with other people is what it’s all about.
I also want them to have empathy and perspective. We serve with our church at Austin Street Shelter and it’s fun and easy, but it also gets them out of their comfort zone. It’s really important to me that they build that perspective.
DFWChild: What traits do you hope your kids get from you?
JS: I hope they learn to laugh at themselves and not take life too seriously. Life is long and it can be hard. If you can’t find the humor or the ridiculousness in things, it feels longer and harder. And a real sense of gratitude—we are so lucky to wake up with our health and our loved ones. You can say it, but as a parent you have to live it and show it.
Jennifer Scripps’ Favorite Family Destinations in Dallas and Beyond
1. Family Dinner
Cane Rosso is the go-to family restaurant for the Scripps family, who love a good wood-fired Neapolitan pizza fresh out of the oven. Mom and dad split a supreme and the kids opt for a classic cheese.
2. Best for Playtime
Scripps and family love the parks in downtown Dallas, including Harwood Park and Klyde Warren Park. “A lot of times we go to Main Street Garden Park, too,” she says. “My kids say, ‘That’s the eclipse park!’ because that’s where we watched the eclipse with about 7,000 other people. It’s a fun memory.”
3. Coffee Spot
When she needs a pick-me-up, Scripps grabs a beverage from White Rhino Coffee or White Rock Coffee. Her order? An oat milk latte. Adding flavors—lavender anyone?—are “mood dependent” she laughs.
4. Holiday Tradition
It started with Family Christmas Pops with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, then last year, the family saw A Christmas Carol at the Dallas Theater Center. “We call it our ‘dressy Christmasing,’” says Scripps. “We kind of dress up a little bit and do something that feels a little fancy, just the four of us. It’s not a Christmas party, it’s not Santa or consumerism. It’s an experience.” On deck this holiday season: Elf in Concert—with a live symphony orchestra.
5. Out of Town
“We’ve gotten really into national parks,” says Scripps, whose family visited the Great Smoky Mountains a couple years ago then Mount Rushmore and Badlands and Theodore Roosevelt National Parks this past summer. “I really want the kids to see America before I feel the pressure to go farther afield. Our kids are at a great age to being doing this.”
“Glamping” is how they experience the great outdoors while also enjoying the comforts of a good hotel. “We stayed at a place called Under Canvas, and there are a lot of these near National Parks. You have a comfortable bed, a hot shower but you’re in a tent. The best of both worlds.”
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Top image courtesy of Stephen Karlisch
