10 Creative Mother's Day Experiences to Break You Out of Your Brunch Rut

One of the busiest days of the year for restaurants is Mother’s Day. You'll be tempted to join the throngs and make the same brunch reservations you do every year, but what about skipping the crowded restaurants and panicked waiters? Choose one of these 10 experiences this Sunday and you won't have to wait for a table. Instead you'll be waiting to tell everyone the story of your fun adventure together.

Scarborough Fair
2511 FM 66, Waxahachie
11 a.m. Sunday
$20
Treat your mom like a queen at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival. Just for the weekend of Mother’s Day, there will be a brunch buffet from 11 a.m. to noon. Quiche Lorraine, roasted potatoes with rosemary, mixed fruit and fresh baked breads are all on the menu. And you can wash it all down with mimosas.

The brunch is $20 for adults, $10 for kids aged 5-12 and free for children 4 or younger. You'll still have to buy a general admission ticket to the fair ($13 for kids, $28 for adults), which is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

So stay after your meal and enjoy the fair's 200 shops, 22 performance stages and first-rate people watching. The festival runs through May 29, but this weekend is all about taking mom on an elephant ride or a tour of the mermaid lagoon.

Stalker screening
Texas Theatre
231 W. Jefferson Blvd.
7 p.m. Sunday
$10
If you want to experience something unusual that’s not brunch, check out this metaphysical Russian film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. It's dark, edgy, set in post-apocalyptic Russia, and 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes-approved. The Texas Theatre also has a hip bar that’s known for its movie-themed cocktails, and the theater has historical value since it's where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested after shooting President Kennedy.

Mother’s Day at the Arboretum
Dallas Arboretum
8525 Garland Road
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
$10-$59
April showers bring May Flowers, and the Arboretum is green and beautiful right now. Treat your mom to a stroll among the tulips, ivy mazes and koi ponds. If you want to go the extra mile, pack a picnic and blanket. The Arboretum is huge, and even on busy days it's easy to find a quiet spot.

They also offer a "garden tea" that starts at $49. Shell out 10 more bucks and you'll get Champagne. There’s also complimentary coffee from 9 p.m. to 2 p.m. at the Terrace Café and Café on the Green, and live music from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Martin Rutchik Concert Stage, complete with a view of White Rock Lake. General admission to the Arboretum is free for kids under 2, $10 for kids 3-12, $15 for adults and $12 for those older than 65.

Electra
Annette Strauss Square
2403 Flora St.
8:30 p.m. Sunday
$20 and up
If your mom enjoys theater and the classics, this modern take on Greek tragedies Oedipus el Rey and Medea will grab her interest. Electra is a story of revenge, lust, murder and fury. The audience hears commentary through personal headsets as the performance unfolds throughout the grounds of the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Annette Strauss Square. Dallas Theater Center artistic director Kevin Moriarty adapted the play from Sophocles. It does contain violence so it may not be appropriate for people under 11.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s screening and brunch
Alamo Drafthouse
1005 S. Lamar St.
12:30 p.m. Sunday
$37.89
Alamo Drafthouse in Dallas is presenting the classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the movie that has made every girl since 1961 daydream of being Holly Golightly. The price of the ticket includes the screening, plus a themed four-course brunch (the second course of cauliflower panna cotta and caviar is called "Milk for Cat"). Drink pairings are also available. In the words of Holly Golightly, “Don’t take me home till I’m drunk.” No child under the age of 6 will be allowed, and all others must be accompanied by an adult.

Swiss Ave 44th Annual Mother’s Day Home Tour
Savage Park
5501 Swiss Ave.
11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
$30
Have you ever driven down Swiss Avenue in awe of the early 20th century homes and wondered what they look like on the inside? Well, here’s your chance to find out. The Swiss Avenue Mother's Day Home Tour will take you inside seven of the neighborhood's homes, and also includes an art fair, a vintage auto display, a children’s play area, live entertainment, free rides in horse-drawn carriages or air-conditioned mini-coaches and food for purchase. Children under 12 get in free.

Drag Brunch
Hard Rock Café
2211 N. Houston St.
1 p.m. Sunday
$5
Who doesn’t enjoy a good drag show? Liven up your Mother’s Day with a performance by the finest queens in DFW. It will be so over the top you'll forget you ordered food. To get the full effect, don’t tell your mom you're going to a drag show. There's a $5 cover at the door, and all proceeds go to Hard Rock Heels. Call Hard Rock Café to make reservations: 469-341-7625.

Mother Daughter Pampering Package
Pure Spa and Salon
5555 E. Mockingbird Lane, No. 300
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
$250
A spa day will give your mom the one thing all moms desire most on Mother’s Day: relaxation. Pure is offering tons of manicure, massage and facial packages, some lasting up to five hours. The best deal is the Mother Daughter Pampering package, which gets you two 50-minute traditional massages side-by-side for $250. For moms with busy schedules, they have a Mom On-the-Go Package that will fit a massage, facial and basic manicure into an hour and a half.

DMA Golden Age of Mexican Cinema
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 N. Harwood St.
3:30 p.m. Sunday
Free
The 1943 film Distinto Amanecer (Another Dawn) is part political thriller, part drama, and it's considered one of the best examples of Mexican film noir. The Dallas Museum of Art will screen it for free in the Horchow Auditorium on Sunday – with subtitles for English speakers, of course. After the movie, stick around to check out the exhibit Mexico 1900-1950, which features work by Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and José Clemente Orozco.

The Butch Lord's Comedy Showcase
Hyena's Comedy Club
5321 E. Mockingbird Lane
8 p.m. Sunday
$5
If your mom has a funny bone, then this might be her jam. Sixteen comedians will take the stage at Hyena's for this comedy showcase. The smallness of the club allows you get to get up close and personal with the performers, and there's a two-drink minimum, which provides a great excuse to drink – as if you both needed one. Who knows what all these comedians have in store, but the poster suggests pirate jokes may be involved.