Strategically located in the middle of the massive Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, Arlington, Texas offers access to world-class sports and exciting entertainment. With a surprising number of relaxing outdoor spaces, visitors to Arlington will have no trouble finding a break from the crowds. Whether you prefer your fun in the water, shade, or sun, Arlington can deliver. Sitting dead-center in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex also makes the city a handy launch pad for a wider Texas road trip.
Fun Facts About Arlington, Texas
Arlington was founded in 1876 along the Texas and Pacific Railway, growing from a small farming town into a major entertainment hub.
One of the world's largest domed structures, AT&T Stadium wows first-time visitors with its massive scale and state-of-the-art furnishings. Home of the Dallas Cowboys, the 105,000-seat venue features a retractable roof and an enormous center-hung HDTV screen. As one of the most expensive sports venues ever built, it cost over a billion dollars.
Tour options range from self-guided strolls after home games to VIP guided tours with locker-room and press-box access. Attending a Cowboys game remains the best way to appreciate the sheer scale of this behemoth, but even a walk-through tour reveals why the stadium ranks among the most ambitious sporting arenas anywhere in the country.
Six Flags Over Texas is the original Six Flags amusement park and a leading Arlington draw. The name dates to 1961 and honors the six national flags that flew over Texas across its history: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and the United States.
Inside the park, thrill-seekers can join the Justice League in Battle for Metropolis, a 4D immersive ride. The lineup runs deep, spanning towering roller coasters, gentler family rides, and live entertainment, giving visitors of every age plenty of ways to fill a day.
Built as a 1920s tea room, Top O' Hill Terrace led a double life as a secret gambling den in the 1930s. A hidden tunnel let patrons escape police raids, and the tables drew high rollers from Hollywood stars to notorious gangsters. Texas Rangers finally shut the operation down after a 1947 raid.
The property later became part of what is now Arlington Baptist University, and visitors can still tour the grounds of the place once dubbed "Vegas before Vegas." The tea garden, casino, secret escape tunnel, and a separate building believed to have served as a brothel all remain standing, preserving one of Texas' most notorious slices of Prohibition-era history.
Hurricane Harbor water park cools you off across roughly two dozen attractions. Float the lazy river, pick up the pace on the Raging Rapids, catch some rays in Suntan Lagoon, or ride the million-gallon wave pool. Adrenaline seekers can brave the Dive Bomber free-fall slide, a seven-story trap-door drop that sends riders plunging almost straight down.
The park sits just across Interstate 30 from its partner attraction, Six Flags Over Texas, making it easy to pair a day of coasters with a day of slides. A surfing simulator rounds out the lineup, open to guests taller than four feet who want to test their balance on an endless artificial wave.
Set between the urban centers of Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington still offers easy access to the outdoors. The 1,300-acre River Legacy Park spreads eight miles of paved trails, picnic tables, and covered pavilions along the Trinity River, with scenic overlooks throughout. A canoe launch sends paddlers onto the water, making the green space a welcome escape from the surrounding metroplex.
Abundant wildlife makes its home across the park, and the onsite Science Center brings that nature indoors. Interactive exhibits explore the local ecosystem, while native animals live within the building for close viewing. Public programs and educational events round out the experience, giving families and curious visitors a hands-on introduction to the plants and creatures of North Texas.
Bowling's roots stretch back some 5,000 years, and fans of the sport should not miss the International Bowling Museum. Part of a larger campus that also houses the Bowling Hall of Fame, it displays photos, artifacts, and video capturing the sport's greatest moments across the decades.
Exhibits trace bowling's history in the United States all the way back to 17th-century Manhattan, while the Hall of Fame chronicles the storied careers of legendary champions. Before you leave, stop by the gift shop, where guests can even pick up a customized bowling ball as a memorable souvenir of the visit.
In a state that prides itself on doing everything big, the University of Texas at Arlington Planetarium fits right in. As one of the largest planetariums in Texas, it projects onto a sweeping 60-foot dome, turning the night sky into an immersive canvas of stars, planets, and deep space rendered in vivid detail overhead.
Regular shows guide audiences through the solar system and beyond, folding in the latest astronomical research and wrapping it all in Dolby surround sound. The theater seats around 150 people and is fully wheelchair accessible. Best of all, practicing astronomers are on hand to field your questions, so curiosity about the cosmos never goes unanswered here.
Arlington is home to the largest dedicated esports facility in North America. Esports Stadium Arlington spans 100,000 square feet, purpose-built for competitive gaming with a flexible layout and a high-tech 85-foot LED board. It's a venue engineered entirely around the spectacle of live tournament play.
The fully wired space accommodates up to 100 separate gaming stations and seats 2,500 spectators. A live studio for commentators and a dedicated control room for orchestrating the broadcast complete the setup, making it a serious draw for anyone curious about how top-tier competitive gaming events come together.
Completed in 2020, Globe Life Field is the home of the Texas Rangers. A five-and-a-half-acre retractable roof beats the Texas heat, and the ballpark seats over 40,000 fans. It is also one of a handful of MLB parks with a full artificial-turf field, a synthetic surface that stays playable whatever the weather.
Premium seating rewards fans who want to get closer to the action. The Dugout Club puts you right alongside the sunken dugouts for a field-level view of the players, while the SkyPorch Bar looks out over left field. The layout of this high-tech ballpark makes it a genuine highlight for anyone who loves the game.
Texas Live! occupies prime real estate between the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium and the Rangers' Globe Life Field. The entertainment district bundles food, fun, and lodging in one spot, and its open-air Arlington Backyard hosts live music and cultural events for thousands of people at once.
Dig into a Texas-sized steak at Troy Aikman's restaurant, then stay the night at the attached luxury hotel. With more than 170,000 square feet plus conference space, the district makes an ideal base between sporting events and a day of Arlington sightseeing, all within walking distance of the two stadiums.
Formed in 1989 by damming the Mountain and Walnut Creek watersheds, Joe Pool Lake is a 7,700-acre reservoir on the southeast side of Arlington. Regional visitors come for watersports, fishing, paddling, and birdwatching, while several parks around the shoreline provide easy public access to the water's edge.
The lake area is also rich in history. Extensive archaeology has uncovered evidence of human activity stretching back thousands of years to the Paleo-Indian period, and many nineteenth-century buildings still stand nearby. It is a rare mix, letting you pair a day on the water with a look at the land's deep and layered past.
Just north of Arlington in neighboring North Richland Hills, NRH2O Family Water Park has offered relief from Texas summers since it opened in 1995. Its nine water slides span every excitement level, from the gentle Double Dipper and Purplepalooza, which have no height limits, to the thrilling Thunder, Blue Sky, and Green Extreme.
Beyond the slides, the park stretches a 660-foot endless lazy river past the multi-level Splashatory water playground, a climbing, spraying structure built for younger swimmers. At its heart sits NRH2Ocean, a 12,000-square-foot wave pool with plenty of room to spread out, float, and ride the swells across a full day of family-friendly play.
Tucked between AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, Richard Greene Linear Park spreads across 41 acres of green space with hiking trails and a lake. It offers a welcome escape from the bustle of Arlington's major venues, a place to breathe and feed the ducks between games and concerts.
Each spring the park hosts Art on the Greene, drawing artists and visitors to the greenway. It is also home to Caelum Moor, a modern stone-art installation inspired by the ancient British standing-stone formations, giving the trails a striking sculptural centerpiece worth pausing to explore.
Arlington is known for its powerhouse sports, but a flourishing cultural scene thrives here too. At the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts, an open-air stage in downtown Arlington, you can catch one of many free outdoor concerts. Performers range from up-and-coming local acts to internationally renowned artists across a wide sweep of genres.
The venue's appeal reaches well beyond the music itself. In 2019, the American Planning Association recognized the pavilion as a Great Public Space, a nod to its welcoming design and community role. Lawn seating is free, and picnics and coolers are welcome, making an evening show an easy, relaxed outing for families, couples, and groups alike.
An Arlington landmark, the Fielder House Museum preserves local history inside the 1914 home of lawyer James Park Fielder. Its collection of more than 200 artifacts includes local photographs, items from the Fielder family, and an exhibit on Arlington during the Second World War, tracing how the community grew from a small farming town.
Other displays cover the area's major construction projects, among them General Motors, Six Flags Over Texas, and Arlington Stadium. The museum is run by the non-profit Arlington Historical Society, making it a natural first stop for anyone curious about how Arlington took shape and the people who built it.
Just southeast of Arlington in neighboring Grand Prairie, Traders Village is an open-air flea market stocked with items of every kind. Since its 1973 start it has grown to over 120 acres and thousands of sellers, where shoppers and collectors hunt for jewelry, clothing, furniture, toys, and antiques.
The enormous market turns up surprises around every corner, along with seasonal events and carnival rides. Thrill-seekers can brave the 128-foot Fleafall drop and the Vortex roller coaster, while a carousel and bumper cars keep younger visitors entertained. It all makes for a full day of browsing and fun.
Spread across nearly 800 acres along the west side of Joe Pool Lake, Loyd Park invites exploration of its trails on foot or horseback, though riders must bring their own horse. On the water, visitors can rent kayaks or canoes onsite and paddle out across the lake at their own pace.
Overnight stays take many forms, from RV sites and cabins to a room in the Loyd Park Lodge. Families find plenty of spots to picnic or swim, along with a playground for the kids. Sports fans can head for the ball field or the volleyball court, rounding out a day outdoors.
Feel the need for speed at K1 Speed Indoor Go Karts, where two kart classes get you on the track fast. Adult drivers zip around at up to 45 miles an hour, while Junior Karts let kids reach up to 20 mph, so racers of every age can chase their own personal best lap.
Every kart runs on electric power, meaning even at the back of the pack you won't be breathing exhaust fumes. Between races, you can take a break with the on-site arcade games or refuel with a selection of food and drink, making it easy to turn a quick spin into a full afternoon of fun.
On Arlington's north side, Crystal Canyon Natural Area is a nearly 40-acre park with a fascinating geological history. Evidence suggests the canyon was once a shallow ocean, and fossil clams and marine minerals are plentiful. The park takes its name from the rock crystals found scattered throughout its grounds.
This reserve is left deliberately undeveloped, with no playgrounds or picnic shelters to spoil the view. A half-mile soft-surface trail winds through the terrain, making it well suited to an early-morning or late-afternoon stroll. Nature enthusiasts will find it a quiet, unspoiled pocket of the city worth seeking out.
True to its name, Southwest Nature Preserve occupies almost sixty acres in the southwestern corner of Arlington, sheltering a fine variety of native plants. Three ponds enhance the setting and offer fishing, one served by a pier. Picnic tables, walking trails, and an outdoor terrace round out the facilities for a quiet afternoon outdoors.
Many visitors come for the views from the high bluff overlooking the region. From the sandstone hillside, hikers can gaze across the surrounding landscape and see as far as downtown Fort Worth. It is an easy stretch of trail rewarded by a genuinely wide horizon, making the preserve a favorite escape close to the heart of the city.
Just north of downtown in central Arlington, Knapp Heritage Park preserves some of the city's oldest buildings. Two mid-nineteenth-century cabins let visitors step into pioneer-era Texas, while a period blacksmith barn hosts monthly demonstrations. An old-time general store, law office, and one-room schoolhouse round out this compact window into the region's frontier past.
The park regularly welcomes school groups, offers private tours, and holds historical events throughout the year, bringing its restored structures to life with hands-on interpretation. Time a visit for spring, when bluebonnets carpet the grounds and the surrounding greenery makes the historic buildings especially photogenic against the Texas landscape.
Bowman Springs is one of Arlington's smaller parks, but it sits on prime real estate along the eastern shore of Lake Arlington. The 14-acre site takes its name from an early settler family who arrived in 1852, and it was once known as 'Feather Beach.' Today it offers excellent lake access.
Anglers and boaters come for the boat ramp, floating dock, and fishing pier, and the park anchors an 11-mile flat-water paddling trail across the lake. Despite its compact footprint, it also packs in a basketball court, a short hiking trail, a picnic area, and a playground, making it a versatile stop for families.
Marrow Bone Spring rewards travelers curious about Native American history. The park preserves the site of a long-term Indigenous encampment dating back at least to the eighteenth century. Along the creek bank, you can still see evidence of grain ground into nearby boulders, a tangible trace of the people who lived and worked on this land generations ago.
History turned here in 1843, when Republic of Texas President Sam Houston signed a treaty with local Native Americans at the spring, after which Texas troops and settlers moved into the Arlington area. Today the 12-acre site includes a half-mile of biking and hiking trails, letting visitors walk the ground where that pivotal moment unfolded.
The Arlington Museum of Art began in 1986, when the Arlington Art Association converted a former JCPenney department store into a gallery. It has since relocated to a far larger home in Arlington's Entertainment District, near AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field, spotlighting contemporary regional artists from across North Texas.
The museum also shows earlier work of historical and cultural relevance, and it hosts frequent traveling exhibitions featuring names like Ansel Adams, Salvador Dali, Hiroshige, and Pablo Picasso. Rounding out its programming are community events and arts education, making it a versatile cultural anchor amid the district's stadiums and attractions.
A half-hour drive from downtown Arlington in nearby Fort Worth, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing rewards the trip. Free self-guided audio tours walk visitors through exactly how U.S. currency is made, and an enclosed walkway delivers a bird's-eye view of the production floor where billions of dollars are printed.
Two floors of interactive exhibits trace the history of currency and the printing process, turning an abstract subject into something you can see and follow step by step. Before you leave, the Moneyfactory Gift Shop stocks a range of money-themed keepsakes, making an easy souvenir stop to cap off the visit.
Getting to Arlington
Arlington sits squarely in the middle of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, so it is easy to reach by road from almost any direction. Interstate 30 runs along the northern side of the city, linking Fort Worth to the west with Dallas to the east and passing close to the stadium and entertainment district. Interstate 20 forms the southern east-west route through town, while State Highway 360 carries north-south traffic along the eastern edge, connecting the airport corridor down toward the southern suburbs. Between these three, most visitors arriving by car will find a direct freeway approach no matter which side of the metroplex they start from.
The main gateway by air is Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which sits just to the northeast and is only about a 25-minute drive from central Arlington. Dallas Love Field, on the eastern side of the metroplex, is a second option roughly half an hour out via the interstate. Arlington itself does not have its own long-distance passenger rail station, but intercity trains and buses serve the neighbouring downtowns of Fort Worth and Dallas, each a short drive away, making a rental car or rideshare the usual last leg into the city.
Getting Around Arlington
Arlington is a spread-out, car-oriented city, and for most trips having a vehicle makes life considerably easier, especially if you plan to hop between the stadium district, the theme parks, and the riverside greenbelt in a single day. The one genuinely walkable pocket is the entertainment district in the north, where the major stadiums, arenas, and their surrounding lots and plazas are clustered tightly enough to stroll between on foot once you have parked. The area around the university campus is also compact and pedestrian-friendly, with everyday shops and cafes within walking distance.
Public transit exists but is limited and geared more to commuters than sightseers, so rideshare fills much of the gap for getting between districts without a car. Cycling and walking work best inside the parks and along the trail corridors rather than as a way to cross town. Parking is rarely a headache away from big event days: the attractions and shopping areas are built around large surface lots and garages, and even the entertainment district has ample paid parking, though it fills up and prices climb when a stadium event is on.
Where to Stay in Arlington
The most convenient base for most visitors is the entertainment district in the north of the city, close to the major stadiums and theme parks and served by a cluster of lodging built for the crowds these venues draw. Staying here puts you within walking distance of the biggest attractions and their pre-game buzz, which is ideal if events are the focus of your trip, though it is also the liveliest and busiest area on game and concert days.
For something calmer, the residential neighbourhoods and suburban pockets further south and around the university are quieter and more relaxed, still an easy drive from the action. Travellers who value a quick highway getaway often base themselves near the interstate corridors along the northern and southern edges of the city, where access to Dallas, Fort Worth, and the airport is fastest. Wherever you land, distances within Arlington are short enough that no single district leaves you stranded from the rest.
Where to Eat in Arlington
Arlington’s dining is spread across its commercial corridors rather than one single restaurant row, but the entertainment district and the streets around the university campus are the easiest places to graze, with everything from stadium-crowd casual spots to student-friendly cafes. This is North Texas, so the local flavour leans hard into barbecue: slow-smoked brisket is the regional signature, served with ribs, sausage, and sides like beans and slaw. Tex-Mex is the other pillar of the local table, from sizzling fajitas and enchiladas to breakfast tacos and queso.
Because the metroplex is deeply multicultural, you will also find a strong showing of Vietnamese, Korean, and Mexican cooking along the city’s suburban strip corridors, where authentic pho, banh mi, and taqueria fare sit alongside the Texan classics. Round it out with a Texas chicken-fried steak or a slice of pecan pie, and you have covered the flavours the region is best known for without needing to leave town.
One Day in Arlington
Arlington rewards a day that starts under the trees and ends under the lights — nature and local history in the cool of the morning, then the big-league Entertainment District once the sun is high and the crowds are worth it.
Morning: Beat the Texas heat by opening with green space. River Legacy Parks and Science Center sits along the Trinity River on the city’s north edge, its paved trails threading through bottomland forest that feels a world away from the freeways — an easy, flat walk to loosen the legs and spot herons before breakfast. A few minutes south, Crystal Canyon Natural Area tucks a surprising little rock gorge into the neighborhoods, a short but genuinely scenic detour most visitors never find. From there, swing west to Top O’ Hill Terrace, the former hilltop gambling den turned tour site whose escape tunnels and casino ruins make for one of the strangest, best-told stories in North Texas.
Afternoon: Point the car back toward the center for the culture-and-heritage stretch. The Arlington Museum of Art anchors the downtown blocks with rotating exhibitions, and just around the corner Knapp Heritage Park lines up restored 19th-century cabins and a schoolhouse that trace how this stretch of prairie was first settled. Then commit the rest of the afternoon to the Entertainment District, where the two stadiums face off across the parking lots: tour Globe Life Field, the retractable-roof home of the Rangers, or step inside the cathedral-scale AT&T Stadium. If you’re traveling with kids — or just refuse to grow up — Six Flags Over Texas is right there for a few hours of coasters.
Evening: Cap the night at Texas Live!, the sprawling dining-and-entertainment complex wedged between the ballparks, where a stacked lineup of restaurants and bars keeps the game-day energy going long after the stadiums empty out. In warmer months, trade the neon for the lawn at Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts, whose open-air stage hosts free live music under the sky. With a second day, drive south to Joe Pool Lake for a slower morning of paddling, fishing, and shoreline picnics well outside the city bustle.
Free Things to Do in Arlington
You do not need a big budget to enjoy Arlington. Several of the city's best experiences cost nothing at all, making it easy to fill a day without opening your wallet.
Catch a free outdoor concert on the lawn at the Levitt Pavilion, where picnics and coolers are welcome. Explore eight miles of paved trails at River Legacy Park, or take in the sweeping views from the sandstone bluff at Southwest Nature Preserve. History buffs can wander the grounds at Marrow Bone Spring and Knapp Heritage Park, while free self-guided audio tours let you watch U.S. currency being printed at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in nearby Fort Worth.
Day Trips from Arlington
Arlington’s central position makes it an excellent launch pad for day trips across the metroplex. Fort Worth lies about 20 minutes west and offers a very different, more Western feel, while Dallas is a similar short hop east for big-city museums and skyline. Just to the northeast, roughly 25 minutes up the road, Grapevine makes an easy half-day outing with its historic main street, wineries, and lakeside setting.
For a longer excursion, head about two hours east on the interstate to Tyler, deep in the pine woods of East Texas and famous for its rose gardens and springtime blooms, a scenic change of pace from the metroplex flatlands. Closer to home, the lakes and river greenbelts that thread through the region give an easy nature escape without a long drive, ideal for a morning of walking, paddling, or birdwatching before returning to the city.
FAQ: Visiting Arlington, Texas
What is Arlington, Texas known for?
Arlington is best known as the entertainment hub of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is home to AT&T Stadium (the Dallas Cowboys), Globe Life Field (the Texas Rangers), Six Flags Over Texas, and Hurricane Harbor, plus the Texas Live! dining and entertainment district that sits between the two stadiums.
Is Arlington worth visiting?
Yes. Often overshadowed by neighboring Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington holds its own with world-class sports venues, major theme parks, and a surprising amount of green space. It is an especially strong pick for sports fans and families looking for a lively, activity-packed base in North Texas.
How many days do you need in Arlington?
Two to three days is plenty to enjoy Arlington's major attractions. A weekend lets you pair a stadium tour or game with a day at Six Flags or Hurricane Harbor, plus time for a museum, a park, or the Texas Live! entertainment district.
When is the best time to visit Arlington?
Spring and fall bring the most comfortable weather for exploring outdoors. Summer is prime season for the water parks and splash pads that help beat the Texas heat, while baseball runs from spring into fall and Cowboys football fills the fall and early winter.
How far is Arlington from Dallas and Fort Worth?
Arlington sits right in the middle of the metroplex, roughly 20 miles west of downtown Dallas and about 12 miles east of downtown Fort Worth. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is around a 30-minute drive away.
Is Arlington good for families?
Very much so. Between Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor, NRH2O, the River Legacy Science Center, and dozens of parks, Arlington is packed with family-friendly attractions for all ages, many of them designed with younger kids in mind.
Do you need a car to get around Arlington?
Generally, yes. Arlington is the largest U.S. city without a mass public transit system, so most visitors drive or use rideshare. That said, the Entertainment District around the stadiums and downtown near the university are both walkable once you are there.
