When you take a vacation in Texas, go big or go home.
It’s the second-largest state in the US, and it’s the perfect place for a terrific outsized vacation for the whole family.
You can visit any city in Texas to go all out, but you might want to take a second look at Grand Prairie.
If you want Texas-sized family fun, Grand Prairie is where to go.
You can find this city deep in the heart of the Dallas and Fort Worth Metroplex, where it has a little bit of everything you need for a fun trip.
In 2008, Money Magazine also named Grand Prairie one of the best cities in Texas, so the place warrants a visit.
Convenience is also not an issue since Grand Prairie is just a few minutes’ drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Grand Prairie offers plenty of accommodation options near Dallas’ tourist hotspots, like Cowboys Stadium.
Do you want to know more about Grand Prairie, TX? Here’s a list of the best things to do in town.
R Hensley, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Every year, the Lone Star Park hosts two thrilling horse racing seasons, which everyone in the family can enjoy.
The park has become so popular in the region that over 700,000 people flock there every year, trying out each wonderful amenities.
For example, you can visit the enormous seven-level Grandstand, enclosed in shimmering glass, or grab a meal at the spacious Silks Dining Room that can seat 1,200 people.
Xtremest / Shutterstock.com
You can also book a stay at the Penthouse Suites, offering 48 rooms that overlook the newest race track in Texas.
Next to the Grandstand lies the 36,000-square-foot world-class Racebook and simulcast facility, called the Bar & Book.
You can place bets on your favorite horses from anywhere in the world, seven days a week.
Visit the Lone Star Park at 1000 Lone Star Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75050.
Xtremest / Shutterstock.com
If you want a little Eastern flavor in your Texas trip, pop in the Asia Times Square & Hong Kong Market.
This place lets you explore a mini-Hong Kong, complete with authentic Asian goods, services, and festivals.
The best time to visit this place is the Lunar New Year, where you can join the Flower Festival.
Enjoy the festival’s warm and cozy atmosphere as everyone celebrates the new year’s coming.
If you visit another time, you can also shop at the biggest Asian grocery stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.
Likewise, the Hong Kong Market sells various merchandise, including meat and seafood, from every corner of Asia.
You can browse their selections of items imported from China, Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Singapore.
Visit the Asia Times Square & Hong Kong Market at 2625 W Pioneer Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75051.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! has showcased the world’s strangeness through its book series and TV shows.
If you’re a fan, you should go to Grand Prairie and visit Ripley’s Odditorium to delight in the weird once again.
Entering the odditorium is like stepping into Ripley’s book come to life.
You’ll find all sorts of delightful, interesting, and mind-blowing oddities from all over the world.
After that, you can bring your friends and try solving Ripley’s Enchanted Mirror Maze.
Pit your skills against your friends at Ripley’s Impossible LaseRace, or sit back and marvel at the 7D moving theater.
Visit Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium at 601 E Palace Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75050.
Get your feet wet at this 80,000-square-foot indoor waterpark in Grand Prairie, Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark.
It’s open year-round for splashy adventures that every member of your family will surely enjoy.
What rides can you take to this park?
This place offers various attractions, like the Lasso Loop, the death-defying Yellowjacket Drop, the thrilling Texas Twist, and the family-friendly Wave Pool.
Rain or shine, you’ll still have great fun at Epic Waters.
Its retractable roof means you’ll never have to worry about the rain or heat.
Likewise, three of the 11 waterslides in this park are unique in the entire waterpark industry.
The place also hosts events like birthday parties, and you can also rent it for yourself.
Visit the Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark at 2970 Epic Place, Grand Prairie, Texas 75052.
W. Scott McGill / Shutterstock.com
Since 1973, the Traders Village has attracted customers from Grand Prairie and the country to the open-air bonanza of nearly every product you could need.
Go there to buy items like auto accessories, clothes, toys, furniture, and even jewelry.
If you feel your kids getting bored, bring them to the village’s amusement park.
There’s also ample seating in case your folks get tired from browsing.
It’s not just the shops that attract people to Traders Village.
W. Scott McGill / Shutterstock.com
You might not expect it, but the village offers some of the best food in the city.
You can try state fair favorites, authentic street tacos, and Thai food.
Otherwise, you can go to Gary’s Grill for classic meals and then head to the funnel cake stand for dessert.
Visit Traders Village at 2602 Mayfield Rd, Grand Prairie, TX 75052.
Not far from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex lies Loyd Park on Joe Pool Lake, a one-of-a-kind nature getaway for the whole family.
You can find it on the lake’s western shore, covering roughly 791 acres of unspoiled Texas landscape.
You can set up camp there without worrying about the distance to DFW attractions.
On the other hand, the surrounding nature should provide enough enjoyment for guests who want to relax.
The campsites are all sizable, too, averaging 1,000 square feet.
Each campsite has a grill, pavilion, and picnic table, so you don’t need to worry about meals.
Visit Loyd Park at 3401 Ragland Rd, Grand Prairie, TX 75052.
Relive your pro skater dreams at the Action Park in Grand Prairie, a world-class skate park for competitive skating, biking, and skateboarding.
Bring your kids, too, if you share the same passion for extreme sports.
This outdoor skate park’s main attraction is The Hangar, a covered skate park spanning 17,000 square feet, with a roll-in foam pit.
You could spend an entire day skating around there.
Plus, you have The Trails, featuring two-acre dirt jumps.
Even if you’re a beginner, you can still enjoy this feature because it offers tracks for all skill levels.
Finally, you have The Pro Course, a skating area spanning 20,000 square feet.
This course has everything, too, from mini ramps to box jumps.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a bike, for Action Park also provides BMX rentals.
Visit Action Park Grand Prairie at 1002 Lone Star Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75050.
Gp user, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
You might not expect a historic building in Grand Prairie, but downtown has the Uptown Theater, restored to its 1950s glamor.
The place was a movie hall before it closed down.
After buying the place, the city of Grand Prairie transformed it into a multi-use arts center, opening in 2008.
When you’re in town, catch a performance from the local Grand Prairie Arts Council or attend concerts from bands on tour.
Otherwise, you can also buy tickets to dance shows or theatrical performances.
Visit the Uptown Theater at 210 E Main St., Grand Prairie, TX 75050.
Sometimes, a ride through a road full of lights is the best way to end a night on the town.
So, before you go back to your lodgings, you might want to go to the Prairie Lights Drive-Through Holiday Light Park.
It’s a dazzling showcase of four million lights arranged along two miles of driving path.
Look up, and you’ll see new light displays arranged along an arched above the road in all shapes.
You can make a pit stop at the Holiday Village if you stop halfway.
Grab some snacks, go on the carnival rides, and add to your stockpile of memories.
Bring your kids to see Santa, too, and bring your significant other to the Lighted Walk-Through Forest.
The park’s main event is the world’s largest light tunnel, so don’t miss out.
Visit the Prairie Lights at 5610 Lake Ridge Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75052.
You might not be able to shake your favorite celebrity’s hand anytime soon, but you can visit them at Louis Tussaud’s Palace of Wax.
It’s the next best thing.
You can find this palace inside the same building as Ripley’s Odditorium, so you won’t need to go far.
The wax figures in the Palace of Wax are incredibly lifelike and look like the real people as though they’re moving when you look away.
You can see famous musicians like Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, and Johnny Cash himself.
Other celebrities and famous figures also come from the movies and history.
Explore the Hall of Presidents and the Wild West in their special halls.
Prepare to be scared at the Wax Museum of Fear, too.
If you’re looking for a nice show at Grand Prairie, you can check out the Texas Trust CU theatre, a 6,350-seat performance hall that sells out shows consistently.
For example, popular bands play concerts there.
Otherwise, the theater hosts comedy, magic shows, and corporate events.
Moreover, the Texas Trust CU Theatre can boast the most technologically advanced indoor theater in America.
Visit the Texas Trust CU Theatre at 1001 Texas Trust Way, Grand Prairie, TX, 75050.
Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Twelve minutes away from Grand Prairie and across the street from Six Flags Over Texas, you’ll find the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame in Arlington.
If you want to visit a museum with an original flavor, this is your place.
When you enter the museum, you’ll find several rare memorabilia showing the sport’s history.
Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
You’ll see life-size replicas of famous bowlers, rare footage of important matches, exhibits, and displays.
Moreover, the museum allows you to track the history of bowling.
Start from its roots in ancient Egypt, pass through the present, and look forward to its rosy future.
Likewise, you might also want to check out the Bowling Hall of Fame.
Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Check out the greatest bowlers of all time and see where your favorite ranks.
After that, try to see where your skills stack up by bowling on the Highway 66 mini-lanes.
Visit the International Bowling Museum & Hall of Fame at 621 Six Flags Dr, Arlington, TX 76011.
Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
During your visit to the Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center, you should check out the J.O. Davis House.
The house’s namesake is an important figure in Bear Creek, having taught and mentored the children in the African-American enclave.
The house contains several rooms, with authentic furniture taken from the period.
Likewise, the house features historical artifacts that tell you why J.O. Davis is a celebrated person in Bear Creek history.
This time, drive fourteen minutes away from Grand Prairie to the city of Irving, Texas, and look for the Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center.
The center hosts three separate museums that tell important aspects of African-American history and heritage in the United States.
If you want to know more about American history, do yourself a favor and visit the Jackie Townsell center.
You’ll go on a fascinating ride through American history, from emancipation to the tumultuous civil rights movement in the 50s and 60s.
Visit the Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center at 500 W Las Colinas Blvd, Irving, TX 75039.
If you’re curious about how African-Americans lived in the 20s, visit The Green House at the Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center.
This house takes its name from Sam Green, a Bear Creek community leader in the 1920s.
Inside the house, you’ll find many rooms that look the same as hundreds of years ago.
The house contains various period-accurate artifacts, such as the old stove, dining table, and other furniture.
Catch a glimpse of how Sam Green lived, together with family and friends, during the early 20th century.
Only in Texas can you take a Texas-sized vacation, and the city of Grand Prairie should be one of your stops.
The city offers grand activity choices, from enormous skate parks, water parks to world-class racetracks.
Thanks to Asia Times Square and Hong Kong Market, you can also go on a global culinary trip in the city.
Why wait?
Book your Grand Prairie trip today!
Things to Do in Cedar Hill, TX
Things to Do in Duncanville, TX
Things to Do in Carrollton, TX
Discover the world.
© All rights reserved.
