Arlington Attractions

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Arlington is home to several major Dallas/Fort Worth-area attractions, including one of the most famous pro sports teams in the Midwest. It is also the home of one the country's most notable amusement parks. There are a handful of unique museums and an energetic nightlife scene. Here are the sites and events that make Arlington a worthwhile city to visit.

Budget

River Legacy Living Science Center is run by a non-profit organization that has the goal of preserving the natural landscape around the city's Trinity River. Aside from some very pleasant walking trails, the center has an observation deck and indoor animal displays. Events take place throughout the year and there are numerous volunteering opportunities for visitors in search of a more hands-on experience.

Dino-Rock Climbing Center (608 Front Street) proves that not all of Texas is totally flat. This popular indoor climbing gym features 16,000 feet of climbing space. There are walls and faux boulders for people of every level of experience. This state of the art facility includes machines for auto belaying.

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Louis Tussaud's Palace of Wax and Ripley's Believe It or Not! is not as off-beat as its name might suggest. It is more of a tourist trap than the similar museum in San Francisco, but it has an impressive collection of wax likenesses of famous people (some eerily life-like) and an exhibit hall displaying some of the bizarre oddities that the Ripley's franchise is famous for collecting.

The Planetarium at University of Texas Arlington frequently has public shows, as well as classes and tours of the school's observatory. Some of the shows at the Planetarium are focused specifically on the sky as it is seen in Texas (which is one of the major states for astronomy study in the US).

Splurge

The Ballpark in Arlington is where the Texas Rangers play baseball. The team, once partially owned by former President George W. Bush, is best viewed in the Spring and Fall, before the summer heat of Texas sets in.

Arlington is the birthplace of the famous Six Flags theme parks. The franchise first opened its gates in Arlington in 1961. That historic park, now called Six Flags over Texas, has been thoroughly modernized since then, but remains a classic amusement park. A nearby mall provides almost endless shopping opportunities and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor puts a water park into the mix as well. The overall quality and entertainment value of the Arlington park is equal to that of the more famous Central Florida parks.