The Parks at Arlington

Lots of shops to choose from. Love that they have the carousel for the kids. My little girl loves that ride !! The food is good not great. But you do have options so that’s good…

Do you remember when Mervyn’s sat where Forever 21 is now and the Warner Brother’s store enjoyed prime real estate between the main escalators?
Now you can find high end stores (Nordstrom Rack, Gucci, Coach, etc) and of course plenty of bourgeois stores that are the blood and bones of the Parks Mall (Agaci, Charlotte Russe, Aero, etc. No H&M though.)
Parents of Little Ones (LO): The best 5 bucks I’ve spent here was on the all-​day carousel wristbands. Once my LO gets on, one ride ($ 2) is seldom sufficient. For FREE fun, check out Barnes and Nobles kid section and stick around for their story times (see B&N website for details), or visit the play area right outside Sears. Be warned though: even though there’s a height limit and other rules for the play area, no one enforces them so there will be the occasional 3^rd-​grader wielding 80-​lbs of person at your barely-​walking baby.
Your big kids have options too though! Round 1 (bowling and arcade) recently opened right next to the ice-​skating rink. Both these attractions are under the AMC movie theater, which is within sight of the food court.
Even with all the upgrades and make-​overs the Parks has undergone, I still dread the parking and wish they offered multiple valets, especially during the holidays. My «insider tip» is to go up to the 3^rd or 4^th floor of the main parking garage by the food court and park close to the stairs/​elevators, or go up to the 2^nd garage by Macy’s.
It’s not too bad if you go in the middle of the week, but it can get uncomfortably crowded on the weekends.

It has been a month … and the elevator to the cinema has still not been repaired. Although, it is SLIGHTLY improved, by allowing the Mall Security to manually operate the elevator for handicapped patrons … but it is somewhat unnerving to be in the elevator and watching them have to struggle to force the doors open, or have the elevator «miss» the floor it was directed to go to … so while I did not have to go out into freezing weather to circumnavigate the mall and roof in order to use the freight elevator system, it still is less than appropriate.
This really should be getting repaired.

We went to the Santa Experience. It was wonderful. The packages are very price! The price is $ 39.99−54.99−73.99. We went during the day & had no wait at all.
Pro; I will say it was very enjoyable. The theme was Shrek. There were several things to do. The 3D ride was very cool. Something fun for the entire family.
Cons; Santa is now locked away inside this exhibit. A lot of people can’t afford $ 40 & that takes away a lot of children being able to see & talk to Santa. Seeing Santa & telling him what you want is a huge memory.

Good overall mall with a great variety of shopping options, anchor stores, kiosks, food court options, and entertainment options.
They work hard to maintain a holiday /​seasonal appeal, good staffing levels, security, and maintenance. The restrooms are well kept, and the hand sanitizer stations are full. The children’s play area is orderly and clean, with plenty of seating areas to be used by all.
As for the anchor stores, Macys, Dillard’s, Sears, JC Penny hold court with a number of others that are larger draws.
The entertainment include the fabulous ice rink, movie theater, arcade, and of course food!!!
Enjoy and browse as there is something for every taste, age, or desire.

Went to this mall for the first time as i was visiting the Dallas-​Fort Worth area to catch a movie. Once i got through watching the movie i walked around the mall and was impressed on how nice and clean the mall was and it’s such a big mall. Theres an ice skating rink inside the mall so thats a plus. Whenever im back in the DFW i will return to this mall.

Wish we had a better food court. Yes I’m rating this mall mostly based on the fact that their food court stinks and has nothing exciting. The chick fil a is always super slow. You have like 6 menu items, how hard is it to keep up with small demand?
Also the healthy smoothie option is even slower than chick fil a and the other restaurants are not any better. I like this mall for the ice skating and Barnes and Nobel but if I’m hungry I venture to the Highlands.

We came here for the ice skating and stumbled upon the carousel. The ice rick is permanent and I would advise to get there early to avoid the crowds. The smallest skate they offer is a 6T, and it is great because spectators can watch without having to pay admission.
While we were here, we did the carousel a few times as it is $ 2 per ride, or $ 5 for unlimited all day rides. We opted for the unlimited day pass and were given a bracelet. There was hardly a line so you could go back to back. There is good natural light surrounding the carousel and tables to sit at to watch.
The food court and shopping were okay, on par with other malls in the area, nothing special.

A good mall if you don’t want to go all the way to Dallas and/​or tired of Fort Worth’s malls. My kids LOVE to go to the mall EVERY weekend so we try to rotate. Love Nordstrom Rack. It has a carousel and an ice skating rink. It also houses a Barnes & Noble and a Cheesecake Factory. Cheesecake Factory can be a hit or a miss most of the time and extremely busy.
They have a potato/​french fry stand. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s different. The Parks can get really crowded and you have to park way out in the boondocks sometimes, but it’s nice to stop and walk off your food here.

As I am strolling through the mall less than a week from Christmas, there are lots of busy shoppers and lots of sugary temptations. I resist the urge to have a cookie or a Cinnabon or some gelato or a whip cream topped, sugar filled, Starbucks drink. With only fast food in the food court, there is literally nothing to eat healthy here. With sore feet and stretched out arms from my heavy shopping bags, it might be easy to give in and eat or drink something I shouldn’t. I’m feeling tired and eligible for a reward.
Then while shopping at the GNC, I spotted the answer and the perfect solution. Have a low calorie, high protein Quest bar. This will fill up my stomach and provide me with some energy from the protein. Yes! That’s it!
Oh and here is a tip. Avoid the guy that is trying to sell the face cream at the merlot wine Resveratrol kiosk. He is very slick and has a charming personality. No matter how strong you think you are, he will convince you that you need his product. Even if you tell him you are here to Christmas shop for everybody else and not your self. He will then take that information and use it against you — convincing you that you have been such a wonderful person buying for everybody else that you need a «little something» for your self. Omg. Okay, so maybe I did give into something. But at least it won’t show up on my waist line or in my thighs ha ha. And he tells me that I got $ 270 worth of product for $ 89. His Christmas present to me. I am sure I got scammed but what the heck, my skin feels amazing.

Nothing special that makes this place stand out from other malls or would make me drive specifically to this one out of my way. It does house an ice skating rink and a carousel for the kids. There’s another children’s play area on the lower level by Sears and the escalators, but I find it really odd that there are no water fountains anywhere around the play area. Typical store selection you would expect, some of the newer additions being an indoor bowling alley and a Coach store. Food court has your usual options but they are always pretty slow, I say that because I waited in line once at Chick-​Fil-​A for over 15 minutes, and they don’t even have a full menu. Cheesecake Factory is a different story, and I’ve had pleasant dining experiences there. I wish they had healthier options available though.