Arlington has been a destination since August of 1961. That is when Six Flags Over Texas opened. Back then I-30 was The Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike hence the name of the next major attraction to open, Turnpike Stadium, in April of 1965. Twelve years later, Wet and Wild Water Park joined the fun in 1977. Then in ’94 things really changed. The Ballpark in Arlington opened and more fans than ever before visited. Then came AT&T Stadium guaranteeing 90,000 people at least eight times per year.
As dramatic as all of these changes have been, the most significant change may be happening now. Most of it is happening in the area between Globe Life Field and AT&T Stadium.
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It is called the Entertainment District and it is enhancing the opportunity to host major events in Arlington. Events like the Major League Baseball All-Star Game scheduled for next month.
“I think you can put us up against any city in the country,” Matt Wilson is the Senior Vice President of Sports and Events at the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau, and he is rightly proud of all that has been accomplished in the last 10 years.
The entertainment district is a 200-acre campus and those closest to its development are careful when choosing that word.
“We talk about this area like a college campus,” Rangers Executive Vice President for Business Operations Rob Matwick said. “These buildings can function independently. Yet, when you get a major event like the All-Star Game, you can bring all the pieces together to function organically, feeding off each other.”
Of course “this ain’t our first rodeo” so to speak. Arlington is no stranger to major events, having hosted a Super Bowl, a BCS Championship game, a Final Four, an NBA All-Star Game and back in 1995, the MLB All-Star Game.
“As a young city employee I watched all of that come together,” said Trey Yelverton, who is the City Manager of Arlington now. “I remember watching Arlington formally move into the big leagues.”
Matwick worked in PR for the Houston Astros in 1995 and volunteered to help at the game. Now in his role with the Rangers he traveled to the All-Star Game in Seattle last summer to get an idea of what to expect.
“It really has taken on a whole new scale in terms of the amount of events,” Matwick said.
“What is really cool is that it is a week-long celebration of the game.”
Now, in addition to the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game, there are games involving boys and girls from the MLB youth academies around the country, including the one in east Dallas. There is a high school all-star game and an HBCU game. There is also a Fan Fest with interactive games for fans of all ages and even the MLB draft.
“This time the fan experience will be here in Arlington,” said Yleverton who remembers sharing some of the activities with Dallas in 1995.
As the entertainment district grows up it also diversifies. It is not all about sports – there is One Rangers Way, a 300-unit upscale residential community. Scheduled to open in February of 2025, it occupies that once vast open land on the westside of Nolan Ryan Expressway. On the east side is one of the most beautiful buildings you have ever seen. It’s called the National Medal of Honor Museum.
“We have this amazing entertainment district,” said Chris Cassidy, President and CEO of the Museum. “How cool is it to add a cultural thing? And by the way, a cultural thing that is so iconic and so important to our nation’s history.”
This state-of-the-art museum is as beautiful as it is historic. The exhibit area rests on five pillars which represent the five branches of the military. It gives the illusion of a floating building. Guests will enter and exit via helical staircases that seem to hover above the ground.
“This is a national museum,” Cassidy said. “It happens to be located in Arlington, Texas, but it’s for the nation. I see the national exposure of the All-Star game as a perfect way to help us with national awareness.”
For lifelong Rangers fan Wilson, it is a thrill to be a part of this growth and a part of the process of staging the Midsummer Classic here next month.
“I feel really confident about the plan that MLB, The Rangers and we are putting together,” Wilson beamed. “It is going to be a great celebration of who we are and introduce the world to the new Arlington.”
A destination since 1961.
Sports columnist John Rhadigan is an anchor for the Bally Sports Southwest television network.
