Grapevine Mills Mall

Located 2 miles north of DFW airport, Grapevine Mills Mall opened its doors on October 30th, 1997. It is in close proximity to Lake Grapevine and Cowboys Golf Club. Easily accessible and in the vicinity of several major highways, it would appear that all roads lead to this mammoth of a mall. The 1.6 million square foot structure was at one time the largest one-floor mall in the Unites States. Grapevine Mills Mall is especially unique in the design of its architecture. The interior layout is that of a gigantic oval-shaped racetrack. It is exactly a mile long, with an occasional shortcut to the other side of the racetrack through a few select stores. One of these shortcuts is through the Virgin Megastore. When I worked inside the mall several years ago, it was not uncommon to see people walking around the racetrack several times for exercise in the morning hours prior to opening.



Grapevine Mills Mall would certainly be even bigger if it weren’t for the original owners of the land. Before Grapevine Mills and the neighboring towns (namely Flower Mound) experienced a growth boom, this land was primarily acreage and farmland. When it came time for Grapevine Mills to be built, the landowners in the way of the construction project refused to sell despite a generous offer. The mall was built adjacent to the property despite the landowner refusing to sell. As a result of the owners refusing to sell, it is not uncommon to see cattle wandering about as you turn into the mall. Given the current layout, the land in question would have surely been turned into either a retail outlet store or a fast-food restaurant.



Grapevine Mills has numerous specialty stores and attractions, including the only Virgin Megastore in Texas and the first Bass Pro Shops. There are also several anchor stores which include: Saks Fifth Avenue Outlet, JC Penney Outlet Store, Children's Place, Nike Factory Store, Bath and Body Works, Dr Pepper Star Center and Last Call Clearance Center from Neiman Marcus. Grapevine Mills also has a 30-screen AMC theater. Unfortunately, the theatre has lost popularity, as it is one of the most expensive theatres in the area at $9 per adult ticket. It is hard to justify the price with other theatres in the area being priced much cheaper. However, this particular AMC theatre receives the most limited of releases along with several special midnight screenings each year. That is something that no other theatre in the area can boast about.



Parking is free, with valet parking available only on special occasions. However, parking is not generally an issue until a big movie release, the summer, or the Christmas holidays. Even during the busiest shopping days, simply parking at Burlington Coat factory and cutting through the mall shortcuts will get you anywhere quickly. The shortcuts are a blessing, as they save me from walking all the way around the mall just to get to the bookstore. When the shopping begins to wear you out, Grapevine Mills Mall offers 35 restaurants and eateries along with a food court to get your energy back up. These areas are highlighted by the family-friendly Rainforest Café, Chili’s Too, Cold Stone Creamery, and Sbarro’s. If you are traveling with children and they become too much, there is a kid zone for the younger ones, along with a two-floor Gameworks. Next to the Gameworks there is currently a mountain climbing area for the younger ones. For the adults, the only alcohol served in the mall is at Gameworks and Chili’s Too.



Want to explore the neighboring areas? Surrounding Grapevine Mills mall is a wide assortment of restaurants, furniture stores, and some fast food options. These include Ashley’s Furniture, Rooms To Go, Chucky Cheese, Love & War, Cozymel’s, Golden Corral, Bennigan’s, and even Chick-Fil-A. Are your tires looking bad after a long drive to Grapevine Mills? Discount Tire is in walking distance of the mall. Even a FedEx Kinko’s is in the vicinity if you decide to ship out items that you have purchased that you do not wish to carry back home with you. Prima-care is also in the area in case an emergency happens to pop up.



When you eventually decide to retire from the shopping and eating, there are many hotels to choose from. If you are one to travel luxuriously, the Gaylord Texan is less than two minutes away. Even if you cannot afford it, it is a magnificent structure worth paying a visit to. Since Grapevine Mills Mall is close to a cluster of highways, you have your pick of dozens of excellent hotels. Nearly all of them are affordably priced for the quality you will get, and you can’t go wrong with any of them.



Dallas, Texas