Plenty of Play

Frisco Has Fun for Everyone.

Brought to you by

Visit Frisco

TM Promotions

Date

Jan 19, 2021

Notes

Words by Anne McCready Heinen

In case you haven’t heard, Frisco is a happening place. Family-friendly fun, shopping and dining experiences, public art, outdoor adventure opportunities, and exciting sports serve as draws to this lively, growing city that anchors the northern edge of the Metroplex.

Everywhere in Frisco, venues are concerned about public health. Check with businesses or online before visiting for the latest protocols to keep everyone comfortable and healthy, including occupancy limits, mask requirements, modified hours, and temporary closures.

Fun For Whole Family

Frisco’s amenities can keep the entire family entertained for days. Start with the National Soccer Hall of Fame and its deep dive into the foot-oriented sport. Geared for everyone from the soccer-curious to obsessed youth players and lifelong fans, the hall is housed at Toyota Stadium, home to Major League Soccer club FC Dallas. Interactive elements like a facial recognition system aim for engagement — exhibits see you coming and tailor their features to your stated preferences.

The National Videogame Museum brings together more than 100,000 video game consoles, games, and artifacts in a comprehensive, hands-on collection that illustrates the past, present and future of video games. Visitors try their hand at old-school games like Pong and early Nintendo forays, and hear the stories behind video games’ creation.

KidZania Dallas aims at ages four to fourteen with a dynamic play city. Children take on jobs from doctor to police officer in this kid-run metropolis that lets them experiment with roles that they see in the outside world.

KidZania is located at Stonebriar Centre, one of North Texas’s largest shopping meccas and a great place to scratch the shopping itch. In addition to retailers ranging from Nordstrom to Bath & Body Works, Stonebriar is home to restaurants like The Cheesecake Factory, a lively carousel, and a western-themed play area.

The Rail District harkens back to Frisco’s roots as a railstop, but its shopping and dining are modern day. Check out Bittersweet Ivy, a boutique that sprouted from the strong friendship of two Frisco women to offer on trend, age appropriate women’s apparel. Or duck into Randy’s SteakHouse, a family-owned chophouse in a charming Victorian home built in 1869.

Nearby is Frisco Square, a contemporary, 147-acre development with 4.4 million square feet of office, retail, multi-family and municipal space. Pedestrian-friendly, the urban area is home to Frisco City Hall and Frisco Public Library as well as the popular Pizzeria Testa and Nerdvana Frisco, a local scratch kitchen, coffee and custom cocktail spot with lots of video and board game action.

Left:

Rail Yard.

Photo by @doodlewayoflife

Right:

Rail District

Photo by @ipinkit

Outdoor Adventure in Frisco

For tastes that run to outdoor adventure, Frisco’s got it covered. The city boasts more than ninety miles of paved and natural hike and bike trails that helped it earn The League of American Bicyclists designation as a “Bicycle Friendly” community. Seventy city parks offer amenities like a replica of Fenway Park, playgrounds, and a natural, limestone swimming hole with a waterfall. Frisco Skate Park is the largest in North Texas with an acre of terrain that includes multiple lines, rails, bowls and a sixteen-foot concrete wave. It’s designed for all levels and ages of people riding skateboards, bikes, inline skates, and scooters.

Art serves as another mostly outdoor pursuit with Frisco’s Public Art collection of more than sixty commissioned artworks around town. Included are dynamic sculptures, lively murals, mosaics, and stained glass, like “Free Flow” by B.J. Katz, displayed at the Frisco Athletic Center. Maps guide visitors to each work’s location, while the Public Art Walking Tour in Frisco Square illuminates the neighborhood’s artistic works for people on foot.

Enjoy more art at the Hall Park office complex, home to the four-acre, forty-piece Texas Sculpture Garden that celebrates contemporary sculpture by Texan artists, such as the swooping welded steel “Coming Out of the Circle” by Dallas artist Sherry Owens. The garden is considered the largest private collection of Texas sculpture open to the public.

Sports City USA

When it comes to athletic action, Frisco has gained the moniker Sports City USA for good reason: it’s the base for multiple professional sports teams, national and international athletic organizations, world-class facilities, and an esports community. Even when games aren’t open to the public, you can check out the facilities where the action happens.

The Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters at The Star is home to its team practice facility, corporate offices, and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. Pro-soccer team FC Dallas takes to the field at Toyota Stadium, a soccer-specific facility that also hosts football games and concerts. The Frisco RoughRiders, a Class AA affiliate of the Texas Rangers, play ball from 74-acre Dr Pepper Ballpark where a lazy river lets fans tube while catching a game. Basketball and hockey also have a professional presence in Frisco.