Grapevine Mills – Scale, Location, and Market Role
Grapevine Mills opened its doors on October 30, 1997, as part of The Mills Corporation portfolio.
At the time it was launched, it stood out for its size - over 1,780,000 square feet.
The racetrack design funneled visitors through one continuous loop of anchors, specialty retailers, and entertainment venues.
Today, the property is managed and majority owned by Simon Property Group, which holds nearly 60 percent.
The mall sits at 3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway in Grapevine, Texas, just a short drive from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
The setting places it inside one of the most heavily trafficked retail corridors in the region, with Lake Grapevine nearby adding another draw for visitors.
Its single-floor plan allows more than 200 specialty shops and over 20 anchors to operate under one roof, giving Grapevine Mills a unique concentration of brands in Tarrant County.
AMC Dine-In Grapevine Mills 24 anchors one end of the property, while outlet concepts, department stores, and off-price chains fill in the balance.
The property is the second-largest mall in Tarrant County after North East Mall, and its combination of outlets, flagship stores, and entertainment makes it a fixture in any list of things to do near Dallas, TX.
Shifts in Anchors and Concepts, 1997 to 2024
When Grapevine Mills first opened in 1997, the floor was packed with outlet names and department stores that stretched across the racetrack plan.
The Mills Corporation and Simon DeBartolo wanted anchors to do the heavy lifting, so they pulled in large-format retailers, off-price chains, and entertainment zones that offered more than racks of clothes.
Within two years, Polar Ice set down a rink inside the mall, drawing in families who might not have come only to shop.
By November 2002, ESPN X Games Skate Park was unveiled, a space built for ramps and rails instead of shelves and displays.
The experiment didn't last. It turned into Woodward Skatepark, and later that box would be rebuilt once again, this time as Legoland Discovery Center.
In July 2002, Simon Property Group walked away from its stake, only to return in February 2007 when it bought Mills Corporation outright for $1.6 billion.
That deal gave Simon a national footprint and put Grapevine Mills firmly under its management.
In 2010, plans were laid for a Sea Life Aquarium on the site of the closed GameWorks arcade.
By the summer of 2011, visitors were walking through a 160,000-gallon tank instead of lining up for video games.
With FieldhouseUSA opening in 2017 and Peppa Pig World of Play arriving in 2019, the pattern was clear: spaces once meant for one thing kept getting rebuilt into something entirely new.
Renovation Cycle and Brand Expansion, 2012–2016
In 2012, Grapevine's city council backed $14 million in public support for a large renovation at Grapevine Mills.
The project was modeled on Opry Mills in Nashville, which had recently been overhauled.
Over the next four years, work crews reshaped flooring, ceilings, and common areas, giving the racetrack mall a more polished look.
By 2016, the upgrades were finished, and the changes weren't only cosmetic.
New brands moved in as part of the rollout: Michael Kors, Under Armour, Coach, and H&M all opened during that period, marking a turn toward higher-profile fashion labels inside a property that had once leaned heavily on outlet chains.
The investment demonstrated management and the city's willingness to invest in keeping the mall fresh, while also broadening the mix of tenants beyond its original lineup.
Current Anchors and Leasing Footprint in 2025
The anchors in 2025 tell a different story from the mall's first years.
Burlington is still on the map, though part of its footprint is being carved away for Primark, which is slated to open later this year.
Ross Dress for Less and Marshalls continue to fill large boxes, while Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks OFF 5TH, and H&M hold steady as mid-sized anchors.
Nike Factory Store and Sun & Ski Sports carry the athletic share, and Macy's Backstage keeps a department-store banner in the mix.
Fashion Q took the spot left behind by Forever 21 after the chain shut its doors.
Rack Room Shoes sits near Entry 6, with The Children's Place expanding into a 20,000 square foot store after outgrowing its original location.
Entertainment draws fill just as much space: AMC Grapevine Mills 24 stretches past 100,000 square feet, FieldhouseUSA runs leagues and tournaments in the former JCPenney Outlet box, and Round One combines bowling, billiards, and arcades.
Families still line up at Legoland Discovery Center and Sea Life Aquarium, and Rainforest Café continues to anchor dining.
Meow Wolf provides a new experience inside the mall, part of a shift toward large-scale immersive spaces.
Together, these anchors - retail, entertainment, and food - give Grapevine Mills a footprint that keeps changing but remains fully in play.
In April 2025, Grapevine Mills added a new name to its racetrack corridor: Texas General Store.
The shop had closed its Main Street location in downtown Grapevine and reopened inside the mall.
Its shelves carried Texas-branded shirts, jars of salsa, flavored coffees, and a mix of rustic home décor.
The move gave the store a bigger footprint and put it in front of mall traffic instead of tourists strolling downtown.
By June 2025, Grapevine Mills was ranked eighth in USA Today's Readers' Choice Awards for best malls in the country.
That recognition placed it alongside larger centers such as the Mall of America and King of Prussia, underscoring the scale of what Simon Property Group has built in Grapevine.
Entertainment Platforms and Experiential Leasing, 2024 to 2026
Entertainment keeps reshaping Grapevine Mills.
In July 2025, plans were announced for Dig World, a construction-themed adventure park that pairs heavy-equipment simulators with family activities.
The concept, created in partnership with Dude Perfect, is expected to open in early 2026 and take over a large footprint inside the property.
Its arrival follows a clear line of strategy: use immersive venues to bring repeat traffic.
That approach isn't new. Sea Life Aquarium opened in July 2011 with more than 30 displays and a walk-through tunnel holding 160,000 gallons of water.
Legoland Discovery Center opened months earlier in March 2011 inside 44,000 square feet that once held Woodward Skatepark.
Together, these attractions proved that large retail boxes could be rebuilt into permanent family draws.
Other tenants reinforce the pattern.
FieldhouseUSA opened in January 2017 in the former JCPenney Outlet space, running leagues and tournaments in a facility that attracts teams across North Texas.
Round One, AMC Grapevine Mills 24, and the Rainforest Café remain long-standing fixtures, each pulling in traffic outside of pure retail.
The announcement of Meow Wolf in May 2022 brought national attention, showing the mall's ability to land high-profile experiential concepts even as older anchors closed.
Meow Wolf "The Real Unreal" opened July 14, 2023, marking Meow Wolf's first location in Texas and its fourth permanent exhibit nationwide.
The exhibit was created in collaboration with dozens of Texas-based artists.
Conclusion
On quiet mornings, the concourse still smells of fresh paint where storefronts have been turned over.
Plywood walls mark the next build-out, with banners already printed for what's coming.
That cycle, construction going up, new signs appearing, has become the mall's routine.
The strain is visible. Retail leases keep the grid full, while large attractions demand heavier investment and longer timelines.
Grapevine Mills has leaned on both, betting that people will return if the visit offers more than racks and food courts.
The property's location near Dallas Fort Worth International Airport keeps a steady stream of travelers and day-trippers in play, and the city has shown it will put money into the site when needed.
The next stretch will test whether management can hold the balance, keeping boxes filled while building out the kind of experiences that bring people back.