Grapevine Mills

1996–1997: Development and opening

Grapevine Mills was announced in 1996 as a major retail development in suburban Texas. The ordinance for the project was approved by city officials on January 16, 1996.^[7] Construction began on June 26, 1996. The mall would follow the Mills Corp.'s "shoppertainment" model, blending retail outlets with colorful architecture.^[8]

Grapevine Mills opened on October 30, 1997 as a joint venture between The Mills Corporation, the KanAm Grund Group^[9] and Simon DeBartolo Group.^[10] It was one of the first malls to use the "Mills experience", which involved bringing in major department stores and outlet stores as anchors, as well as off-price retail chains and large stores that offer a wide range of products.^[10] Mills-owned malls also had "Entertainment Zones" that included restaurants, games, and movie theaters.^[10]

1999–2007: Early operations

In December 1999, it was announced that the Polar Ice Skating Rink opened at the mall.^[11]

In July 2002, Simon Property Group sold its shares in the mall.^[12] In November 2002, the ESPN X Games Skate Park opened at the mall.^[13] In January 2007, The Mills Corp. accepted a $1.35 billion buyout offer from Brookfield Asset Management.^[14] The following month, Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital Management offered $1.64 billion for the company, and Mills accepted the higher offer.^[15][16] As part of the acquisition, Simon Property Group and Farallon Capital took over the 38 malls owned by the Mills Corp. at the time, including Grapevine Mills, under "The Mills: A Simon Company" banner.^[16][17]

2009–2016: Simon Property Group

In December 2009, Simon Property Group announced that Merlin Entertainments would add Legoland Discovery Center inside the mall.^[18] It opened on March 25, 2011, with 35,000 square feet (3,300 m²) inside the space that had housed Woodward Skatepark.^[19][20] Lego-themed attractions included an interactive laser ride, a 3D movie and a play area for kids.^[19] In October 2011, the city council approved an expansion of Legoland at the mall.^[21]

In May 2010, Simon announced plans to build the Sea Life Grapevine Aquarium.^[22][23] It was constructed across from the new Legoland in the former space of the GameWorks video game arcade.^[23] It opened on July 12, 2011.^[24] At the time of opening, the aquarium had over 30 displays, a 160,000 gallon tank with a tunnel for guests to walk through and a tide pool where visitors could interact with certain animals.^[25]

In March 2012, Simon Property Group acquired full control of the property's management by buying out Farallon's stake in the Mills portfolio for $1.5 billion.^[26] In June 2012, the City of Grapevine approved $14 million for renovations of the mall.^[27][28] The mall's new look was based on the newly-renovated Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, Tennessee, and Simon announced the renovation plans in April 2014.^[29] Renovations began construction in August 2014, and were completed in June 2016, which included the redevelopment of Grapevine Mills' food court into the Dining Pavilion @ Grapevine Mills, including the removal of the mall's original "Wild West" theme.^[30][31] New stores were added, such as Michael Kors, Under Armour, Coach, and H&M.^[32] The architect of the renovation was local firm Omniplan.^[33]

2017–present

In January 2017, FieldhouseUSA, an indoor sports facility, opened at Grapevine Mills.^[34] In February 2019, the first Peppa Pig World of Play store in the United States opened at Grapevine Mills.^[35][36] All Simon properties in the U.S., including Grapevine Mills, closed temporaily on March 18, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[37] On May 11, 2022, Meow Wolf announced that The Real Unreal would arrive at Grapevine Mills, which later opened on July 14, 2023.^[38]

On October 19, 2024, Pepper Tree was forced to close due to $19,000 in unpaid rent. In December 2024, what was open at Grapevine Mills included Gorski Montréal, Cavender's, Gashapon, and Go! Calenders, Toys & Games. Below Zero would open in the former Perfect Bodies Colombian Favas space. Marc Robinson Jewelers replaced Treasures Custom Jeweler. Perfumania relocated its store.^[39]

Starting in February 2025, with an expected finish date at July 2025, Burlington downsized and renovated its store at Grapevine Mills. The space Burlington vacated was sectioned off and converted into a Primark.^[40] On October 16, 2025, Bubble Planet, an immersive experience, would debut.^[41]

In late January 2026, Neiman Marcus Last Call announced that it would close its Grapevine Mills store permanently. This is because the parent company, Saks Global, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. However, Saks Off 5th (the outlet division of Saks Fifth Avenue, which Saks Global also owns) would remain open as the chain's last remaining Texas location.^[42]

On March 30, 2026, Timberland was announced to open a location at the mall.^[43]