What to Do in Arlington Before and After the Cotton Bowl Classic
On Dec. 29, the USC Trojans and Ohio State Buckeyes will battle it out to determine the winner of the 2017 Cotton Bowl Classic. That means Arlington, Texas, where the game will be played, is about to be descended upon by scores of college football fans clad in cardinal and gold as well as scarlet and grey.
Chances are, most of them are coming to town early to take in some of the sights and sounds of the Dallas-Fort Worth region. In between all of those stops, trips, and tours, there’s going to be a lot of downtime for eating, drinking, and generally counting the hours until kickoff.
If you happen to find yourself in town eagerly anticipating the Cotton Bowl but don’t know what to do with yourself until it gets here, let Neighborhoods.com help you out. Here’s a list of bars and hot spots close to AT&T Stadium where you can hang out, get your fill, and maybe taunt your rivals while you’re at it.
On Tap
Beer aficionados will want to hunker down at this brewery, although they also know how to pour a mean root beer or refreshing cold brew coffee while they’re at it. On Tap lives up to their name, with over 50 taps ready to go for a beer, cider, mead, and whatever else you might want to imbibe. Not sure where to start? A knowledgeable staff makes it easy to find the drink for you, even if you don’t know your stouts from your lagers. You can even take a growler to go, though we’re guessing you can’t bring that into the stadium with you.
Mariano’s Hacienda
You came all this way to Texas, you might as well settle in for some solid Tex-Mex cuisine. Mariano’s Hacienda originated in Dallas and has since become an institution across the region, with one location in Arlington. Famous for inventing the frozen margarita as we know it (their original frozen margarita machine is in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History), the food ain’t too shabby either. People tend to rave about the queso, but you probably can’t go too wrong by sampling some tacos or nachos either.
Get Your Barbecue Fix
Again, you came all this way, you gotta get some barbecue, right? There’s no shortage of places to sop up some smoky sauce in the area but we think you should consider either David’s Barbeque or Rudy’s Country Store & BBQ. At the former, consider the chopped brisket sandwich that comes with massive onion rings and a side of beans. At the latter, you can’t go wrong with the brisket with some potato salad.
International Bowling Museum
“But I don’t care about bowling,” you say. What if we told you that bowling actually dates back 5,000 years and everyone from the Egyptians to British monarchs played a part in its evolution? Even if that doesn’t knock your bowling shoes off, the IBM is a solid way to kill a couple hours before the game and it’s a 30-minute walk to the stadium. If you do care about the sport, get ready to be wowed by all the memorabilia, old video clips, and exclusive artifacts.
Milo’s Bar
Described as an “upscale dive,” Milo’s has a reputation for offering something for just about everyone. There’s a full beer, wine, and spirits selection, of course. You can keep busy at the pool tables, ping pong tables, or dartboard. If you want to be outside, head to the patio with a fire pit. Or just relax in one of the different lounge areas inside, including Zombie Corner, which is full of exactly what you think it’s full of.
Free Play Arlington
Want to blow off some steam like you did as a kid? Head to Free Play where over 100 arcade machines and 12 pinball machines are just waiting for you. You don’t even need to load up on quarters because a $10 fee at the door gets you in and all the games are set to free play. Because this isn’t the arcade you went to as a kid, they also have a full beer selection and a menu full of “arcade food.” Kids can come, too, but anyone under 18 has to leave by 9 p.m. on certain days.