Grand Prairie’s Mega Mixed-Use Land is Already Expanding With New Hotels, Restaurants — EpicCentral Grows

Grand Prairie’s 170-acre recreation, entertainment and mixed-use land known as EpicCentral is expanding its vision even larger. The massive project will now include a hospitality complex, which means two new hotels, a connecting conference center and six restaurant shell spaces. The hospitality portion of EpicCentral is already under construction and plans call for it to open in 2023.

EpicCentral is already home to The Epic, a wide ranging fitness center, plus Epic Waters Indoor Water Park and Play Ground Adventures. There are also five lakes, a grand lawn and a boardwalk.

The Dallas-based architecture and design firm Merriman Anderson Architects, which also has offices in Austin and Charlotte, has been charged with designing the new hospitality complex. Concord Hospitality of Raleigh, North Carolina, will operate both hotels ― a Hilton Garden Inn and a Homewood Suites.

The two new hotels will connect to rest of the EpicCentral development via walkways and two pedestrian bridges. The Hilton Garden Inn will bring 129 rooms, an executive lounge, an on-site restaurant, pool, fitness center and business services. The Homewood Suites hotel will have 147 guest rooms, including studios, and one and two-bedroom suites, which all boast full kitchens.

The complex will also add a conference center to Grand Prairie’s grand entertainment land. It will connect to the hotels and include a 10,000 square-foot ballroom with seating capacity for 1,000 guests and flexible meeting spaces. Two new restaurants, which will be tailored to the design of each hotel, will be featured within the convention center annex.

“The new hotels integrate and complement the design of the existing buildings on the EpicCentral campus and will create a unique area adding on to the overall entertainment development,” Merriman Anderson principal Adam Jones says in a statement. “Visitors of the existing entertainment venues on campus will have the opportunity to stay overnight or walk over for a meal while they are enjoying everything EpicCentral has to offer, making it a one-stop destination.”

The first big dining venue to roost at EpicCentral will be Chicken N’ Pickle, the new 77,000-square-foot space combining pickle ball courts and a cool chicken joint. It is set to open in December. A second Chicken N’ Pickle is coming to Grapevine. That one will be located eight miles west of DFW Airport on the grounds of Delaney Vineyards, a 8,000 square foot winery reminiscent of an 18th century French chateau nestled among the grapevines. Get your Pickleball paddles ready.

Six restaurants spaces are also being added to the EpicCentral mix. They also will be designed by Merriman Anderson. The restaurant spaces are scheduled to be ready by late 2022.

We already know a number of the new restaurant that are headed to EpicCentral’s hospitality complex. Loop9 Barbeque, Stirr, Viddora, and Serious Eats Food Hall, which will house Serious Pizza, Serious Sliders and Serious Shakes, have already been revealed.

Grand Prairie just keeps getting more and more epic.