On the edge of the grand prairie — a railroad town between two cities that built fighter planes and runs racehorses. Grand Prairie sits squarely between Dallas and Fort Worth, on the eastern edge of the great Texas grassland that gave the city its name. It started as a rail stop called Dechman in 1863; the Texas & Pacific renamed it Grand Prairie in 1877. In World War II its plant turned out P-51 Mustang fighters and B-24 Liberator bombers, and today thoroughbreds run at Lone Star Park. Prairie, propellers, and post position — this page tells the story.
Grand Prairie keeps two kinds of speed in its memory. There is the aviation story — the Mustangs and Liberators that rolled out of the plant in the war years, and the jets that followed. And there is the racing story — the thoroughbreds and quarter horses that run at Lone Star Park, the grandstand that brought the Breeders' Cup to the prairie in 2004. Between them sits the prairie itself: the grassland that named the town, the rail line that built it, and the long, flat horizon between Dallas and Fort Worth where you can still see weather coming from miles away.
Why People Visit Grand Prairie Texas
- Spend a day at Loyd Park on Joe Pool Lake, with trails, campsites, and boating.
- Catch live thoroughbred and quarter-horse racing at Lone Star Park during the spring and fall meets.
- Walk the historic downtown around the Texas & Pacific rail depot.
- Cool off at the Epic Waters indoor waterpark, or browse the weekend stalls at Traders Village.
- Take in the prairie horizon and the lakes that frame the city north and south.
