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Caption: Fans are invited to take a photo in front of the Taylor Swift Way honorary street sign, which will be placed on the corner of Collins Street and Randol Mill Road at the northwest corner of AT&T Stadium from Friday to Sunday.

Arlington is “Enchanted” to welcome Taylor Swift back to AT&T Stadium for The Eras Tour this weekend and has put together some fun ways for our Swifties to celebrate the singer’s fifth visit to The American Dream City.

Arlington is participating in a friendly competition with other U.S. cities hosting The Eras Tour to demonstrate its “Reputation” as one of Swift’s biggest fans. We don’t have any “Bad Blood” with Las Vegas, which recently lit its Gateway Arches in colors that correspond with Swift’s various musical eras, but never in our “Wildest Dreams” would we go so far as to “Change” Arlington’s name as our friends in Glendale, Ariz., did when it rebranded as Swift City.

In honor of the “Bejeweled” singer, Arlington is ceremoniously naming Randol Mill Road to Taylor Swift Way for the weekend. Fans are invited to pose for pics with the temporary street sign at the corner of Collins Street and Randol Mill Road, which features the “Gorgeous” AT&T Stadium in the background.

That’s not the only photo opportunity for Swifties, “Dear Reader.” The four-story steel sculptures in front of City Hall in Downtown will be lit “Red” from March 31-April 2, which fellow Swiftie Mayor Jim Ross has declared as Taylor Swift Weekend in Arlington, Texas. Ross will also present Swift with a Key to the City she can cherish “Forever & Always.”

Didn’t snag tickets to one of the shows? Arlington Animal Services hopes to help mourning Swifties “Shake It Off’ with an adoption special honoring the famous cat-mom. Residents can adopt a new best friend for $40, in honor of Swift’s 40 Top 10 Hits, during The Eras Adoption Special. VIP pets have a $9 adoption fee in honor of Swift’s 9 No. 1 Hits. Click here for more details.

“Long Story Short,” Arlington knows the tens of thousands of fans heading to the Entertainment District this weekend will have “The Best Day” ever while attending The Eras Tour in The American Dream City.

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To many people in Arlington, the idea seemed like a far-fetched gamble at best.

At worst, it was irresponsibly ludicrous.

The city, which was grappling in 2004 with budget shortfalls, stagnant business and the threat of falling behind its fast-growing suburban neighbors, had a chance to land the Dallas Cowboys. The catch: Voters had to agree to levy taxes on themselves to help pay for Jerry Jones’ $650 million new stadium.

The voters came through in what was described at the time as a pivotal moment in the city’s history.

“Decades from now,” a Star-Telegram editorial read the day after the referendum, “Tuesday’s ‘yes’ vote authorizing construction of a new, state-of-the-art Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington may well be recognized as the moment the city’s destiny changed.”

Fast forward two decades, and the city of Arlington appears to once again be having one of those pivotal moments, thanks in large part to how that stadium did indeed prove to be a powerful economic catalyst.

Nearly $1 billion in new development is under construction in Arlington’s entertainment district, anchored by the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field and the Six Flags theme parks. Those projects include a hotel and convention center, a national museum and a luxury apartment high-rise.

And there’s talk of more residential towers in the district, as well as converting an aging shopping center into a ritzier mixed-use development similar to Fort Worth’s Clearfork.

“It is really transformational what’s happened,” says Maggie Campbell, who is president and CEO of the Downtown Arlington business organization.

The once tiny farming town that sprouted after the Civil War was considered for decades as just a suburb to its larger neighbors — one without even a real downtown. Now Arlington has reached that tipping point where it is seeing significant outside investment, Campbell said.

What’s happening in Arlington is undoubtedly part of the overall growth frenzy across North Texas. The Dallas-Fort Worth metro is the fastest growing in the U.S., adding nearly 100,000 people a year. Other smaller cities in the Metroplex are also seeing explosive development, including Frisco, which recently announced a first-of-its-kind Universal Parks & Resorts theme park as part of its $10 billion future Fields development.

But while much of the growth on the outer reaches of the Metroplex is new construction on empty land, Arlington’s projects in the city center are more about redevelopment of what was built in the early years of suburbia.

City leaders say their vision is for Arlington to be a model live-work-play community that’s walkable and easy for long-term residents and first-time visitors to enjoy. Arlington’s entertainment district is about a mile from the city’s traditional business district, which is largely low density. The city wants to see a denser downtown with more of a connection to the entertainment district.

Mayor Jim Ross says there’s room for both districts to grow.

“We certainly want to bridge a gap between downtown and the entertainment district,” Ross said. “They’re not that far apart and literally within walking distance. We’re getting there. As the entertainment grows and downtown grows, there’s going to be some overlap and, consequently, some cross pollination that happens with the people that visit each of those. We’re excited about that.”

Ross said he thinks this will happen if both districts keep adding office space, multi-family housing, retail and restaurants — and marrying the different uses with a balance.

“I don’t believe this is the beginning of the transformation,” Ross said. “We’ve been into this for a while now, for a number of years, long before I became mayor. Our goal is to continue that significant momentum now.”

In mid-February, a co-working space called Spark Arlington held a grand opening in Choctaw Stadium, the former home of the Texas Rangers that is now used for soccer, football and repurposed offices in the entertainment district.

Spark’s concept of collaborative workspace aims at local entrepreneurs and innovators. Nearly 25 companies are already signed on.

Not far away, the luxury apartment building One Rangers Way is under construction. Some of the future tenants may decide to live here because they can work at Spark — and walk to bars and restaurants at Texas Live! after hours.

Additionally, mayor and other city leaders say there has been vision discussion of one day adding a high-rise office tower to one corner of Choctaw Stadium.

“It’s a vision that has legs,” Ross said. “We’re not at the planning stage yet. Nothing has been permitted, but there is a lot of talk about some of the extraordinary things we can do.”

Ross is also about to open his second restaurant on the top floor of the stadium where a TGI Fridays restaurant used to be. Hearsay Arlington will be a fine dining restaurant with Southern cuisine, a live blues and jazz lounge and a rooftop cigar bar.

The city owns Choctaw Stadium and still leases it to the Rangers. Ray Davis, who is the Rangers’ managing partner and majority owner, spoke at the Spark grand opening and said the 30,000-square-foot space is another example of how Choctaw is being repurposed as a vital part of development.

The stadium also is used for the Arlington Renegades of the XFL, the North Texas Soccer Club and the Dallas Jackals of Major League Rugby.

The One Rangers Way apartments are expected to open in 2024, with leases starting at $1,350. If the project does well, more multi-family development would be a logical progression, said Rob Matwick, the Texas Rangers executive vice president of business operations.

“Once we are in a position to begin leasing the residential units, assuming that goes as well as I believe it will, it’s logical that you would begin to look at next phases,” Matwick said. “We’ve talked about next phases potentially, and we’ve looked at where they could potentially go. When we’re a little further along and start our leasing process, I think that will begin to snowball and build upon the first building.”

The upcoming apartment complex is a partnership between the Texas Rangers and development partner The Cordish Companies.

“We are intentionally developing a wide array of unit types and sizes from two-bedroom penthouses to studio apartment homes to ensure we are appealing to all types of residents from young professionals to sports fans to families,” said Marnie Sauls, executive director of residential management for The Cordish Companies. “This space marries a luxury living experience with the excitement and energy of the Entertainment District, giving our residents the unique opportunity to be able to walk to Rangers and Cowboys games.”

Investment in Arlington doesn’t stop with the redevelopment of Choctaw. Nearly $1 billion of new development is under construction in the Entertainment District, including Loews Arlington Hotel and Convention Center.

The $550 million hotel is expected to open in early 2024 with two resort-style swimming pools, a beach, an upscale pan-Asian restaurant, a water slide and more. The hotel will have more than 880 rooms and connect via a skybridge to Live! by Loews Arlington, an existing hotel across the street.

The Arlington Convention Center will have 150,000 square feet of meeting space and 66,000 square feet of outdoor space. The entire project will create 500 to 600 additional jobs.

“Bringing this convention center with this hotel here puts us on a level that we’ve never been before,” said Ross in July at the hotel’s topping off ceremony. “It gives us an opportunity to compete with every single metropolitan area in the country.”

Near the hotel and convention center will be the National Medal of Honor Museum, opening in late 2024. The museum will feature a Bell Textron helicopter, 30 medals of honor and biographies and stories of recipients. It is expected to attract 650,000 to 800,000 visitors a year.

The current $1 billion expansion in the Entertainment District is only the next phase of a greater $4 billion vision by the city of Arlington, the Texas Rangers, The Cordish Companies and Loews Hotels & Co.

To the north of the entertainment district, at Interstate 30 and Collins Street, the Lincoln Square shopping center will likely see a major redevelopment.

The property was recently acquired by a Fort Worth-based mixed-use investor, Trademark Property Co. Early plans indicate the traditional retail and restaurant center could shift toward apartments.

Arlington’s mayor described it as similar to The Shops at Clearfork in Fort Worth, which has mid-rise apartment and office buildings with street-level retail.

“There’s going to be some nice multi-family in there, but there’s also going to be a lot of mixed use — office space, restaurants, retail and there may be another hotel in there,” Ross said. “It’s going to be a good utilization of the space.”

This story was originally published February 19, 2023, 5:00 AM.

Governor Greg Abbott today announced the next 2023 Governor’s Small Business Summit will be held in Arlington on Thursday, July 13. The Governor’s Small Business Summits aim to help Texas small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs reach new heights by connecting them with the resources and information needed to start, strengthen, and grow a business.

“Small businesses play a powerful role in propelling our state's booming economy," said Governor Abbott. "Texas continues to rank as the best state for business in the country because we empower Texans to launch their dreams and take advantage of the abundant economic opportunities our state has to offer to aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. We are proud to bring the 2023 Governor's Small Business Summit to Arlington next week as we continue to build an even brighter economic future for Texas."

The Governor’s Small Business Summit – Arlington provides Texas small business owners and entrepreneurs key insights on critical business topics and the opportunity to network with other business owners and meet experts who can share timely, relevant, and actionable advice on a multitude of small business topics. The event will be co-hosted by the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Office, the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and the Texas Workforce Commission, and will feature Rob Matwick, Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Texas Rangers, as the keynote speaker.

Governor’s Small Business Summit ? Arlington

Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 8:00 AM – 1:30 PM

Globe Life Field

734 Stadium Drive

Arlington, TX 76011

Panel Topics:

Registration is $20 and includes access to all sessions, keynote speaker, resource providers, lunch, and complimentary headshots.

For more information and to register: gov.texas.gov/business/event/the-governors-small-business-summit-arlington

Upcoming dates for the 2023 Governor’s Small Business Summits:

Stephenville – July 27

McAllen – August 10

Marshall – August 24

Horizon City – September 7

Fredericksburg – September 21

Beaumont – October 5

San Angelo – October 19

San Antonio – November 8

Zapata – December 7

The Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Tourism and Office of Small Business Assistance also offer the Governor’s Small Business Resource Portal providing on-demand and customized business resources: gov.texas.gov/business/page/small-business-portal

As Taylor Swift, one of the best-selling musicians in history, performs to sold-out crowds throughout the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (including AT&T Stadium), the Arlington Museum of Art announced it will debut an exclusive exhibition this summer that focuses on the evolution of the icon’s artistic expression.

Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection, presented by the HELP Center for LGBT Health, will open Saturday, June 3, 2023 at the Arlington Museum of Art. Additional support has been provided by the Arlington Cultural Tourism Council. A private opening reception for members and donors will be held on June 2. Advance tickets will go on sale in April at arlingtonmuseum.org.

Curated by the Arlington Museum of Art from Swift’s own private collection, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection will feature original costumes, photographs, and concert videos drawn from her creative periods, or “eras.” Highlights of the exhibition are eight costumes worn by Swift from her record-breaking albums Midnights, folklore, Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

Altogether, the exhibition is an exploration of Swift as an evolving, boundary-pushing artist. It will run through Sept. 24, 2023. “As an artist, Swift's career is rich in depth and detail, and we believe the exhibition will appeal not only to her fans, music lovers, and art lovers, but to the next generation of emerging museum-goers,” Chris Hightower, president and CEO of the Arlington Museum of Art, said.

Dr. August Jordan Davis, art historian, curator and chair of Art and Art History department at the University of Texas at Arlington, recognizes Swift’s entire body of work as artistic expression, including her skills as a lyricist, composer, musician, performer, art director, set designer, actor, theatrical director, producer and curator of her own public persona.

“Taylor Swift is a storyteller who obviously loves exploration,” said Davis. “From writing and singing to acting and directing, from the changing genres of her musical journey across two decades, to crafting the concepts and characters of her albums and songs, Swift is attuned to experimentation. The variety of eras in Swift’s career shows her dedication to finding new forms of expression and performance that will bring her latest ideas to life.”

Hightower sees the exhibition as a unique opportunity for visitors to immerse themselves in what it means to be a multimedia artist today.

“Great artists throughout history have been able to express themselves so sublimely because they were so dedicated to their craft,” said Hightower. “They never stop learning and never hold back. They influence the future because they take creative risks in spite of opposing forces.”

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said that the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection exhibition reflects a number of the city’s strengths, including a reputation for world-class entertainment, the city’s Music-Friendly Community designation by the State of Texas, and an on-going commitment to supporting arts and cultural programming.

“In Arlington, we love collaboration, a can-do spirit, and out-of-the-box thinking,” said Mayor Ross, “and the team at the Arlington Museum of Art continues to surprise and thrill us by really putting all that into practice. It has been so exciting to see the Arlington Museum of Art find its voice in the last few years, and there is no doubt that even bigger things are on the horizon.”

Exhibition Details

About the Arlington Museum of Art

The Arlington Museum of Art is dedicated to championing creativity and providing access to art for the educational enrichment and cultural development of our community. Its forward-thinking curatorial mission drives the museum to present relevant and engaging art exhibits that change several times a year and attract visitors from all over the world.

Texas Swifties with the post concert blues can get another glimpse into 12-time Grammy award-winner Taylor Swift’s decades-long career with a new Arlington Museum of Art exhibit.

“Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection” opens at the Arlington Museum of Art, 201 W Main St. in Arlington, June 3 and runs through Sept. 24.

The exhibit features original costumes, photographs, videos and more representing Swift’s creative periods, or eras, throughout the years. Exhibit highlights include eight costumes worn by Swift from her albums Midnights, folklore, Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

Kendall Quirk, Registrar and Director of Exhibitions at Arlington Museum of Art, said museum staff has already seen high demand for the exhibit with excitement from around the country.

“We’re really proud of that and excited to have people who maybe are not familiar with Arlington here this summer,” she said.

Swift brought her Eras Tour to AT&T Stadium in Arlington from March 31 to April 2, playing a three-hour show with 44 songs all three nights. She also played shows in Houston later in April.

The Eras Tour includes songs from across Swift’s ten albums, each of which represent a different “era” of her career.

Quirk is a Swift fan, made apparent by her lavender colored dress — reminiscent of one of many outfits Swift wears during her Eras Tour shows — that she wore during an exhibit preview event Thursday.

Typically she takes a lot of time researching an exhibiting artist and topic, but this time Quirk said she was able to jump into the project loaded with prior knowledge which helped her conceptualize the exhibit.

Wear along the bottom of a pair of tall black boots in the “Fearless” section gives a hint at Swift’s first headlining tour. A green plaid dress worn by Swift during her Disney+ concert film performance of “folklore” takes fans back to Long Pond Studios.

The outfits are artifacts of Swift’s career and while the clothes may be on headless mannequins, fan’s will no doubt recognize the pieces — and maybe even the songs she performed in them.

“Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection” was planned six months prior to its opening, but how the collaboration came to be is a little more secret.

“It’s been just a really great collaboration with them, so that’s kind of all I’ll say,” Quirk said. “We’re really excited to have it and I hope that it’s a really exciting summer and I really think it will be based on the response that we’ve been getting from people ahead of time.”

Tickets for “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Collection” are on sale now.

Tickets prices are:

A $5 per person rate is also available for groups over 10.

Museum members get free admission tickets.

This story was originally published June 1, 2023, 4:00 PM.