Family Friendly Plano Bucket List

Written by: Lesley Carter. Originally posted on BucketListPublications.com.

It’s hard to imagine that bustling Plano was once a small farming community. Now a vibrant city of family-fun and entertainment it’s anything but country quiet. Full of cool things to do yet still packed with natural beauty. Check out our family friendly Plano bucket list.

Pinstack

From state-of-the-art bowling lanes and delicious food and drinks to a unique LED rock climbing wall, Pinstack has food and excitement for the whole family. This indoor family activity venue features a full-service restaurant, a full bar, a private dining area, bowling (including a private, VIP bowling area), a high ropes course, a two-level laser tag arena, a 28-foot high rock climbing wall, bumper cars, giant foosball, and hundreds of video games.

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve is a 200-acre park in Plano. It has several amenities including: 3 miles of paved hiking trail, 3 miles of unpaved hiking trail, a 2.8 mile off-road bike trail, restrooms, a covered pavilion, and a playground. The pavilion can be reserved for special events. A visit in October will reveal the colors of fall and provide the perfect crisp air to marvel in nature.

The VOID

Cinemark has partnered with The VOID, to allow guests to virtually step into their favorite movie and play an active role in the plot. By strapping on a vest, helmet, and virtual reality goggles, guests are transported to a new world where they are fulling immersed in the movie. This is the first in-theater, hyper-reality experience in all of Texas.

Right now at The VOID Plano, you can assemble alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: Damage Control, an all-new virtual reality adventure from Marvel Studios and ILMxLAB. Fight alongside some of your favorite Avengers like Doctor Strange, Wasp, Ant-Man, and more in a race to protect the world. Suit up, step in, and save the world in the ultimate Marvel Studios immersive experience.

Crayola Experience

The Crayola Experience at The Shops at Willow Bend, is a color-crazy adventure where visitors can explore 22 hands-on attractions inspired by Crayola products and technologies in a 60,000 square foot space. With Crayola crayon naming, personalized coloring pages, melted wax spin-art, silly selfies, painting, a color playground, and much more the whole family will enjoy a trip to the Crayola Experience. Purchase discounted tickets here.

11th Hour Escape

11th Hour Escape lets you choose your difficulty, making their escape rooms suitable for all levels. Their escape rooms include Fallout Shelter and Stranger Things. Being huge Stranger Things fans, we chose The Upside Down escape.

Inspired by the hit show but designed for both fans and non-fans to enjoy, your goal is to find your friend, Will who is missing. He has vanished mysteriously and his mom seems to have lost her marbles… Or has she? You too have seen things you don’t know how to explain. The authorities are getting nowhere with the case. So you and your friends decide to break into Will’s house to investigate. Maybe you can help find Will… before he is lost forever!

Dark Hour Haunted House

Dark Hour Haunted House isn’t just for Halloween. New shows are produced monthly which build on the existing theme of the Witch of Coven Manor, creating an expanded exploration of fear throughout the year. Dark Hour Haunted House has gone all out to provide guests with the ultimate scare experience. Holiday-related themes make the experience worth going to year-round.

Main Event Plano

Main Event Plano is more than just 28 lanes of state-of-the-art bowling, multi-level laser tag, billiards, dining experiences, a full bar service, a karaoke lounge, and over 100 games. It’s also one of the best venues for parties, group events, and team building experiences. It’s over 65,000 square feet of excitement.

You can bowl, play video games, watch sports on giant screens, or even just kick back and relax at their bar.

We went for the entertainment but stayed even longer for the food, especially the desserts.

Life is short, eat dessert first! That’s what guests say when they order the Big Fun Super Sundae, one of Main Event’s shareable menu items. The three of us could only finish half of this monster of a dessert.

Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park

Hilton Dallas/Plano Granite Park is a bucket list choice for a central hotel in Plano. It’s only a short stroll from The Boardwalk at Granite Park, offering waterfront dining, entertainment, and shopping. It offers a wedding venue with two ballrooms, outdoor space, eco-friendly options, Starbucks offerings throughout hotel, a resort-style pool, hut tub, patio fire pit, fitness and business centers, and a complimentary hotel shuttle within a 3-mile radius.

From the colorful world of Crayola to the natural colors of fall at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve, Plano is bustling with vibrant activities and adventures for the whole family. Add to that a multitude of cinemas, unique experiences, and top-quality food, and it’s easy to see how Plano is worth adding to your bucket list.