Quick Answer: Looking for things to do in Garland on a weekend? Start at the downtown square, where First Friday events bring live music and local vendors. Catch a play at the historic Plaza Theatre, walk the shaded trail at Coomer Park, browse the free Garland Landmark Museum, or shop and dine at Firewheel Town Center.
Finding things to do in Garland on a weekend is easy once you know where to look. Hickory Apartments sits in the middle of it all, so our Garland apartment community keeps you minutes from the downtown square, the parks, and Firewheel Town Center. Here is a resident's guide to a full weekend close to home.
What are the best things to do in Garland, TX on a weekend?
The best things to do in Garland, TX on a weekend mix history, green space, live performances, and shopping, almost all of it within a short drive. You can spend Saturday morning on a tree-lined park trail, then head to the downtown square for a First Friday concert or an evening show at the Plaza Theatre.
What can you do in downtown Garland on a weekend?
Downtown Garland packs a lot into a few walkable blocks around Garland's city square at 520 W State Street. You will find a restored 1940s theater, a free history museum, locally owned restaurants, and a monthly street festival. Weekends here keep an easy pace, which makes the area perfect for a slow afternoon. Locally owned favorites within a short walk include Intrinsic Smokehouse for barbecue and craft beer and R&C Coffee, a small shop known for live acoustic sets.
Catch a show at the Plaza Theatre
The Plaza Theatre has anchored the downtown square since 1941, when it opened on Garland's 50th birthday. The art deco interior holds 350 velvet seats, a motorized waterfall curtain, and acoustics that punch above the room's size. Local companies stage musicals and plays here most weekends, and the Plaza Theatre screens free movies now and then. Parking sits right along the square and in two nearby garages. Two blocks over, the Granville Arts Center hosts the Garland Summer Musicals each June and July and the Garland Symphony Orchestra during its season, so the downtown arts scene rarely goes quiet.
Explore the Garland Landmark Museum
Two blocks north, the Garland Landmark Museum fills the 1901 Santa Fe Depot at Heritage Crossing, 393 N. Sixth Street. Admission is free, and the volunteer-run Landmark Museum opens Thursday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Inside you will find early settler artifacts, old railroad gear, quilts, and a hands-on exhibit with vintage typewriters and telephones. It is a quick, kid-friendly stop. The surrounding Heritage Crossing district also holds a refurbished 1910 Pullman coach car and the 19th-century Tinsley-Lyles House, with interpretive walking paths between them.
Time your trip around downtown Garland events
For the most energy, plan around First Fridays. On the first Friday of every month, the Music Made Here concert series fills the downtown square with live music, food trucks, and artisan vendors, and most shows are free. Other downtown Garland events worth catching include the Asian American Heritage Festival, Juneteenth, and the July 4 Red, White and You celebration with fireworks. The city keeps a running list of Garland events online. For bigger touring acts, the Curtis Culwell Center across town books national concerts and shows year-round.
Where can residents enjoy parks and attractions in Garland?
Beyond downtown, Garland attractions stretch from shaded creek trails to a large outdoor shopping center. Coomer Park and Firewheel Town Center sit only a few miles apart, so you can pair a morning walk with an afternoon of shopping and dinner. Add a seasonal festival, and a full weekend comes together without leaving the city.
Walk the trail at Coomer Park
Coomer Park in Garland gives you a quiet, tree-lined break close to home. The 11.8-acre park off 534 Apollo Road has a half-mile concrete trail, a playground, picnic tables, and open grass for a game of catch. It is dog-friendly, and the tree cover makes summer mornings far more comfortable. Street parking is easy at Coomer Park, though there are no public restrooms, so plan ahead.
Shop and dine at Firewheel Town Center
Firewheel Town Center is the go-to spot when you want shopping, a movie, and dinner in one place. The open-air center has national retailers, a multiplex, and a wide range of restaurants, plus a summer farmers market on Sundays. It is also a hub for community happenings like food truck festivals. The AMC Firewheel 18 anchors movie nights, and for warm-weather weekends the seasonal Hawaiian Falls waterpark and Lake Ray Hubbard both sit a short drive east. New to the area and weighing your options? It helps to browse the available floor plans nearby before you decide where to settle.
Catch a seasonal Garland fair or festival
If you want that old-fashioned Garland fair feel, fall delivers. The St. Michael Parish Festival, a community tradition since 1946, runs three evenings with food booths, carnival games, rides, and live entertainment. The Garland Guzzler 0.5K and Fall Fest add a pumpkin patch, a kids zone, and live music. These seasonal events draw some of the biggest weekend crowds all year, and a free Dia de los Muertos celebration each fall rounds out the lineup.
Hosting visitors? Hotels in Garland, TX
Expecting out-of-town family for a weekend? Several hotels in Garland, TX cluster near Firewheel and the President George Bush Turnpike, including Holiday Inn Garland, Tru by Hilton, and Hyatt Place. Most offer pools and free parking, and they keep guests close to shopping and dining. When relatives drive in to see your new place, you can share directions to your home in a couple of taps.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is there to do in Garland on a Saturday?
A Saturday in Garland can fill up fast. Popular options include:
- A morning walk on the Coomer Park trail
- The free Garland Landmark Museum from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Shopping and a movie at Firewheel Town Center
- An evening show at the Plaza Theatre on the downtown square
- A First Friday concert if your weekend lands on one
2. Is downtown Garland worth visiting?
Yes. The blocks around Garland's city square hold the historic Plaza Theatre, the free Landmark Museum, several locally owned restaurants, and a monthly First Friday street festival. It is compact and walkable, which makes it an easy half-day outing for residents and a friendly introduction for visiting family.
3. What free things can you do in Garland?
Plenty of weekend fun in Garland costs nothing. The Garland Landmark Museum is free, First Friday concerts on the downtown square are usually free, and Coomer Park and other city parks are open daily at no charge. Several seasonal festivals, including Juneteenth and the July 4 celebration, are free to attend too.
4. What is Garland, Texas known for?
Garland, Texas is known as a large Dallas suburb with a walkable historic downtown square, the long-running Garland Summer Musicals at the Granville Arts Center, and Firewheel Town Center. It also has one of the country's larger Vietnamese communities, reflected in its dining and the annual Asian American Heritage Festival downtown.
5. What can you do in Garland with kids?
Families have several easy options. The Garland Landmark Museum runs a free hands-on exhibit with fossils and vintage gadgets, Coomer Park offers a playground and open grass, and Firewheel Town Center pairs shopping with a movie theater. In summer, the Hawaiian Falls waterpark adds slides and a wave pool.
Conclusion
Few suburbs around Dallas give residents this much to do so close to home, and the city of Garland, Texas keeps adding more. From the downtown square and Plaza Theatre to Coomer Park trails and Firewheel shopping, the best things to do in Garland fit easily into a single weekend. Settle in, and you will find a new favorite spot within walking or driving distance of Hickory Apartments.
