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Friday at five in a North Texas house usually looks about the same. Somebody's cleats are still in the back of the car, the nine-year-old has been sitting at a desk since quarter to eight and has spent none of the energy he woke up with, and the teenager wants to know what's happening tonight. You finished your own week an hour ago and would prefer that the answer be nothing.
How Friday goes tends to set up the whole weekend. Everyone sleeps when the evening ends well, and Saturday morning starts without an argument. When it doesn't, you're four hours deep into a tablet with a kid who won't go to bed.
Dallas-Fort Worth happens to have more places open late on a Friday than most metros its size, and plenty of them exist specifically for kids who need to move. What has always gotten in the way is money and the hassle of picking somewhere. Below are five active things to do in DFW with kids on a Friday night. They're spread out across the Metroplex so one of them is near you, and a GetOut membership for Texas DFW covers all five.
Why Friday Night Is the Hardest Night to Plan in Dallas-Fort Worth
Start with the clock, because it eliminates more options than anything else. Most family attractions around here shut down at eight or nine. If practice runs to 6:30 and you're eating after that, half of what you might have chosen has already closed by the time you're in the car.
Then there's the size of the place. The Metroplex covers something like 9,000 square miles, and a venue that looks perfect on a list is worth nothing to you if it sits 50 minutes away in Friday traffic with a hungry seven-year-old in the back.
Cost is the one that quietly does the most damage. Go-karts, laser tag, and bowling for four people runs somewhere between $120 and $180 once you've fed everybody. Twice a month puts you near $3,000 a year, which is why most families do it twice a year and spend the other Fridays at home. Once the night is already paid for, though, you'll make a 25-minute drive without thinking about it. That's the part a membership changes.
Friday is also the end of a week that has its own rhythm, and the evenings leading up to it matter. Our guide to budget-friendly after-school routines for DFW parents covers the Monday-through-Thursday version of this problem.
5 Active Things to Do in DFW on a Friday Night
1. Main Event — Grapevine
Where: 407 W State Hwy 114, Grapevine, TX 76051 Friday hours: 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. GetOut visits: 1x monthly
Main Event is probably the most useful venue on the DFW pass, and most members walk right past it. Seven locations sit inside the Metroplex, in Grapevine, Frisco, Plano, Lewisville, Grand Prairie, and two in Fort Worth, so almost every family in North Texas has one about 20 minutes away.
The Grapevine building runs 60,000 square feet. You get a full bowling alley, a laser tag arena built on multiple levels, north of 100 arcade games, billiards, and a gravity ropes course hanging 20 feet over the floor with a tightrope, a balance beam, and rope bridges that sway when you cross them. That ropes course is what makes this an active night instead of a night of sitting down, and it opens at 5 p.m. on Fridays. Your climber will find it before you've finished parking.
Lanes and arena stay open past midnight, which puts this near the top of the list if your family is walking out of a high school football game around 9:30.
The chain started in Texas and still runs locations across the state, so if work or family takes you down I-45 with any regularity, GetOut's Houston membership covers the same kind of night down there.
Before you go: The ropes course has a 300-pound limit. Closing times shift from one location to another, so pull up your nearest Main Event in the GetOut app before you drive. Since your visit resets every month, this one can turn into an actual habit.
2. Shenaniganz — Rockwall
Where: 1290 E Interstate 30, Rockwall, TX 75087 Friday hours: open late, with extended weekend hours GetOut visits: 1x monthly
Families on the east side get skipped in most DFW roundups. Shenaniganz is why they shouldn't be. The Rockwall location is family-owned and covers 75,000 square feet, with 24 bowling lanes, a laser tag arena spread over two stories, an arcade running more than 80 games, Lone Star Mini Golf, bumper cars, Escapology escape rooms, and a three-story playground for the small ones.
What people drive out here for is Quantum Karts. It's an augmented-reality go-kart system that throws virtual obstacles and power-ups onto the track while you're driving a real electric kart, so your kid is dodging things that aren't physically there. Families come in from Garland, Mesquite, Greenville, and Wylie for it.
A second Shenaniganz sits in Greenville and is also on the pass, which helps if you live further out I-30.
Before you go: Drivers need to be at least 58 inches tall for the karts, and everyone needs closed-toe shoes. City construction has messed with the approach, so take exit 67C eastbound. Your visit here resets monthly too.
3. Amped Obstacles — Grand Prairie
Where: 2626 Aero Dr, Grand Prairie, TX 75052 Friday hours: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. for open gym GetOut visits: 1x yearly
When your Friday problem is one particular kid carrying around a week's worth of unspent energy, this is where you take him. Amped Obstacles is a ninja warrior gym, 3,500 square feet, built around the obstacles you've watched on TV. Warped walls. Hanging rings. Salmon ladder. Grip work and balance work.
The difference between this and a trampoline park is that somebody coaches your kid. Staff walk them through technique rather than opening a door and standing back, so an hour builds grip strength and body control while it's wearing them out. Kids leave tired in the way that produces a decent night of sleep. Adults climb too, and a fair number of them do.
Friday open gym runs 4 to 8 p.m., which drops neatly into the gap between the last bell and a 7 p.m. kickoff. An hour here beforehand and your younger kids will make it through the second half in the bleachers.
Before you go: Open gym takes ages five and up. Everyone who walks in signs a waiver, and you can knock that out online ahead of time. Clean closed-toe athletic shoes are required, which rules out Crocs, boots, and slip-ons, and jewelry has to come off before anybody gets on the course. Slots are limited and walking in doesn't guarantee you a spot, so book. The gym is near Asia Times Square, a short drive from Arlington, Irving, Mansfield, and Cedar Hill.
4. Malibu Jack's — North Richland Hills
Where: 8651 Airport Freeway, North Richland Hills, TX 76180 Friday hours: 11 a.m. to midnight GetOut visits: 1x yearly
This is the largest indoor theme park in Texas, it opened recently, and it answers the question of what stays open late in DFW on a Friday better than anywhere else on this list.
The building runs 137,000 square feet. Inside there's a go-kart area taking up 30,000 of that, the Twist N'Shout spinning coaster, Jumpin' Jacks Drop Tower, a zero-gravity ride called the Whirlpool, laser tag, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, 16 duckpin bowling lanes, an arcade with 130-plus games, a virtual reality zone, and a soft play area for toddlers called Bounce Beach. Every bit of it sits indoors under air conditioning, which you'll appreciate in September and again when the first norther blows through.
Because it's all under one roof, Malibu Jack's handles the spread-of-ages problem better than almost anywhere. A four-year-old and a fifteen-year-old can both have a real night here, and neither one spends it waiting on the other.
Before you go: Go-kart drivers need to be 54 inches, passengers 36. Laser tag, the dark ride, and the drop tower all open at 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. There's no admission charge at the door. The park runs on a Play Card you load and swipe at each attraction, so check the GetOut app to see exactly what your visit covers.
5. Allen Americans Hockey — Frisco and Allen
Where: Comerica Center in Frisco, and the Credit Union of Texas Event Center at 200 E Stacy Rd in Allen Friday hours: puck drops at 7 p.m. GetOut visits: 2x yearly
Some Fridays your kid has already run himself into the ground and nobody needs to perform. The Allen Americans, who play in the ECHL as the affiliate of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, give you a way to spend the evening out of the house anyway.
The 2026-27 season opens on the road October 17 against the Tulsa Oilers, and families who follow the team up I-44 can use GetOut's Oklahoma membership for the rest of that weekend, since it covers both Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The home opener lands Thursday, October 29 at Comerica Center in Frisco, the first time the team has played in that building, with a second game there Friday the 30th.
Their first Friday night at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen is November 20 against the Kansas City Mavericks, a 7:10 p.m. Military Night. The Mavericks are on GetOut's Kansas City membership, and our guide to Friday nights in Kansas City during football season is worth a look if a tournament ever takes you up I-35. The Tahoe Knight Monsters come in on Friday, December 4.
The Allen arena seats 6,275, small enough that a cheap seat is still a good seat. Minor league hockey moves fast, gets loud, and wraps up in about two and a half hours, and most of the promo nights are built for families.
Before you go: You get two games, so look through the schedule and take the theme nights your kids will like. The arena runs digital tickets only, and the box office opens an hour before doors on game days.
Four Ready-Made Friday Night Plans
The pre-game warm-up. Book a 4:30 slot at Amped Obstacles, spend an hour on the obstacles, eat in Grand Prairie or Arlington, and you're in the stands by kickoff with a younger kid who's already burned off his week.
The after-the-whistle late night. Drive from the stadium to Malibu Jack's, open until midnight, or to a Main Event, which runs later. This makes you the parent who says yes when the group text goes around at 9:40.
The away-game Friday. The team's playing two hours out and you're not making the trip. Take the evening east to Shenaniganz instead and get bowling, karts, and dinner in one building with nobody watching a clock.
The rained-out backup. North Texas cancels a lot of Fridays. Everything on this list except the hockey is indoors, so keep Main Event or Malibu Jack's in your pocket for when a field closes.
How to Build a Friday Night Routine That Actually Repeats
Most venues on the pass are once-a-year visits. That's fine for a zoo and no help at all when you're trying to build a weekly habit. A handful reset every month, and those are what a routine gets built on.
The monthly ones in DFW include all seven Main Event locations, both Shenaniganz locations, Alley Cats in Arlington, and Desh Gaming Lounge. Corky's Gaming Bistro, Clutch-Em Arcade, and Official Paintball come back around every quarter.
Here's a rotation that works. Main Event the first week. Shenaniganz the second. Something you've been saving for the third, like Malibu Jack's or Amped Obstacles. Alley Cats or a home hockey game the fourth. Then start over. That fills every Friday from September through the holidays, and you'll still have somewhere around 55 venues on the pass you haven't set foot in. Our list of 25 kid-friendly things to do in Dallas-Fort Worth is a good place to pick the next one.
Look at the frequency listed under each venue in the app before you build the calendar, because the limits vary.
Weekends carry their own version of this. If your kids are still adjusting to the school year, our post on easing DFW kids into the school routine lays out a five-weekend plan for Saturdays and Sundays.
A club tournament or a long weekend can send you out of town in the middle of that rotation, and the pass works the same way in every market GetOut covers. Thanksgiving with family in the Hill Country puts you inside range of the Austin membership, with its own list of venues and the same app.
What a Friday Night Costs With GetOut
A GetOut membership for Texas DFW runs $74.95 per person for 12 months against a comparison value of $93, and it covers 67 or more venues around the Metroplex.
Hold that up against one unplanned Friday. Four people at Malibu Jack's doing go-karts, laser tag, and a couple of rides each will clear $100 before anybody orders pizza. A night at Main Event with bowling, the ropes course, and arcade cards lands in the same neighborhood. Two of those nights at counter prices costs you more than a full year on the pass does.
Everybody in the family needs their own membership. The app lists the visit limit for each venue so you know what's covered before you leave the house, and our walkthrough on how to use your GetOut membership goes through it screen by screen. LEGOLAND Discovery Center and SEA LIFE Grapevine are a paid add-on you can pick up at checkout. You get 120 days risk-free.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to do in DFW on a Friday night with kids? Main Event in Grapevine has bowling, laser tag, and a gravity ropes course 20 feet up, open until 2 a.m. Shenaniganz in Rockwall runs augmented-reality go-karts and 24 bowling lanes. Amped Obstacles in Grand Prairie holds ninja warrior open gym from 4 to 8 p.m. Malibu Jack's in North Richland Hills stays open to midnight. A GetOut membership for Texas DFW covers every one of them.
Where can we go in Dallas-Fort Worth after a high school football game? Malibu Jack's in North Richland Hills runs until midnight on Fridays, and Main Event locations go to 1 or 2 a.m. depending on which one you're at. Those are the two workable options for a group leaving a stadium around 9:30.
What's open past 10 p.m. in DFW that's family friendly? Main Event, Malibu Jack's, and Shenaniganz all stay open late on Friday. Every one of them is indoors and every one is on the GetOut pass.
Where can active kids burn off energy on a Friday night near Fort Worth? Amped Obstacles in Grand Prairie is a ninja warrior gym with coached open gym on Friday evenings. Malibu Jack's in North Richland Hills puts go-karts, a spinning coaster, and a drop tower under one roof.
Are there indoor things to do in DFW when Friday plans get rained out? Everything in this guide except the Allen Americans games sits indoors under climate control, so any of them works as a substitute when a field or a festival gets called off.
How often can I use my GetOut membership at the same venue? Depends on the venue. Main Event, Shenaniganz, and Alley Cats reset every month. Allen Americans games come twice a year. Most other DFW venues are once a year. The app shows you the limit for each one.
Does GetOut work in other Texas cities? It does. There's a San Antonio membership with its own venue list, along with memberships for Austin and Houston. Each market runs on the same app, so a tournament weekend or a visit to family works the way a Friday at home does.
Is a GetOut membership worth it if we only go out once a week? For a family that goes out weekly it pays for itself quickly. At $74.95 per person for the year, two visits to a venue like Malibu Jack's or Main Event covers the cost, and the monthly-reset venues on their own can fill a Friday every week of the school year.
Plan This Friday
Open the app tonight, pick one of these, and get it on the calendar before anybody asks what's happening.
Sign up for a GetOut membership for Texas DFW and look through all 67 venues on the pass.