Irving-based Chuck E. Cheese is “reimagining what family play can be” with an all-new concept that opened today in Arlington. The new venue, Chuck E. Cheese Adventure World, is the company’s first 12,000-square-foot indoor playground focused entirely on active play.
Located at 1536 W. Interstate 20 off South Cooper Street, the venue is designed for families with kids 3 to 8 years old. Kids can climb, slide, and explore multilevel worlds, racing from one well-padded zone to the next in a kind of fun-fitness obstacle course.
“It’s a colossal new experience unlike anything kids have ever seen,” Chuck E. Cheese CEO Randy Forsyth said in a statement. “Adventure World captures all the fun, laughter and magic families love about Chuck E. Cheese and takes it to a whole new level, with our characters leading the adventure in amazing new ways.”
The multi-level playground at Chuck E. Cheese Adventure World in Arlington. [Photo: Chuck E. Cheese]
The vertical playground has surprises around many corners, including climbing structures, a sit-on-ball swing, obstacles to duck or bounce off of, an area with huge, soft, inflated balls to bump into, and a soccer-like section with big bouncy balls that can be kicked from one goal into the next with satisfying ricochets off the netted walls and ceiling. Two different slide experiences—one a bit steeper and faster than the other—give kids reasons to keep climbing up the padded labyrinth to slide down again, and again, and again.
The first of what could be ‘500 to 1,000’ Adventure Worlds
To get to the top of this slide, kids must navigate their way up multiple obstacle-course-like levels. [Photo: Chuck E. Cheese]
At a pre-opening preview event Monday evening, CEO Forsyth welcomed guests to the new Arlington venue. He called the venue an entirely new concept that’s “unlike anything we have done before,” positioning it as a new chapter in the company’s evolution.
“We expect that this is the first run of 500 to 1,000 of these,” Forsyth said, gesturing around the venue. “We’re gearing up, ramping up, to grow this across the nation, just like we did Chuck E. Cheese over the years.”
There are currently nearly 600 Chuck E. Cheese locations worldwide. The company’s Irving-based parent. CEC Entertainment Holdings, also operates over 120 Peter Piper Pizza venues, as well as Pasqually’s Pizza & Wings and Chuck’s Arcade/Fun Spot Arcade locations.
Photo: Chuck E. Cheese
Also speaking at the preview event were Arlington Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Raul Gonzalez and the new venue’s general manager, David Lee. Jalil Davis, manager of development for Boys and Girls Club of Greater Tarrant County, was also on hand—along with more than a dozen kids served by the organization—to accept an oversized $5,000 check presented by Forsyth.
Gonzalez spoke to the guests about a key benefit of the open-play fitness nature of Chuck E. Cheese Adventure World, saying the new concept is “better than the Cowboys” because “you don’t have to worry about winning or losing.”
A place for active, physical play
The video dance floor gets lots of action at Chuck E. Cheese Adventure World in Arlington. [Photo: Chuck E. Cheese]
This reporter was at Monday’s preview, accompanying two junior Dallas Innovates associates (Otis, age 4, and Watson, age 3).
Both adults and kids are welcome at the brand’s new Adventure World, so this writer began the evening by following Otis and Watson through the multilevel labyrinth.
Was it fun? Yes. Were there lots of different physical activities to discover and explore? Definitely. But like almost all the other adults in attendance, after the third or so multi-level climb, stoop, wriggle, crawl, and fast-paced slide, this reporter took a breather for the rest of the evening.
That left Otis and Watson to pursue the mission on their own—which they did, hour after hour, at their own pace and following their own delighted paths among the other kids navigating the course.
‘A safe, character-filled environment’
Photo: Chuck E. Cheese
Unlike traditional Chuck E. Cheese family entertainment centers that focus on arcade games, pizza, and prizes, Adventure World is all about something else: “active play and imagination.”
Security is key when kids are involved, and the new venue has methods in place to ensure it. Before entering, parents or caregivers must sign waivers and provide contact info, and kids and parents alike are stamped with invisible ink on the back of their wrists, matching them with the company’s Patented Kid Check system. To leave the venue with your kid, first you have to get your wrists scanned, revealing your matching ID number code to the employees manning the entrance.
Once inside, guests encounter a bevy of waving, welcoming employees decked out in Chuck E. Cheese character costumes, in addition to team members manning a Pasqually’s Snack Shop serving Chuck E. Cheese pizza, light treats, and a variety of drinks.
Besides the vertical playground, there’s also an assortment of claw-prize machines, a photo booth, and dining seating. An interactive dance floor lights up with every kid’s step, and a video wall above it plays a endless loop of music, songs, and digital live shows featuring Chuck E. and friends.
Photo: Chuck E. Cheese
Brand’s return to Arlington
At Monday’s preview, CEO Forsyth noted his company’s nearly 45-year presence in Arlington had ended last year when its local Chuck E. Cheese location lost its lease.
“We made a commitment to coming back to Arlington, the entertainment capital of Texas,” he said. “And we were very excited to pick Arlington for our first Adventure World.”
Several new Adventure World locations are scheduled to open in 2026, the company said, bringing the experience to more families nationwide.
Pricing at Chuck E. Cheese Adventure World is $19.99 per child for all-day access, including two free parent admissions per child. Additional info about birthday party packages and more is available here.
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