New Indoor Things to Do in Plano's Shopping Centers

Most of the indoor entertainment that opened in Plano during 2026 sits in older shopping centers. A trampoline park is going into the former Joann on Alma Drive. A seasonal Christmas shop has taken over the former Weir's Furniture Village on Preston Road. Two claw arcades opened on Coit Road within months of each other, and an indoor sand playground opened in a strip center at Legacy Drive and Independence Parkway. None of them chose a new mixed-use district. They chose the shopping centers Plano already drives past every day, and that changes where a rainy Saturday or a weeknight outing can happen.

The big boxes are getting second lives

The former Joann craft and fabric store at 700 Alma Drive, Ste. 119, is being built out as Big Air Trampoline Park. Community Impact reported on September 18 that it is targeting an early November opening. This will be Big Air's first location in Dallas-Fort Worth. Its other Texas parks are in Houston and Missouri City. The plans include extreme dodgeball on a trampoline court and a foam pit kids can launch into from the trampolines. The storefront is in Village at Collin Creek, so the trampoline park joins the area around the old mall site. Community Impact's report doesn't include prices or hours, so check with Big Air before you plan a birthday around it.

Farther west, Madisonville Christmas Company opened a seasonal pop-up on September 12 at 5801 Preston Road, in the former Weir's Furniture Village. It is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and plans to stay through the 2026 holiday season. Stock includes trees, wreaths, ribbon, ornaments, mantel and tabletop décor, and oversized statement pieces. You don't need to know the building's history to shop there, but it fits the same pattern. A large, empty store in a familiar spot found a new use that brings people in for an outing.

Coit Road now has two claw arcades

Coit Road shows the trend most clearly. Super Player Arcade soft-opened at 1820 Coit Road, Ste. 125, in mid-February and held its grand opening May 9. It has claw machines, traditional arcade games, VR, and a craft station. Its posted hours run 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Ten weeks after that grand opening, BearBit ClawMaster opened on July 24 at 2001 Coit Road, Ste. 310, in Park Pavilion Center. It is the Houston-based company's third location, after Port Lavaca and Houston. Along with the plush-prize claw machines, it sells animal-themed soft serve with names like the Seal Buddy, Lion Pop, Pink Piggy and Bear Hug, plus fruit options such as Mango Madness. BearBit opens daily at noon. It closes at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. For parties, it lists a room at $10 an hour and packages starting at $19.99 per person.

The two arcades differ in a useful way. Super Player stays open later and adds VR and crafts. BearBit pairs the games with dessert. That gives families on Coit two options that don't overlap, rather than one arcade they've already outgrown.

Sand play is coming to the neighborhood centers too

The newest of the 2026 openings is aimed at the youngest kids. Diggers Cove opened September 4 at 7200 Independence Parkway, Ste. 238. That address is in Legacy Drive Village, the center at Legacy Drive and Independence Parkway. Owner Saira Waheed told Community Impact the space has four zones: a large sand pit, a remote-control construction zone, an animated sandbox and an interactive creative wall. It is for children 10 and under, and it also hosts birthday parties and field trips. A grand opening is planned for October 7 through 9, which is this week.

The posted details, which Diggers Cove describes as introductory rates:

• Open play: two-hour sessions at $19.99 per child, with $2 off each sibling
• Adults: two included per family, $5 for each additional adult
• Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday

Watch the names on this one. Little Diggers is a separate company with a similar idea, and it has its own Plano location underway at 1900 Preston Road, Ste. 385. A June preview gave it a summer 2026 target. Community Impact's July 30 update moved that to late 2026, and as of early October the company's site still lists Plano as "Coming Soon." If it opens on that schedule, Plano will have two indoor sand-play spaces, one at Legacy and Independence and one on Preston Road.

A third project for young kids is under construction downtown. A Chuck E. Cheese Adventure World is planned at 801 W. 15th St. in Creek Walk Village. Local Profile describes it as an 18,000-square-foot active-play venue aimed at ages 3 to 8. The permit filing estimated construction from September 7 through December 7, 2026. That is a building timeline, not an opening date.

For adults, golf simulators share space with dinner

Indoor entertainment for adults is following a similar path. Sip'Stroke Lounge opened July 17 at 5969 Dallas Parkway. It has a Full Swing golf simulator bay that seats up to six, and an indoor putt-putt course that runs through the dining room and bar. Owner Kushal Bastakoti also owns Skyline Lounge in Dallas. The menu goes from signature wings and prime wagyu sliders to Cabernet Braised Short Rib and a Sipstroke Burger with truffle aioli.

Here are the numbers for planning a group outing. The bay costs $65 an hour on weekdays and $85 an hour on weekends for up to six players. Putt-putt is free when you book a bay. The simulator bay is open to all ages, but the bar area becomes 21 and over in the evening. The lounge is open from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. With six players on a weekday, the bay works out to about $11 a person per hour before food.

For a more active option, Pickleball Kingdom at 1301 Custer Road is under new ownership. It closed under its previous operator in October 2025, and a new franchisee took over on February 6, 2026.

The fall calendar

Opening dates on this list range from confirmed to rough estimates. Here is each venue and how firm its date is as of October 4, 2026.

Taken together, the list covers much of the city. The sand pit is in the northwest at Legacy and Independence. The arcades are on Coit. The trampoline park is on Alma in Central Plano. The adventure park is coming to 15th Street near downtown, and the holiday shop is on Preston. On a 100-degree day or a wet one, most families in Plano can now reach a new indoor option without leaving their part of town.

At Niche Realty Group, we track what opens in Plano's shopping centers as closely as what sells in its neighborhoods, because both shape everyday life here. Thinking about how your part of Plano is changing? Let's connect. We can show you what your home is worth or help you start your search today.