ARLINGTON, Texas — School is out for the summer, and that means Arlington is a popular place these days. With their amusement parks and sports stadiums, the city has been an entertainment center in North Texas for decades since Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1961.
However, not all the city’s theme parks caught on.
Longtime natives might remember Seven Seas, the theme park that brought the oceans of the world to Arlington with several amphitheaters and performances where parkgoers could see dolphins, killer whales and other marine life.
Old WFAA stories now preserved in the Jones Film Archive at SMU show the short time the park was in operation including the grand opening in 1972 when the late Mayor Tom Vandergriff cut the ribbon on the $9 million park.
But the city quickly became disappointed with the returns, or lack thereof.
Just two years into operation, Arlington handed over control of the park to Six Flags in hopes they could inject new life, attractions and, most importantly, bigger crowds into Seven Seas.
Ultimately, losses were cut and the park closed for good in 1976. However, a few small remnants can be found in the pool area of the Arlington Sheraton hotel, which is located where Seven Seas once stood.
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