Discover Addison: History, Art and Parks

Addison brings together a surviving trace of the original town center, public art, parks and events. The Addison State Bank building represents an earlier use and a later transformation; at Addison Circle Park, a large-scale sculpture and various park features come together. Walking trails, a self-guided art experience, festivals and performances round out these themes. When planning your trip, you can first consider whether local history, art, outdoor activities or a focus on events is most important to you.

Local History and Art

The Addison State Bank building was built in 1913 to house the Addison State Bank. After the bank closed in 1926, the building served as a general store for many years. It is one of the few surviving buildings in Addison’s original town center. This sequence of uses makes the historical transformation tangible in a single building: a structure built for banking later served the retail trade for many years.

For art, you can choose between a single named work at Addison Circle Park and a self-guided audio tour of the public art collection. Addison Circle Park is home to “Blueprints at Addison Circle,” a sculpture that stands more than four stories tall and extends 140 feet. The audio tour includes commentary from the artists, information about individual works and directions to each location. This way, the tour combines background on the artworks with guidance to their locations.

Parks, Walking Trails and Activities

Addison Circle Park features two stages, a pavilion, interactive fountains, a splash pad and a pergola. Addison Outdoors offers games, fitness classes and activities there year-round. If you want to plan your stay around a specific class or activity, check the latest details in advance.

Addison’s parks offer several miles of walking trails. If you’d rather pair your time outdoors with walks than with classes or games, these trails are a focus in their own right. Vitruvian Park hosts community events throughout the year, adding a different kind of event experience to the park activities.

Festivals and Performances

For nearly 40 years, Addison Oktoberfest has brought Munich traditions to North Texas. It combines Bavarian culture and Texas hospitality with food, music, dancing, shopping and family entertainment. Program details may change from one edition to the next. If you’re planning your trip around the festival, check the dates and program for the edition you plan to attend.

The Addison Performing Arts Centre features three distinct performance spaces. For trip planning, these venues are described in different ways: the Centre by its performance spaces, Oktoberfest by its festival offerings, and Vitruvian Park by its community events.

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