founder's plaza observation area

Pretty neat place to watch planes take off and land, excellent viewing experience. Our kids enjoyed being able to come and do this

Founder's Plaza at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is a great place to spend some time. The site sits on the northwest perimeter of the airport and offers views of aircraft landing from the north and taking off to the south. A chain link and razor wire fence separates viewers from the actual protected airport property. The view of the aircraft landing is good. You can feel the vibration and roar of the "heavies" as they run up their engines for takeoff. A speaker system projects live Air Traffic Control throughout the area, although it can't be heard everywhere in the Plaza.The Plaza does not have swings, a playground area, restrooms, or any facilities. Park benches and tables were clean, the trash cans appeared to have been emptied recently. The grounds were clean and the grass freshly manicured.There are several observation binoculars, a rather nice sculpture, a "Welcome Home Heroes" display, and a marker to remember those that lost their lives on Delta flight 191 which crashed 08-02-1985 due to wind shear. A history of DFW is emblazoned on large, round plaques in the ground near each bench. The Plaza is more of a safe place to stroll around, watch airplanes, and take a time out. During my one hour visit I noted Airport Security and an Airport Operations truck pass through the area twice. Remote security cameras add to the secure feeling but it is unknown if they are monitored. Bring a sack lunch or picnic basket and enjoy a break from whatever you're doing. Don't feed the birds for obvious reasons. Founder's Plaza at DFW is open to the public from 7AM to 7PM and it's free.

Nice little area facing the runways on the North side of the airport. Great to sit and wait for your pick-ups or have lunch. You get a great view of landing airplanes of course the wind has to cooperate for the runway it sits on to be open. Fun way to waste some time or let the kids run themselves ragged.

I think that Founder's Plaza is one of the best underutilized attractions in DFW. It's a great "little park" if you have kids (half the people there are with their kids). If your kids love airplanes, they can get a great view of the planes taking off & landing, and there's plenty of space where they can run around. For the grown-up airplane enthusiasts, there's an area where they broadcast the Tower over a speaker. Plus they have it decorated with lots of plants & flowers with signs describing the plants and other gardening tips that they used in the park. For couples looking for romance, there are some parking spots where you can back-in and recline in the bed of your truck and watch the planes or stars or whatever. I've taken my kids here sometimes but also went with just my wife for some quiet couple time. Plus it's FREE!!!

Park is open from 7am to 7pmFlight tower radio is broadcast for your listening pleasure.Better than the old location on the east side of airport............

We went to founder's plaza because our two year old is fascinated with airplanes. The airplanes were landing about every minute so it made a great place for a picnic. We brought a blanket and some leftovers and the kids had a blast eating and watching the planes land, very cool idea and perfect for a family trying to find unique experiences on a budget. It's basically an outdoor area overlooking a landing strip that is used frequently, I would choose a day with nice weather to go!

Took the 6 year old to watch planes land. ATC (Ground control) for the runways closest to the park (18L and 18R) is played on a loudspeaker. There are covered benches and a nice hill you can sit on and watch the planes come and go. There was some trash in the area because some people are slobs.

A great place to view Aircraft from DFW. If you love to sit and watch airplanes take off and land at DFW, this is it. They have nice parking, picnic tables and shaded areas for those hot summer days. No bathrooms.

Carry a picnic and come listen to Traffic Control Towers signal the airplanes in for landing and out for takeoff. Statues and Scrolls with history for your learning experience.

This is an absolutely wonderful and FREE attraction for aviation enthusiasts and families of all ages alike! The Good:I visited the Founder's Plaza every single evening during a week long stay, and every night there were families with kids of all ages, couples, and some people just sitting by themselves and enjoying the view. Some families had brought a picnic and were sitting in the grass (or at the tables) eating and watching the planes come and go.You get a fantastic view of the west side of DFW Airport and can see quite a variety of airplanes even in just 20-30 minutes. Most of the airplanes are American Airlines, but I still saw aicraft from Alaskan Airlines, Spirit, Frontier, Brittish Airways, US Air, Quantas, Delta, Lufthansa, and others. You are also right next to the UPS hangers and can easily see 3-5 of their huge cargo airplanes at any given time.There are several sets of binoculars on stands that you can use for FREE to get a better look! Also, the plaza has the air traffic control tower playing over a loudspeaker at the center of the observation area, so you can hear the pilots and tower speaking to each other. Very cool!The Bad:The only downside I can think of is that I did not see any bathrooms. If you have small children and stay here for a while, that could be inconvenient. As a minor note, there are only a few picnic tables, so if you come during a busy time, you may want to bring a blanket for the grass or a camping chair or two.

We never tire of watching the planes take off and land. This is off the beaten path - at the north side of DFW Airport just across the Texan Trail bridge (good directional signs). Doesn't cost you a penny - you can bring a picnic lunch and listen to the pilots communicating with the tower. A great free fun outing on a day when you just can't figure out what to do with the kids.

This park is widely heralded in the planespotting community as the best place to watch planes in the United States. Complete with free binoculars, and tower broadcasts over a speaker, this park lived up to the hype. There are picnic tables, and plenty of room to hang out with your family.