Few Texas campuses have a backstory like this one. Before it was a Baptist school, this hilltop along the old Bankhead Highway was Top O' Hill Terrace, a tea room turned illegal casino that drew high rollers from Dallas and Fort Worth until a 1947 raid began its decline. In 1956 the Bible Baptist Seminary, founded by the fiery Fort Worth preacher J. Frank Norris, bought the property and moved here, and the school that grew from it now calls its past a redemption story. This short walk visits the gate and guardhouse, the former tea room, the terraced tea garden, and the founder's statue. The university offers guided tours of the tunnel and casino rooms by appointment.
What you'll see
Most campus walks revolve around founders and lecture halls; this one is about a hilltop that kept secrets. Before it was home to Arlington Baptist University, the rise along the old Bankhead Highway was Top O' Hill Terrace. It opened in the early 1920s as a tea room drawing diners from Dallas and Fort Worth and, after Fred and Mary Browning took over in 1926, became one of the region's best-known gambling clubs.
The surviving buildings still tell that story. A small sandstone guardhouse recalls the lookouts who watched the approach and sent word ahead when lawmen appeared, buying time to hide the tables. The original tea room still stands, with former gaming rooms below and an escape tunnel whose full extent researchers, working with UT Arlington, are still documenting. Plenty of legends link celebrities and outlaws such as Bonnie and Clyde to the club; many of those visits are hard to confirm, and the walk treats them that way.
A 1947 raid started the club's decline, and in 1956 the Bible Baptist Seminary, founded by Fort Worth preacher J. Frank Norris, bought the hilltop. The school that grew from it now calls the property's transformation a redemption story.
It's a short, easy stroll through one of the most unusual pieces of history on any Texas campus, and the university offers guided tours of the tunnel and casino rooms by appointment.
Watch: Arlington Baptist University
Where it starts
The tour begins in Arlington. Open Texas Roam to follow the full route stop by stop, with directions and audio narration as you go.
How long is the Arlington Baptist University Campus Tour?
It is a self-guided walking tour: 5 stops, about 0.2 miles, ~25 min. Go at your own pace; the app keeps your place.
Where does it start?
In Arlington, Texas. The exact starting point, the full stop list and turn-by-turn directions are in the TexasRoam app.
How do I take this tour?
Download TexasRoam for iPhone or iPad from the App Store. The tour is included with TexasRoam+. It is not available on the web map.
When is the best time to go?
Walk the grounds in daylight; the tunnel and former casino rooms can only be seen on university-led tours booked by appointment.
Take the “Arlington Baptist University Campus Tour”
Texas Roam guides you turn by turn through Arlington with maps, audio narration and check-ins as you go — plus all 5 stops on this tour and every guided tour, hiking trail and historical marker across Texas. Get it on the App Store.
Guided tours & hiking trails are available only in the TexasRoam app for iPhone & iPad — not on the web map. Free to download; unlock with TexasRoam+.
