Top O' Hill Terrace — Attraction in Arlington

The tour consisted of watching an hour long presentation and about a 15 minute "tour". I would've learned more by watching a documentary on the PBS channel. Along with not being very engaging, the presentation was very much the Baptist Church patting them selves on the back for buying and ending the casino, and encouraging people to pat them on the back to. The actual tour consisted of going down a hall way on the side of the hill, which was about 20ft before you have to turn back around and go back out. After that was the courtyard with a fountain, and a hokey magnetic trick by the tour guide, where when walking over certain spots the magnets would move around. Even if it is actually magnetic and not the tour guide moving their wrists, it wasn't that impressive. I very much believe the tour guide is blinded by their own excitement. After these 3 quick spots, they proceed to talk about other tunnels and things, but don't even bother to show them, in fear of harmful gasses.

I really think that there is more to this place and that it has potential, but for Pete's sake! Be more engaging! Don't just brag about yourselves the entire time! I'm not here to be indoctrinated into the Baptist Church! You have potential to be more engaging and more exciting but you're very much limited by your own inability to...

I had no idea about the history of Top O' Hill Terrace until my sister arranged for us to go on a tour. I was completely unaware that this place was VEGAS BEFORE VEGAS and now it's Arlington Baptist College. If you LOVE or just LIKE History, you'll enjoy Top O' Hill Terrace. This location in the 1930s and 40s was a gambling playground for the rich, famous and infamous. We're talking about some of the big names of that time like Bonnie and Clyde, Mae West, W.C.Fields, Gene Autry, Frank Sinatra,, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Jack Dempsey, Max Baer and the man responsible for Las Vegas, Bugsy Siegel just to name a few. Before it was a casino, it was a tea room but in the 1920s Fred and Mary Browning bought the property and converted it to a gambling mecca. The Browns added an escape tunnel and secret rooms for hiding the gambling equipment during police raids. The tunnel and secret rooms still exist and can be seen during the tour. It's all just fascinating stuff. Tour guide, Mrs. Vickie Bryant, is absolutely WONDERFUL. This tour is a WINNER in my...

Visited to take pictures of where my dad went to seminary back in 1964-1968, and stumbled upon Ms. Vickie Bryant who kindly invited me to tag along on a tour that she was giving a women's club. I'm 39 yrs old, and not only did I hear tremendous history of where my dad went to school, but also learned so much of how this became an historic landmark. Ms. Vickie has some stories of famous celebrities that are confirmed to have visited the site when it was a high-end casino, along with underground tunnels and rooms that were used to escape police. she shows the facts and artifacts to prove it. Very interesting! Well worth it, especially for me to better connect with my dad and understand the times that he grew up around. "known as Vegas before Vegas." "from poker to preachers." To God...