The station is located 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) east of the main campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU), which is on Mockingbird Lane on the opposite side of US 75.

[citation needed] SMU/Mockingbird is the only entrenched station in the DART light rail system, with the main platform located 40 feet (12 m) below ground level.

The station's upper level consists of a small plaza containing ticket machines, an elevator, and a pair of escalators.

The eastern entrance to the station contains six 20-foot (6.1 m) archways, each of which are decorated with colorful mosaic tiles and topped with a stained-glass mockingbird.

[7] A revised plan in 1986 called for the Mockingbird Lane station to open in 1994 as the initial northern terminus for the North Central line.

[14] Mockingbird station opened on January 10, 1997 as part of a Red Line extension from Pearl to Park Lane.

[17] On November 4, 2017, a pedestrian bridge over Mockingbird Lane, which connected the station to the Katy Trail, was opened.

[23] Notable retail tenants include Angelika Film Center, Bath & Body Works, Loft, and Urban Outfitters.