We don’t know about you, but the closer it gets to Dec. 25, the more we turn into crazy, cookie-baking, present-wrapping, holiday-obsessed persons. Everyone knows that looking at Christmas lights is a crucial part of any holiday agenda – but where to look? The great state of Texas is just so festive that you’ll find attractions on practically every street. Fear not, we’ve pulled some of the best displays from our Christmas Houses and Christmas Towns articles, as well as a few others, to show you the true best-of-the-best places to go to ignite your senses and make this holiday season memorable.
- Zoo Lights (Houston)
Houston Zoo/Facebook
snap713/Flickr During the month of December, the Houston Zoo is decked out in Christmas lights. Every exhibit is decorated, so you can celebrate the holidays with all the friendly non-human inhabitants of the zoo. Click here to get all the details about this years’ festivities. Houston Zoo, 6200 Hermann Park Dr, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Festival of Lights (Moody Gardens)
Galveston.com/Flickr
Moody Gardens/Facebook Moody Gardens is truly a sight to see this time of year. All 3 gigantic pyramids are illuminated from head to toe, and visitors walk for miles through a trail of beautiful, unique displays. Not to mention the homemade s’mores and ice slide at the end! Click here to get all the details about this years’ wonderful festivities. Moody Drive, Moody Dr, Austin, TX 78704, USA
- Holiday Trail of Lights (Wimberley)
scotnet55/YouTube
scotnet55/YouTube Wimberley puts on a spectacular show every year; in 2021, it goes through December 26. It boasts over 8 acres of lights, and every display is handcrafted and donated by schoolchildren, families, or businesses. That’s the spirit of Christmas if we’ve ever seen it. Learn more about the event here. Emilyann Theatre, 1101 Ranch Rd 2325, Wimberley, TX 78676, USA
- Santa Land (Tyler)
Santa Land Tyler tx/Facebook
Santaland2013/YouTube Tyler might be a small town, but its Christmas spirit is anything but. Santa Land is Texas’s original drive-through light display, with several acres of sights from dancing Christmas trees to reindeer jumping over your car! Click here for all the details you’ll need to plan your visit. 11518 Interstate 20 W, Tyler, TX 75706, USA
- Prairie Lights (Grand Prairie)
Prairie Lights/Facebook
Facebook/PrairieLights Prairie Lights is a must-see attraction this year. You’ll drive through a 2-mile path lined with dazzling displays, stopping halfway through to visit the holiday village with seasonal food, a gift shop, an indoor laser show and an animated walk through forest. Once back in your car, you’ll finish the experience with the largest light tunnel in Texas. Click here to get all the details about this years’ drive-through and more. 5610 Lake Ridge Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75052, USA
- Gaylord Texan Hotel (Grapevine)
Facebook/GaylordTexanResort Grapevine has been coined the “Christmas Capital of Texas” for obvious reasons - come on, just look at that towering tree! This resort has an ice sculpture exhibit featuring over 2 million pounds of ice in the form of popular holiday characters and huge ice slides. The city also holds a synchronized light show and parade - but we’d be content to just roam around the hotel and take in all the elegant, gorgeous decorations. Click here to get all the details about this delightful Texas tradition. 1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine, TX 76051, USA
- River Oaks (Houston)
River Oaks Christmas Lights in Houston TX/Facebook
River Oaks Christmas Lights in Houston TX/Facebook If you’ve never visited the River Oaks neighborhood during Christmastime, you’re truly missing out. Some of the most elegant homes in the city of Houston adorn their trees with long, white streamers and twinkling stars, and line their lawns with uniform lights that give off an indescribable essence of eloquence. One resident even dresses up like Santa Claus and hands out cookies and hot chocolate to little children. Click here for the official River Oaks Chritmas lights Facebook page. River Oaks, Houston, TX, USA
- Blanco County Courthouse (Johnson City)
Jack/Flickr
Knowsphotos/Flickr Johnson City is breathtaking during the holiday season. We’ve never seen Christmas spirit quite like this. It’s almost as if the entire town erupts into a magical glow in December. We’re here for it. Click here to get all the details about this years’ festivities. Blanco County Courthouse, 101 E Pecan Dr, Johnson City, TX 78636, USA
- Trail of Lights (Austin)
Travis Swicegood/Flickr
Valerie Hinojosa/Flickr Picture yourself walking down a path with millions of lights in a canopy over your head. You can completely surround yourself with the spirit of Christmas (and over a million lights) at Austin’s Trail of Lights. It runs through December 31st, so hurry up and get out there! Click here to visit the official website and score your tickets. 2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704, USA
- San Antonio Riverwalk (San Antonio)
Jack/Flickr
Brian Moran/Flickr Every Texan can agree that no city captures the essence of Christmas more perfectly than San Antonio. With multicolored lights sparkling high in the trees to Santa leading guests on gondola rides, the Riverwalk is the most magical place in the state to take a stroll with your loved ones during the holidays. Click here to get all the details about this years’ festivities. Riverwalk North, Riverwalk N, San Antonio, TX 78215, USA
These displays prove that everything really is bigger and better in Texas. Their magical luminescence combined with the unique Southern charm that extends to all corners of the state makes for a Christmas experience unlike any other that will leave you feeling warm and cozy inside. What’s the best Christmas display you’ve ever seen in Texas? Have you ever been to any of the ones listed above? Tell us all about it in the comments!
Houston Zoo/Facebook
snap713/Flickr
During the month of December, the Houston Zoo is decked out in Christmas lights. Every exhibit is decorated, so you can celebrate the holidays with all the friendly non-human inhabitants of the zoo. Click here to get all the details about this years’ festivities.
Houston Zoo, 6200 Hermann Park Dr, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Galveston.com/Flickr
Moody Gardens/Facebook
Moody Gardens is truly a sight to see this time of year. All 3 gigantic pyramids are illuminated from head to toe, and visitors walk for miles through a trail of beautiful, unique displays. Not to mention the homemade s’mores and ice slide at the end! Click here to get all the details about this years’ wonderful festivities.
Moody Drive, Moody Dr, Austin, TX 78704, USA
scotnet55/YouTube
Wimberley puts on a spectacular show every year; in 2021, it goes through December 26. It boasts over 8 acres of lights, and every display is handcrafted and donated by schoolchildren, families, or businesses. That’s the spirit of Christmas if we’ve ever seen it. Learn more about the event here.
Emilyann Theatre, 1101 Ranch Rd 2325, Wimberley, TX 78676, USA
Santa Land Tyler tx/Facebook
Santaland2013/YouTube
Tyler might be a small town, but its Christmas spirit is anything but. Santa Land is Texas’s original drive-through light display, with several acres of sights from dancing Christmas trees to reindeer jumping over your car! Click here for all the details you’ll need to plan your visit.
11518 Interstate 20 W, Tyler, TX 75706, USA
Prairie Lights/Facebook
Facebook/PrairieLights
Prairie Lights is a must-see attraction this year. You’ll drive through a 2-mile path lined with dazzling displays, stopping halfway through to visit the holiday village with seasonal food, a gift shop, an indoor laser show and an animated walk through forest. Once back in your car, you’ll finish the experience with the largest light tunnel in Texas. Click here to get all the details about this years’ drive-through and more.
5610 Lake Ridge Pkwy, Grand Prairie, TX 75052, USA
Facebook/GaylordTexanResort
Grapevine has been coined the “Christmas Capital of Texas” for obvious reasons - come on, just look at that towering tree! This resort has an ice sculpture exhibit featuring over 2 million pounds of ice in the form of popular holiday characters and huge ice slides. The city also holds a synchronized light show and parade - but we’d be content to just roam around the hotel and take in all the elegant, gorgeous decorations. Click here to get all the details about this delightful Texas tradition.
1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine, TX 76051, USA
River Oaks Christmas Lights in Houston TX/Facebook
If you’ve never visited the River Oaks neighborhood during Christmastime, you’re truly missing out. Some of the most elegant homes in the city of Houston adorn their trees with long, white streamers and twinkling stars, and line their lawns with uniform lights that give off an indescribable essence of eloquence. One resident even dresses up like Santa Claus and hands out cookies and hot chocolate to little children. Click here for the official River Oaks Chritmas lights Facebook page.
River Oaks, Houston, TX, USA
Jack/Flickr
Knowsphotos/Flickr
Johnson City is breathtaking during the holiday season. We’ve never seen Christmas spirit quite like this. It’s almost as if the entire town erupts into a magical glow in December. We’re here for it. Click here to get all the details about this years’ festivities.
Blanco County Courthouse, 101 E Pecan Dr, Johnson City, TX 78636, USA
Travis Swicegood/Flickr
Valerie Hinojosa/Flickr
Picture yourself walking down a path with millions of lights in a canopy over your head. You can completely surround yourself with the spirit of Christmas (and over a million lights) at Austin’s Trail of Lights. It runs through December 31st, so hurry up and get out there! Click here to visit the official website and score your tickets.
2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704, USA
Brian Moran/Flickr
Every Texan can agree that no city captures the essence of Christmas more perfectly than San Antonio. With multicolored lights sparkling high in the trees to Santa leading guests on gondola rides, the Riverwalk is the most magical place in the state to take a stroll with your loved ones during the holidays. Click here to get all the details about this years’ festivities.
Riverwalk North, Riverwalk N, San Antonio, TX 78215, USA
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Best Christmas Displays in Texas October 30, 2021 Tori Jane What is winter in Texas like? Texas is a gigantic state – it takes longer than a day to drive from end to end, west to east (or vice versa), so the winter climate in the state varies. Different regions see different weather patterns from year to year. Generally speaking, during the winter, it tends to be cold and quite dry, with the occasional snow or ice storm that blows in. The Austin area typically sees lows in the mid-40s, Dallas area has lows in the high-30s, and Houston - further south and closer to the equator than the previously mentioned cities – sees lows of about 45 to 65 degrees. A general rule of thumb is that the further south you go, the milder the winter will be. Sometimes, Texas sees catastrophic snow and/or ice storms, like the one that brought the state to a standstill in 2020. Which towns have the best Christmas in Texas? Texas is a state that takes our holidays very seriously. Many towns throughout the Lone Star State love going all-out for Christmas, and we love that! It’s pretty tough to list them all in one short paragraph, so we’ll have to settle for listing just a few. Some of our favorite Texas Christmas towns include gems like Galveston, which shouldn’t be overlooked despite its coastal location, and Grapevine has been called the “Christmas Capital of Texas” more than once. San Antonio also loves going all-out for the holidays, and we’re here for it. The town of Jefferson is more of the same; everywhere you turn, you’ll find lights, holly, and festive décor. It’s enough to warm even the grinchiest of hearts! For more of our favorite places to visit during Christmas in Texas, take a look at this article.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Best Christmas Displays in Texas
October 30, 2021
Tori Jane
What is winter in Texas like? Texas is a gigantic state – it takes longer than a day to drive from end to end, west to east (or vice versa), so the winter climate in the state varies. Different regions see different weather patterns from year to year. Generally speaking, during the winter, it tends to be cold and quite dry, with the occasional snow or ice storm that blows in. The Austin area typically sees lows in the mid-40s, Dallas area has lows in the high-30s, and Houston - further south and closer to the equator than the previously mentioned cities – sees lows of about 45 to 65 degrees. A general rule of thumb is that the further south you go, the milder the winter will be. Sometimes, Texas sees catastrophic snow and/or ice storms, like the one that brought the state to a standstill in 2020. Which towns have the best Christmas in Texas? Texas is a state that takes our holidays very seriously. Many towns throughout the Lone Star State love going all-out for Christmas, and we love that! It’s pretty tough to list them all in one short paragraph, so we’ll have to settle for listing just a few. Some of our favorite Texas Christmas towns include gems like Galveston, which shouldn’t be overlooked despite its coastal location, and Grapevine has been called the “Christmas Capital of Texas” more than once. San Antonio also loves going all-out for the holidays, and we’re here for it. The town of Jefferson is more of the same; everywhere you turn, you’ll find lights, holly, and festive décor. It’s enough to warm even the grinchiest of hearts! For more of our favorite places to visit during Christmas in Texas, take a look at this article.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Texas is a gigantic state – it takes longer than a day to drive from end to end, west to east (or vice versa), so the winter climate in the state varies. Different regions see different weather patterns from year to year. Generally speaking, during the winter, it tends to be cold and quite dry, with the occasional snow or ice storm that blows in. The Austin area typically sees lows in the mid-40s, Dallas area has lows in the high-30s, and Houston - further south and closer to the equator than the previously mentioned cities – sees lows of about 45 to 65 degrees. A general rule of thumb is that the further south you go, the milder the winter will be. Sometimes, Texas sees catastrophic snow and/or ice storms, like the one that brought the state to a standstill in 2020.
Which towns have the best Christmas in Texas?
Texas is a state that takes our holidays very seriously. Many towns throughout the Lone Star State love going all-out for Christmas, and we love that! It’s pretty tough to list them all in one short paragraph, so we’ll have to settle for listing just a few. Some of our favorite Texas Christmas towns include gems like Galveston, which shouldn’t be overlooked despite its coastal location, and Grapevine has been called the “Christmas Capital of Texas” more than once. San Antonio also loves going all-out for the holidays, and we’re here for it. The town of Jefferson is more of the same; everywhere you turn, you’ll find lights, holly, and festive décor. It’s enough to warm even the grinchiest of hearts! For more of our favorite places to visit during Christmas in Texas, take a look at this article.
