Well, the weather outside is gorgeous, and the radio is playing those holiday tunes. If you’re in the mood to sip something hot and drive or stroll through some of the best holiday light displays in Texas, read on for our picks of where to get your holiday cheer on in Texas.

Lights Around Austin

The 137-year-old Driskill Hotel is a charming spot for visitors and locals alike looking to celebrate the holidays in elegance. From the famous Driskill Bar to the grand staircase and the 16-foot Douglas Fir Christmas tree in the lobby beneath their signature Tiffany-style glass dome, the Driskill is decked out. The season of giving is at an all-time high with a gingerbread village on site, decorated by the children at Austin’s Dell Children’s Medical Center and hotel staff. Guests can also enjoy festive holiday cocktails at The Driskill Bar and holiday-themed treats at their 1886 Cafe & Bakery.

The holiday merrymaking and frosty fun at Four Seasons Hotel Austin includes the Hotel’s immersive experience, Ice Rodeo. The Hotel is transformed into a winter wonderland with Texas-sized delights for all ages, and the shining bulb on this Hotel’s holiday tree is the 3,360 square foot outdoor ice-skating rink. Skaters can glide beneath the Texas sky on the shores of Lady Bird Lake on a rink – built atop the Hotel pool – composed of real ice that is cooled by state-of-the-art chillers.

If you’re seeking to sit down and stay a while for a warm libation, good food and some festive nostalgia to kick off the holiday season, head to neighborhood spot, Uptown Sports Club. The team, helmed by Aaron Franklin, is going all out with a patio expansion boasting festive colored lights and a tree and vintage trinkets from all around town – think National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, but for Austin locals. 

At Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection, you can escape to an enchanting winter wonderland like no other. In the true spirit of Commodore Perry’s legacy of hospitality and giving, join a Mansion Tea Party, a convivial affair that benefits a most worthy cause and offers members and guests a new family tradition. Roaming carolers will set a playful mood, while hidden treasures abound the Italianate-style mansion for the little ones to find. Inside the Library, amid a stunning holiday display and menu of delicacies by Chef Susana, Santa will be waiting to receive guests – the perfect holiday family photo op.

In Bastrop, the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa offers a festive wonderland. Just 40-minutes outside of Austin, Lost Pines is the perfect escape for a day trip. Come enjoy a meal and drinks at the newly opened Maude’s Bar & Terrace and experience the joy of the season with an array of festive programming on property, including Santa’s Workshop, Strolling Christmas Carolers, Wagon Rides, Cookies + Cocktails, and McDade’s Christmas Workshop.

Georgetown’s Annual Lighting of the Square happens the Friday after Thanksgiving. The downtown holiday lights will remain lit every evening through January 1. It’s a beautiful sight!

Snow Season Fun in San Antonio

The internationally acclaimed Lightscape is back at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Guests will witness a variety of different light displays like the brightly illuminated 16-foot tall stars that decorate the lawn, a tunnel of 13-foot tall LED hearts, a field of brilliantly lit red poppy flowers, and much more. 

The JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa has prepared an abundance of holiday joy to coincide with their beloved holiday traditions. Santa’s elves have transformed the resort into a Texas Hill Country winter wonderland and are adding several spectacular new experiences for the holiday season. 

Fa La La in Fort Worth

As a beloved annual tradition, Hotel Drover is bringing back its “12 Days of Drover” programming. Each day, hotel guests only will have the opportunity to interact with live reindeer, snap photos with Cowboy Santa, and enjoy holiday-inspired treats in The Backyard.

Winter Wonderland Waco

In Waco, Camp Fimfo offers tons of Christmas activities for the entire family, dining at Squirrely’s Tavern, and a visit from Santa. Activities include cookie decorating, wooden ornament decorating, tie-dying your own Camp Fimfo shirt, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and complimentary hot cocoa!

Glorious Grapevine

They don’t call Grapevine the Christmas Capital of Texas for nothing! With more than 1,400 festive Christmas events over 40 days, there is fun for everyone! Enjoy millions of lights, larger-than-life decorations, animated characters, photo ops galore and so much more. Book your stay at one of the fantastic properties including the glamorous Hotel Vin, the Gaylord Texan Resort (which has Lone Star Christmas and ICE! sculptures that will amaze you) or Great Wolf Lodge with its Snowland celebrations! 

Check off your Christmas list at Main Street’s locally-owned boutiques, the Grapevine Christmas Market and at Grapevine Mills shopping destination. Enjoy delicious bites at the many fabulous restaurants Grapevine has to offer. Sip some Christmas cheer along the Urban Wine Trail, Chicken N Pickle’s Holiday Hideaway popup bar and the Holly Jolly Bar popup at Third Rail inside Harvest Hall. The kids will love historic activities at the Elf Adventure. Enjoy classic Christmas movies and Broadway-style concerts at the Historic Palace Theatre. Glide along the ice at the Peace Plaza Ice Rink and take some family photos you will cherish for a lifetime including at Hometown Christmas inside the Grapevine Tower Gallery. 

Holiday Houston

This holiday season, head to Winter Wonderlawn at POST Houston, the best light display experience in the city. POST’s five-acre rooftop garden, Skylawn, will be decked out with thousands of beautifully illuminated holiday lights and festive decor, including a 25-foot Christmas tree and multiple holiday-themed activations, all with the downtown Houston skyline as the backdrop.

At the Marriott Marquis Houston, you will be dazzled by a rooftop pool full of winter lights. And 2023 brings new holiday offerings like a six-course sensory pairing dinner in a private igloo, a series of Concerts Under the Stars and a holiday VR Experience. 

Plano and Pearland are Poppin’

People come from all over north Texas to see the Deerfield Holiday Lights in Plano, which include dancing Santas, millions of twinkling lights, and larger than life displays in a neighborhood where nearly every residence has over-the-top holiday décor.

Stroll through beautiful holiday light displays surrounding the Pearland Town Center event pavilion, snag some selfies with your family, and enjoy an evening together leading up to Christmas day. Pavilion performances will be staggered throughout the Pearland Festival of Lights schedule.

Frisco Festivities

In Frisco, enjoy holiday happenings like Christmas in the Square, one of the largest choreographed lights and music displays in North Texas, the Dallas Cowboys Christmas Extravaganza, The Light Park drive thru light show, and Home on The Range for The Holidays at Omni PGA Frisco, and Tree Lighting by Dude Perfect. 

Whether you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit or simply enjoy a fun-filled evening, Frisco is the place to be. And don’t miss the Burkman Holiday Home. Located at 3809 Hazelhurst Dr. in Frisco, the Burkman family has been crafting holiday displays for more than 20 years. The entire family pitches in to make this massive and expansive display possible, which has earned the Burkmans national attention and 2nd place as the Best Christmas Lights in DFW (2018).

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Cover photo courtesy Gaylord Texan Resort

Amanda Eyre Ward is the New York Times bestselling author of ten novels. Amanda’s work has been optioned for film and television and translated into fifteen languages. She lives in Austin, TX, and her new novel, LOVERS AND LIARS, will be published in May, 2024.