So I am updating one of my older posts about Christmas Activities that we have done in case anyone needs ideas for fun stuff to do in the Austin and Houston area!
(I also have some Christmas stuff listed in older posts. I posted about our Mozart’s experience here, and our Austin Trail of Lights experience here. We will be going to the Austin Trail of Lights for Blair’s Work Christmas Party this year, and I’m sure I’ll post lots on my Instagram Stories when we go!)
(Braxton’s First Snow Day in December 2017!)
We went to see my sister and her husband in Houston, and they were super sweet and took us to the Houston Zoo Lights! We had never been before, so this was a major treat. Braxton LOVES Christmas Lights this year, so I knew it was something that he would really enjoy. I would say it was definitely worth going to!
Best Part: The amount of lights they had was insane. Braxton especially loved the lights that were in the shape of animals.
Drawbacks: The only drawback I think was how crowded it was. It was hard to move in some areas because of the sheer amount of people there.
Advice for Going: Get there BEFORE they open. They open at 6, and we arrived around 5:45. We found parking and were able to get in without waiting in too long of a line. We left around 8:30, and the line to get in was so long at that point that even though people had tickets, they were told by the time they got to the front of the line it would be closed. (Or just try to go during the week of course!)
Every year since I was little, I’ve almost always gone to the Austin Trail of Lights. Last year though, we were a little frustrated with how crowded it was, and how it’s getting to be more expensive in order to enjoy fully. (Parking up close cost extra, and getting in early to avoid the massive crowd cost extra.) So this year we decided to try out the Buda Trail of Lights instead. It’s smaller, and not as many lights, but it was PERFECT for toddlers.
Best Part: No cost to get in, and you can park at Cabela’s for free and take a short bus ride to the very front of the trail. There was no crowd when we went. We went with some friends of ours, and both our toddlers were able to walk the trail without any of us feeling any anxiety about them getting lost in a crowd. There was a tiny town with houses that were decorated with christmas lights that the toddlers could play in, and they do sell hot cocoa and kettle corn for a pretty cheap price. (We bought a big bag of kettle corn for only $3, the only thing we paid for all night.)
Drawback: I can’t really think of any! Maybe just that they don’t have as many lights as other places, so it’s not completely lit all around the trail. (We went on a weekend and it still wasn’t packed!)
Advice for Going: On the website, it says to only bring a lightweight stroller so that it can fit on the bus to take you to the trail. We chose to bring our wagon instead since we had 2 toddlers with us. (We figured one wagon would take up less room then 2 strollers anyways.) It still fit on the bus, and it was a much better options for the littles ones to look at lights! They’re able to see better, can cuddle under a blanket, and easily get in and out when they want to walk.
UPDATE:
We went again this past year in December 2018 and it was just as magical. There is still no cost to get in, and you can still park for free at Cabela’s. Here are some more recent photos, but I highly suggest checking it out if you want to avoid the crowds of the Austin Trail of Lights.
Meeting Santa Clause:
This was a hard one for us. Last year we went to the mall to meet Santa for the first time. Braxton did great with him, but it was somewhat expensive. This year, I knew he would cry. I had wanted to take him to Cabela’s, or Bass Pro Shop since they offer a free picture. Unfortunately this didn’t work out for us. Cabela’s only has Santa on Saturday’s from 11-3 and Bass Pro Shop is up in North Austin and too far of a drive. So we decided to just pay more again to see Santa at the mall.
Best Part: Super convenient. Santa is there everyday from 10-9, and the pictures are printed out there for you. Also, the Santa is super sweet and looks realistic. He was such a trooper since Braxton was screaming the second I put him on his lap, and he played along with it in order to get us a cute photo.
Drawbacks: Very expensive. The cheapest package starts at $25, and that doesn’t include all the prints we need. (At least not the sizes we need.) Also, depending on when you go it might be a long wait.
Advice for Going: If you don’t want to wait, go online and reserve your spot. It’s a $10 deposit, but if you buy a package then that $10 goes toward your cost. (And try going during the week, way less crowded then the weekend of course.)
UPDATE:
So last year we tried out Cabela’s. It was actually really fun because they have crafts for the kids, depending on the day you go sometimes they have a toy for the kids, and you get a free photo even if you don’t buy a photo package. Since we knew Braxton would cry, we decided this would be best. Here’s the Santa photo for 2018.
This year I tried the mall again to get a nice photo for Kaley’s first Christmas. Braxton flat out refused to do any photos or get near Santa. So I just had Kaley take a photo with Santa, and it ended up looking almost identical to Braxton’s first photo with Santa. Photo packages did go up in price, with the smallest package being $30. But if you go during the week, there wasn’t any line.
I do still want a photo with both Kaley and Braxton with Santa, so we might try just going back to Cabela’s for a photo. Santa is at Cabela’s from 10am-8pm, so there are lots of chances to see him this year! (You do need to make sure to get a photo pass to schedule your time to see Santa. You can do this in store or even online.)
Other Christmas Light Activities Nearby:
- Johnson City Lights (Johnson City, TX)
- Santa’s Wonderland (College Station, TX) When I went to Texas A&M I would go here every year! It’s a Drive Thru experience.
- Maywald Christmas Lights (near Dripping Springs, TX) They will be featured on ABC’s Great Christmas Light Fight this year!
- Christmas at the Caverns (San Antonio, TX) Located at Natural Bridge Caverns
- Santa’s Ranch (New Braunfels, TX)
When I first posted this blog post, we were leaving in 3 days for Disney World. I wish I could say we were doing that again this year, but even though we aren’t going anytime soon, we do plan to go again when Kaley gets to be around 18 months old. So once we pick the date and start booking (I usually start booking 1 year out), I’ll make a post on how we save for Disney, and how I book and plan everything!
