Texas Bucket List: Winter Edition

By theadmin

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Texas — and not just because the temperature has dropped. Dig into our Texas winter bucket list full of activities, sights, and destinations for a truly magical season.

Get Out Under the Christmas Lights

The Friday night lights may have powered down around Texas, but the Christmas lights are up and aglow. Many famous spots around the state feature extravagant holiday light shows: Consider the millions of lights twinkling over Whistle Stop, North Texas’ winter wonderland in Hulen Park in Cleburne. West Texans can see millions more along the Concho River in San Angelo, while anyone near San Antonio should experience the River Walk this time of year — best enjoyed in a riverboat, all bundled up while sipping hot cocoa.

Go Ice Skating

If you thought outdoor ice skating wasn’t possible in Texas, Green Mountain Energy Ice in Houston is here to prove you wrong. They have the largest outdoor rink in Texas, with nearly 8,000 square feet of ice ready for skaters of all ages from November to January. The state hosts plenty of year-round indoor rinks, too, like one at the Galleria Dallas, which is also home to one of the tallest Christmas trees in Texas in the winter.

Dress Up for Dickens on The Strand

Named for Charles Dickens, author of the Victorian classic “A Christmas Carol,” Dickens on The Strand has been an annual winter tradition in Galveston for nearly 50 years. Every December, locals don bonnets and hoopskirts, bowl caps and capes, and congregate on the cobblestone sidewalks of Galveston’s Strand for a Victorian celebration of the town’s maritime history and Christmas cheer. All are invited to dress the part and join in the fun. There’s tea and cookies on a wooden ship from 1877, a lantern-light parade, and plenty of Christmas caroling.

Cut Down Your Own Christmas Tree

While picking out a pre-cut tree in the parking lot of a hardware store or local church is certainly the easier option, there are still a few chop-it-yourself Christmas tree farms around Texas. Pack up the family, a few bungee cords, and a thick pair of gloves, and find a farm near you. Spring Creek Growers northwest of Houston grows Virginia pines and Leyland cypresses, and if you’ve been good, you may even get to meet Santa. But he might also be at Devine Acres Farm outside of San Antonio, where there are 40 acres of family-friendly holiday activities to keep the kids occupied while their parents saw down a tree.

Visit the Christmas Capital of Texas

Grapevine is the Christmas Capital of Texas for a reason: Their annual holiday celebration lasts more than a month. Santa’s elves have packed the schedule with parades, holiday movie nights, extravagant light displays, and more — all in Grapevine’s historic Cotton Belt Railroad District. You can expect plenty of Texas twists to the holly jolly festivities.

Make Tamales

Tamales on Christmas Eve are a Texan tradition older than Texas itself because it’s been a tradition in Mexico for even longer. Tamales, meat stuffed inside masa and steamed inside corn husks, were considered a sacred food among the ancient Aztec and Mayan cultures, making them a staple during village and family rituals. Fast-forward a few thousand years, and tamales are still an essential meal in Mexican and Texan culture today. Many households serve up a steaming plate of tamales on Christmas Eve and throughout the entire holiday season.

Watch (or Join) a Lighted Boat Parade

Winter isn’t usually the time for water activities, but Texans have a tradition of illuminated boat parades. Boats and yachts are decked with string lights and glowing inflatable snowmen for a crowd of coastal spectators. The best parades take place on the Gulf at South Padre Island and on Lake Travis in Austin — if you own a boat, you can join the floating festivities for free.

Volunteer

During a season of giving gifts, showing gratitude, and spending time with family, volunteering at local shelters, food kitchens, or events is a great way to share your time with those who are less fortunate this winter. Many local organizations, like soup kitchens and hospitals, make it easy to pay it forward to your immediate community. Other organizations, like the Family Service’s Adopt-A-Family program in San Antonio, help volunteers support underprivileged families with Christmas gifts and food.

Visit the Texas State Aquarium

When the weather drops 70 degrees below what it was in July, Texans seeking some winter warmth tend to head south or indoors. At the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, you can do both — while the H-E-B Splash Park might be a bit chilly until spring break, the indoor aquatic exhibits are a great way to spend a day of winter vacation. Visitors can meet stingrays, otters, octopi, turtles, sharks, and dolphins, and when you’re done, catch a show at their 4D theater.

Hike the South Texas National Parks

If you’re looking for outdoor adventures on your winter break, the national parks in South Texas offer hiker- and camper-friendly temperatures throughout the cold months. Check out the desert campsites of Big Bend National Park, hike the El Camino Real de los Tejas (a National Historic Trail in Southeast Texas), or take a nature tour of the prairies at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park along the U.S.-Mexico border, the site of the first battle of the Mexican-American War in 1846.

Go Glamping

Prefer the bougie outdoor life? Take a winter glamping trip at a state or national park or right at home in your backyard. Glamping is “glamorous camping,” meaning it’s all the thrill of outdoor adventure with all the comfort of indoor convenience. Set up a yurt, blow up the air mattress, and turn on the movie projector for the full experience. Or head to Weatherford along the Brazos River for treehouses, canvas-roofed cabins, and other luxurious rentals for a sublime glamping trip in the great (and comfortable) outdoors.

Want a break from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? Find your next festive vacation spot in this list of unique Texan winter getaways.