Mozart’s Christmas Light Show<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>3825 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin, TX 78703
Date & Time: <\/b>Light show runs nightly through Jan. 1, 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. (excluding Christmas Eve & Christmas Day)
Phone:<\/b> 512-477-2900<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kinsights.com\/content\/images\/justineh39-201747012347598900.png\")
Image via Facebook\/Sheila Capewell<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>Ready for a serious feast for the eyes? You haven’t seen a holiday light display until you’ve witnessed the official Mozart’s Christmas Lights Show! That’s right, not only does this coffee shop have one of the best porch views in town (Mozart’s has a fantastic outdoor deck overlooking Lake Austin), this is the place to get infused with holiday cheer. We’re talking thousands of lights that are custom made into Austin-y landmarks, live choral singing from local schools, audio-activated walls of lights, and all the gourmet hot chocolate you can stomach.<\/p>
Austin Trail of Lights at Zilker Park<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>2400 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX 78746 (Zilker Park)
Date & Time: <\/b>Dec. 9 – 23, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. | Check the calendar<\/a> for free nights and other specialty programming, or pay $3 for general admission.
Phone: <\/b>512-907-8891<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kinsights.com\/content\/images\/justineh39-201747012347990244.png\")
Image via Facebook\/Austin Trail of Lights<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>It’s not Christmas time in Austin until you’ve walked through the Trail of Lights! This mesmerizing display of holiday lights pretty much takes over Zilker Park for the entire month of December, and it’s an annual tradition for folks around these parts (the event draws around 400,000 people every year). This year, in addition to the Trail’s usual features — think 40+ displays, 2 million lights, the famous Zilker Tree, and tons of children’s activities — you can expect to see live local bands playing holiday tunes most nights. And make sure you come hungry, because there are always plenty of local food trucks serving up hot drinks and snacks.<\/p>
Santa’s Ranch in New Braunfels<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>9561 I-35 North, New Braunfels, TX 78130
Date & Time: <\/b>Nov. 3 – Dec. 31, Sunday – Thursday, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Phone: <\/b>830-743-1293<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kinsights.com\/content\/images\/justineh39-201747012347957419.png\")
Image via Facebook\/Santa’s Ranch<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>Santa’s Ranch in New Braunfels, located just south of the San Marcos outlet malls<\/a>, is a truly fabulous holiday experience for the whole family to enjoy. For just $22 per vehicle, you’ll drive through seemingly countless Christmas displays, including large-scale gingerbread houses, lit-up nativity scenes, a depiction of the North Pole, and tons of other custom-crafted holiday displays. Santa’s Ranch is the perfect activity for those who’d prefer to avoid crowds and stay in the car — without sacrificing any of the fun!
<\/p>Capitol Tree Lighting in Downtown Austin<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>1100 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701
Date & Time: <\/b>Annual tree lighting takes place Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kinsights.com\/content\/images\/justineh39-201747012347231810.png\")
Image via Facebook\/Downtown Austin<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>Every year, the city of Austin holds its official lighting of the Christmas tree outside the State Capitol — and it’s an event you won’t want to miss! The countdown to the lighting begins right before 7 p.m. and features a programmed light show at the top and bottom of every hour, set to holiday tunes performed by local musicians, of course. (Gotta have that Austin touch!) Then, bustling Congress Avenue will open its many shops and galleries to the public. There will be plenty of kid-friendly activities, crafts, and so much more!<\/p>
Lights Spectacular in Johnson City<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>100 E. Main St., Johnson City, TX 78636 (Johnson City Chamber of Commerce)
Date & Time: <\/b>Every weekend through Jan. 1, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Phone: <\/b>830-868-7684<\/p>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.kinsights.com\/content\/images\/justineh39-201747012347403067.png\")
Image via Facebook\/Johnson City Chamber of Commerce<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>For the last 28 years, Johnson City, located just an hour west of Austin, has been transforming itself from a regular Texas town into a veritable Christmas card come to life! The annual Lights Spectacular celebration is a grand, old-fashioned holiday affair. The town courthouse gets strung up with over 100,000 lights, local bands play live music in the streets, and there are carriage rides, hayrides, and plenty of handmade ornaments for sale. If you’re looking for a quintessential small-town atmosphere this holiday season, the Lights Spectacular is your best bet.<\/p>
Did we include your favorite holiday light show in the Austin area? Let us know in the comments below!<\/h2>
<\/p>
Care.com City Guides: <\/b><\/h2>
Atlanta, GA<\/a> | Austin, TX<\/a> | Boston, MA<\/a> | Burlington, VT<\/a> | Chicago, IL<\/a> | Cleveland, OH<\/a> | Dallas, TX<\/a>| Denver, CO<\/a> | Detroit, MI<\/a> | Los Angeles, CA<\/a> | Miami, FL<\/a> | Minneapolis, MN<\/a> | New Haven, CT<\/a> | New York, NY<\/a> | Orlando, FL<\/a> | Philadelphia, PA<\/a> | Phoenix, AZ<\/a> | Pittsburgh, PA<\/a> | San Francisco, CA<\/a> | San Jose, CA<\/a> | Seattle, WA <\/a>| Tampa, FL<\/a> | Toledo, OH<\/a> | Washington, DC<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the best things about this time of year (other than the surplus of eggnog at HEB, of course) is checking out all the awesome light shows in the area. Here in Austin, the temperature is still a balmy 70 degrees in December. It often doesn’t even feel like fall, much less like the Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1122,"featured_media":25898,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":false,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":false,"care_updated_date":"","last_update":"2021-05-19","view_count":3854,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"member-type":[4],"vertical":[6,17,12],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-4404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","member-type-all","vertical-children","vertical-child-care-advice","vertical-holidays-seasons","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":"2017-12-01","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=4404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Date & Time: <\/b>Light show runs nightly through Jan. 1, 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. (excluding Christmas Eve & Christmas Day)
Phone:<\/b> 512-477-2900<\/p>
Ready for a serious feast for the eyes? You haven’t seen a holiday light display until you’ve witnessed the official Mozart’s Christmas Lights Show! That’s right, not only does this coffee shop have one of the best porch views in town (Mozart’s has a fantastic outdoor deck overlooking Lake Austin), this is the place to get infused with holiday cheer. We’re talking thousands of lights that are custom made into Austin-y landmarks, live choral singing from local schools, audio-activated walls of lights, and all the gourmet hot chocolate you can stomach.<\/p>
Austin Trail of Lights at Zilker Park<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>2400 Barton Springs Road, Austin, TX 78746 (Zilker Park)
Date & Time: <\/b>Dec. 9 – 23, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. | Check the calendar<\/a> for free nights and other specialty programming, or pay $3 for general admission.
Phone: <\/b>512-907-8891<\/p>Image via Facebook\/Austin Trail of Lights<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>It’s not Christmas time in Austin until you’ve walked through the Trail of Lights! This mesmerizing display of holiday lights pretty much takes over Zilker Park for the entire month of December, and it’s an annual tradition for folks around these parts (the event draws around 400,000 people every year). This year, in addition to the Trail’s usual features — think 40+ displays, 2 million lights, the famous Zilker Tree, and tons of children’s activities — you can expect to see live local bands playing holiday tunes most nights. And make sure you come hungry, because there are always plenty of local food trucks serving up hot drinks and snacks.<\/p>
Santa’s Ranch in New Braunfels<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>9561 I-35 North, New Braunfels, TX 78130
Date & Time: <\/b>Nov. 3 – Dec. 31, Sunday – Thursday, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Phone: <\/b>830-743-1293<\/p>Image via Facebook\/Santa’s Ranch<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>Santa’s Ranch in New Braunfels, located just south of the San Marcos outlet malls<\/a>, is a truly fabulous holiday experience for the whole family to enjoy. For just $22 per vehicle, you’ll drive through seemingly countless Christmas displays, including large-scale gingerbread houses, lit-up nativity scenes, a depiction of the North Pole, and tons of other custom-crafted holiday displays. Santa’s Ranch is the perfect activity for those who’d prefer to avoid crowds and stay in the car — without sacrificing any of the fun!
<\/p>Capitol Tree Lighting in Downtown Austin<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>1100 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701
Date & Time: <\/b>Annual tree lighting takes place Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.<\/p>Image via Facebook\/Downtown Austin<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>Every year, the city of Austin holds its official lighting of the Christmas tree outside the State Capitol — and it’s an event you won’t want to miss! The countdown to the lighting begins right before 7 p.m. and features a programmed light show at the top and bottom of every hour, set to holiday tunes performed by local musicians, of course. (Gotta have that Austin touch!) Then, bustling Congress Avenue will open its many shops and galleries to the public. There will be plenty of kid-friendly activities, crafts, and so much more!<\/p>
Lights Spectacular in Johnson City<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>100 E. Main St., Johnson City, TX 78636 (Johnson City Chamber of Commerce)
Date & Time: <\/b>Every weekend through Jan. 1, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Phone: <\/b>830-868-7684<\/p>Image via Facebook\/Johnson City Chamber of Commerce<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>For the last 28 years, Johnson City, located just an hour west of Austin, has been transforming itself from a regular Texas town into a veritable Christmas card come to life! The annual Lights Spectacular celebration is a grand, old-fashioned holiday affair. The town courthouse gets strung up with over 100,000 lights, local bands play live music in the streets, and there are carriage rides, hayrides, and plenty of handmade ornaments for sale. If you’re looking for a quintessential small-town atmosphere this holiday season, the Lights Spectacular is your best bet.<\/p>
Did we include your favorite holiday light show in the Austin area? Let us know in the comments below!<\/h2>
<\/p>
Care.com City Guides: <\/b><\/h2>
Atlanta, GA<\/a> | Austin, TX<\/a> | Boston, MA<\/a> | Burlington, VT<\/a> | Chicago, IL<\/a> | Cleveland, OH<\/a> | Dallas, TX<\/a>| Denver, CO<\/a> | Detroit, MI<\/a> | Los Angeles, CA<\/a> | Miami, FL<\/a> | Minneapolis, MN<\/a> | New Haven, CT<\/a> | New York, NY<\/a> | Orlando, FL<\/a> | Philadelphia, PA<\/a> | Phoenix, AZ<\/a> | Pittsburgh, PA<\/a> | San Francisco, CA<\/a> | San Jose, CA<\/a> | Seattle, WA <\/a>| Tampa, FL<\/a> | Toledo, OH<\/a> | Washington, DC<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the best things about this time of year (other than the surplus of eggnog at HEB, of course) is checking out all the awesome light shows in the area. Here in Austin, the temperature is still a balmy 70 degrees in December. It often doesn’t even feel like fall, much less like the Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1122,"featured_media":25898,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":false,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":false,"care_updated_date":"","last_update":"2021-05-19","view_count":3854,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"member-type":[4],"vertical":[6,17,12],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-4404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","member-type-all","vertical-children","vertical-child-care-advice","vertical-holidays-seasons","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":"2017-12-01","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=4404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Date & Time: <\/b>Dec. 9 – 23, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. | Check the calendar<\/a> for free nights and other specialty programming, or pay $3 for general admission.
Phone: <\/b>512-907-8891<\/p>
It’s not Christmas time in Austin until you’ve walked through the Trail of Lights! This mesmerizing display of holiday lights pretty much takes over Zilker Park for the entire month of December, and it’s an annual tradition for folks around these parts (the event draws around 400,000 people every year). This year, in addition to the Trail’s usual features — think 40+ displays, 2 million lights, the famous Zilker Tree, and tons of children’s activities — you can expect to see live local bands playing holiday tunes most nights. And make sure you come hungry, because there are always plenty of local food trucks serving up hot drinks and snacks.<\/p>
Santa’s Ranch in New Braunfels<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>9561 I-35 North, New Braunfels, TX 78130
Date & Time: <\/b>Nov. 3 – Dec. 31, Sunday – Thursday, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Phone: <\/b>830-743-1293<\/p>Image via Facebook\/Santa’s Ranch<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>Santa’s Ranch in New Braunfels, located just south of the San Marcos outlet malls<\/a>, is a truly fabulous holiday experience for the whole family to enjoy. For just $22 per vehicle, you’ll drive through seemingly countless Christmas displays, including large-scale gingerbread houses, lit-up nativity scenes, a depiction of the North Pole, and tons of other custom-crafted holiday displays. Santa’s Ranch is the perfect activity for those who’d prefer to avoid crowds and stay in the car — without sacrificing any of the fun!
<\/p>Capitol Tree Lighting in Downtown Austin<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>1100 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701
Date & Time: <\/b>Annual tree lighting takes place Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.<\/p>Image via Facebook\/Downtown Austin<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>Every year, the city of Austin holds its official lighting of the Christmas tree outside the State Capitol — and it’s an event you won’t want to miss! The countdown to the lighting begins right before 7 p.m. and features a programmed light show at the top and bottom of every hour, set to holiday tunes performed by local musicians, of course. (Gotta have that Austin touch!) Then, bustling Congress Avenue will open its many shops and galleries to the public. There will be plenty of kid-friendly activities, crafts, and so much more!<\/p>
Lights Spectacular in Johnson City<\/a><\/b><\/h2>Address: <\/b>100 E. Main St., Johnson City, TX 78636 (Johnson City Chamber of Commerce)
Date & Time: <\/b>Every weekend through Jan. 1, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Phone: <\/b>830-868-7684<\/p>Image via Facebook\/Johnson City Chamber of Commerce<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>For the last 28 years, Johnson City, located just an hour west of Austin, has been transforming itself from a regular Texas town into a veritable Christmas card come to life! The annual Lights Spectacular celebration is a grand, old-fashioned holiday affair. The town courthouse gets strung up with over 100,000 lights, local bands play live music in the streets, and there are carriage rides, hayrides, and plenty of handmade ornaments for sale. If you’re looking for a quintessential small-town atmosphere this holiday season, the Lights Spectacular is your best bet.<\/p>
Did we include your favorite holiday light show in the Austin area? Let us know in the comments below!<\/h2>
<\/p>
Care.com City Guides: <\/b><\/h2>
Atlanta, GA<\/a> | Austin, TX<\/a> | Boston, MA<\/a> | Burlington, VT<\/a> | Chicago, IL<\/a> | Cleveland, OH<\/a> | Dallas, TX<\/a>| Denver, CO<\/a> | Detroit, MI<\/a> | Los Angeles, CA<\/a> | Miami, FL<\/a> | Minneapolis, MN<\/a> | New Haven, CT<\/a> | New York, NY<\/a> | Orlando, FL<\/a> | Philadelphia, PA<\/a> | Phoenix, AZ<\/a> | Pittsburgh, PA<\/a> | San Francisco, CA<\/a> | San Jose, CA<\/a> | Seattle, WA <\/a>| Tampa, FL<\/a> | Toledo, OH<\/a> | Washington, DC<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One of the best things about this time of year (other than the surplus of eggnog at HEB, of course) is checking out all the awesome light shows in the area. Here in Austin, the temperature is still a balmy 70 degrees in December. It often doesn’t even feel like fall, much less like the Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1122,"featured_media":25898,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":false,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":false,"care_updated_date":"","last_update":"2021-05-19","view_count":3854,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"member-type":[4],"vertical":[6,17,12],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-4404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","member-type-all","vertical-children","vertical-child-care-advice","vertical-holidays-seasons","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":"2017-12-01","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=4404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Date & Time: <\/b>Nov. 3 – Dec. 31, Sunday – Thursday, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. | Friday & Saturday, 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Phone: <\/b>830-743-1293<\/p>
Santa’s Ranch in New Braunfels, located just south of the San Marcos outlet malls<\/a>, is a truly fabulous holiday experience for the whole family to enjoy. For just $22 per vehicle, you’ll drive through seemingly countless Christmas displays, including large-scale gingerbread houses, lit-up nativity scenes, a depiction of the North Pole, and tons of other custom-crafted holiday displays. Santa’s Ranch is the perfect activity for those who’d prefer to avoid crowds and stay in the car — without sacrificing any of the fun! Address: <\/b>1100 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701 Every year, the city of Austin holds its official lighting of the Christmas tree outside the State Capitol — and it’s an event you won’t want to miss! The countdown to the lighting begins right before 7 p.m. and features a programmed light show at the top and bottom of every hour, set to holiday tunes performed by local musicians, of course. (Gotta have that Austin touch!) Then, bustling Congress Avenue will open its many shops and galleries to the public. There will be plenty of kid-friendly activities, crafts, and so much more!<\/p> Address: <\/b>100 E. Main St., Johnson City, TX 78636 (Johnson City Chamber of Commerce) For the last 28 years, Johnson City, located just an hour west of Austin, has been transforming itself from a regular Texas town into a veritable Christmas card come to life! The annual Lights Spectacular celebration is a grand, old-fashioned holiday affair. The town courthouse gets strung up with over 100,000 lights, local bands play live music in the streets, and there are carriage rides, hayrides, and plenty of handmade ornaments for sale. If you’re looking for a quintessential small-town atmosphere this holiday season, the Lights Spectacular is your best bet.<\/p> <\/p> Atlanta, GA<\/a> | Austin, TX<\/a> | Boston, MA<\/a> | Burlington, VT<\/a> | Chicago, IL<\/a> | Cleveland, OH<\/a> | Dallas, TX<\/a>| Denver, CO<\/a> | Detroit, MI<\/a> | Los Angeles, CA<\/a> | Miami, FL<\/a> | Minneapolis, MN<\/a> | New Haven, CT<\/a> | New York, NY<\/a> | Orlando, FL<\/a> | Philadelphia, PA<\/a> | Phoenix, AZ<\/a> | Pittsburgh, PA<\/a> | San Francisco, CA<\/a> | San Jose, CA<\/a> | Seattle, WA <\/a>| Tampa, FL<\/a> | Toledo, OH<\/a> | Washington, DC<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the best things about this time of year (other than the surplus of eggnog at HEB, of course) is checking out all the awesome light shows in the area. Here in Austin, the temperature is still a balmy 70 degrees in December. It often doesn’t even feel like fall, much less like the Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1122,"featured_media":25898,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"enable_toc":false,"care_reviewed_by":0,"care_post_updated_flag":false,"care_updated_date":"","last_update":"2021-05-19","view_count":3854,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"member-type":[4],"vertical":[6,17,12],"platform":[2],"class_list":["post-4404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","member-type-all","vertical-children","vertical-child-care-advice","vertical-holidays-seasons","platform-resources"],"acf":[],"created":"2017-12-01","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1122"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"member-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member-type?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=4404"},{"taxonomy":"platform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/platform?post=4404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/p>Capitol Tree Lighting in Downtown Austin<\/a><\/b><\/h2>
Date & Time: <\/b>Annual tree lighting takes place Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.<\/p>Lights Spectacular in Johnson City<\/a><\/b><\/h2>
Date & Time: <\/b>Every weekend through Jan. 1, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Phone: <\/b>830-868-7684<\/p>Did we include your favorite holiday light show in the Austin area? Let us know in the comments below!<\/h2>
Care.com City Guides: <\/b><\/h2>