'Tis the Season

9 festive Texas towns to visit for a magical holiday experience

Lost Pines Christmas, Bastrop.

Photo courtesy of Visit Bastrop

Across Texas, cities and towns are gearing up for Christmastime. If you want a break from crowded big-city light displays and festivals, Texas' small towns have you covered. From inventive ice sculpture displays to local wine tastings, we’ve compiled a list of towns across the Lone Star State filled with winter events where you can experience some Christmas magic.

Winter Wonderland Island in Galveston
It may seem too chilly to head to the coast, but Galveston, with a winter full of fun activities, might just be the place to spend this holiday season. Moody Gardens offers eight holiday attractions, including the Festival of Lights and ice sculpture renderings of famous landmarks; Downtown Lasers and Lights merges over-the-top light displays with downtown’s historic backdrop; and Dickens on the Strand brings guests back to the Victorian Era. There are also events at Pleasure Pier and Schlitterbahn, and an opportunity to spend a weekend celebrating the sandhill cranes that have just flown into the area.

Magical Winter Lights in La Marque
With one of the most extravagant lantern festivals in the nation, La Marque, 40 miles southeast of Houston, is a can’t-miss Christmas destination. Now through January 5, the 20-acre space is divided into eight different light displays, such as a walk-in castle called The Kingdom, a colorful lantern version of Houston’s landmarks, and massive dinosaurs. This year’s event features Chinese acrobats and the opportunity to learn to make traditional Chinese art.

Lost Pines Christmas in Bastrop
Bastrop is home to an array of holiday events just 30 miles east of Austin. Sip mulled wine while shopping along downtown’s storefronts during Wassail Fest on November 30, hear reimagined versions of your favorite holiday classics during “A Country Christmas” at the Farm Street Opry on December 5, and watch the more than 100 floats go by during the Lighted Christmas Parade on December 14. Scream Hollow offers an alternative event: Krampus visits the haunted attraction for three December weekends in Twisted Christmas.

Salado Christmas Stroll
Horses clop along Main Street pulling carriages behind them as choirs and bands break out in song at the 59th annual event in Salado, 50 miles north of Austin. Taking place over the first two weekends of December, local shops are open for extended hours so guests can pick out unique gift items; enjoy themed snacks, fair food, and hot chocolate; and experience the merriment of the village in full swing.

Dickens on Main in Boerne
Thirty miles northwest of San Antonio is the small town of Boerne, whose celebration of Charles Dickens brings, among other things, snow to the Texas Hill Country. Over Thanksgiving weekend, celebrate the Christmas season within six distinct villages each featuring their own attractions like a petting zoo, live ice sculpture carvings, and the one-man show of A Christmas Carol, appropriately named “Bah Humbug.”

Christmas Wine Affair in the Texas Hill Country
If you want a more relaxed way to celebrate the holiday, why not see what Texas wine country has to offer? The Christmas Wine Affair, November 29 through December 15, is a great way to experience wines from the state’s growing industry, and 48 wineries in the area are participating this year. Each ticket comes with complimentary tastings at each participating winery and discounts on wine purchases, as well as a look at the Texas Hill Country during the holidays.

Christmas Capital of Texas events in Grapevine
The "Christmas Capital of Texas" does not disappoint with its many offerings. Popular events include visiting the intricate ice sculpture displays, ice slides, and ice monuments dubbed ICE! at the Gaylord Texan; spending a day in the indoor snow at the Great Wolf Lodge’s Snowland; and taking a ride on the North Pole Express at the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. The town also offers movie screenings in its historic Palace Theatre, lots of opportunities to shop for unique gift items, and numerous parades and festivals.

Texas Christkindl Market in Arlington
Arlington isn’t the smallest town around, but it lands on our list for its small-town vibes and unique German Christmas offerings. Beginning November 29 through December 22, shop unique and exclusive Christmas decorations from Käthe Wohlfahrt and designs from the renowned Rothenburg ob der Tauber Christmas Village, as well as more local offerings, and enjoy holiday music and an ice skating rink that’s open through mid-January.

Wonderland of Lights in Marshall
It’s more than just lights; downtown Marshall in East Texas becomes a holiday wonderland at this annual event from November 27 through December 29. There’s a Santa’s Village where kids can meet the man himself and make arts and crafts, an outdoor ice skating rink for guests of all ages, and horse-drawn carriage rides around town. Live Christmas music plays throughout the month of December, and the historic courthouse is covered in festive decor and lighting.

Dickens on the Strand, Galveston.

Dickens on the Strand/Facebook

Dickens on the Strand, Galveston.

holidays texas

Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

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