It's Christmas Eve Somewhere

Find your holiday cheer at Margaritaville Lake Resort near Houston

Dreaming of a white Christmas, but can’t make it to an actual winter wonderland? Find an equally festive paradise — no puffer coat needed — at Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe.

Located just an hour north of Houston, the resort has all the makings of a merry, merry holiday this year with festive specials and events happening throughout the season.

Check out these ideas for how you can find your cheer at this lakeside locale.

Give thanks for this brunch
Give the kitchen — and yourself — a day off and leave the cooking to Margaritaville Lake Resort.

The Thanksgiving Day Brunch on Thursday, November 28, from 10 am-3 pm is a full-on feast, featuring a traditional roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings and can’t-miss sides like roasted garlic mashed potatoes, sweet potato gratin, caramelized shallot butter Texas cornbread and chorizo stuffing, and so much more.

Also on the menu are honey-glazed ham, seafood, classic brunch fare (think pumpkin-spiced waffles with cinnamon whipped cream), and desserts (don’t miss the bourbon pecan pie) along with wine, Bloody Marys, and mimosas. Plus, you can savor it all with equally delicious views of Lake Conroe.

Adults can dine for $59.95, children (6-12 years) for $29.95, and kids 5 and under eat free. Members receive 20 percent off. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling 877-286-9590 or booking online here.

Have breakfast with the man of the hour
Santa Claus is coming to Margaritaville on Saturday, December 7, and Saturday, December 14, from 8:30 am-12:30 pm in the Del Lago Ballroom. This breakfast has become a beloved holiday tradition, where Jolly Old St. Nick arrives on the Magical Margaritaville Express to kick off the festivities.

Adults can dine for $39.95, children (6-12 years) for $24.95, and kids 5 and under eat free. Members receive 20 percent off. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling 877-286-9590 or booking online here.

Clink to the New Year
Ring in 2025 with a good balance of chill and thrill when you make it a night at Margaritaville Lake Resort.

Start the NYE festivities off with a complimentary glass of champagne when you arrive on the Palm Court. Then change into your party 'fit for a special four-course dinner in the License to Chill Bar and Cafè, where you can reserve a seating for 6 pm, 8 pm, or 10:15 pm.

After dinner, it’s onto the Del Lago Ballroom for the ultimate NYE party. Enjoy live music from the Lost Shaker of Salt Band, fireworks over the lake, late-night bites, and a balloon drop at midnight. The party is from 8:30 pm-1:30 am and tickets are $49.95 per person (21 and older). Get tickets here.

Book a holiday getaway and save
No need to wait until Cyber Monday to escape the holiday hustle and retreat to Margaritaville Lake Resort. Score 40 percent off the best available room rate and get access to all the benefits of laid-back lake life.

Here are just a few of the ways you can spend your time:

Indulge in seven Margaritaville-inspired restaurants and bars
Take a scenic boat ride
Find a water wonderland at Jolly Mon Water Park
Relax at St. Somewhere Spa
Head to the private beach
Play mini-golf, tennis, pickleball, and racquetball
Enjoy free Wi-Fi and parking

Photo courtesy of Margaritaville Lake Resort, Lake Conroe

Vacay with the big man himself.

The 40 percent off rate is available through Monday, December 4, at midnight and applies to travel dates through March 31, 2025. You can book online here. Learn more about all the holiday happenings at Margaritaville Lake Conroe here.

holidays promoted

animal world avengers

New Houston Museum of Natural Science exhibit celebrates extraordinary animals

Houston Museum of Natural Science Extreme Animals Alive

Photo by Mike Rathke

Meet Eustace, a six-banded armadillo.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science's new exhibit Extreme Animals Alive brings a group of super heroes to the museum's basement. It's made up entirely of animals with extraordinary abilities, and some of them are truly remarkable.

Consider the humble sea cucumber, which can be seen in the museum's touch tank. The tank is so massive that it has to reside in the basement in order not to damage the floor. At first glance, sea cucumbers are not particularly interesting, looking like, well, cucumbers.

However, under the presentation of Nicole Temple, the museum's vice president of youth education, these echinoderms become alien anti-heroes worthy of a Marvel movie. Did you know that they are untraceable? If a scientist tries to implant a tracking device, dye, or any other monitoring the technology, the cucumber will simply expel it within hours. Also, if they can't find any food to eat with their suddenly-appearing Lovecraftian tentacles, they will start eating their own brain until another meal comes along.

That's just one example of why Temple frames her menagerie as a kind of educational Avengers. Each animal is presented with a massive, brightly-colored poster that resembles a comic book cover. Temple wrote all the captions, including several jokes, such as saying an animal's likes include harassing keepers and eating sand.

"I find that, if you approach things with grace and humor, it works better than just screaming facts at people," she said in an interview during a press preview. "The more people know about the natural world, the more likely they are to protect it. We want to make sure that people see the animals that are affected by cutting down trees and leaving plastic everywhere."

Extreme Animals Alive opens Friday, May 23, and will run for several months. However, it won't be a part of the permanent collection and requires an additional entrance fee between $20 and $35.

Currently, the entire basement area is being reconfigured into a child care center with an ocean theme that will host visitors from toddlers to grade schoolers. Eventually, it will include the space currently being utilized by the exhibit. Ultimately, the touch tank will remain, but there will also be craft labs and other places for younger visitors to learn and enjoy the museum.

Photo by Mike Rathke

Meet Eustace, a six-banded armadillo.

Until then, Extreme Animals Alive is a great chance to learn about the bioluminescence of the opossum, watch the frantic antics of fennec foxes, or try to spot all six of the mossy frogs camouflaged in their habitat. As the comic book aesthetic says, some of the ways animals have adapted are marvelous, from axolotls' regrowing limbs to the nigh-invincibility of the cockroach. It's a lighthearted, living tribute to overcoming nature's odds that should be fun for everyone.

museums openings houston museum of natural science

It's Christmas Eve Somewhere

Find your holiday cheer at Margaritaville Lake Resort near Houston

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animal world avengers

New Houston Museum of Natural Science exhibit celebrates extraordinary animals