Here Comes Spelunker Claus

Texas caverns' underground concerts take holiday visitors caroling in the caves

Austin Gilliam San Antonio Natural Bridge Caverns

Performers like Austin Gilliam have been enjoying this unique concert venue.

Photo courtesy of Natural Bridge Caverns

An underground Christmas celebration sure sounds edgy and cool, but little could prepare visitors for this literally underground venue. Natural Bridge Caverns, just on the northeast edge of San Antonio, is hosting its 10th Christmas at the Caverns "season of celebration," but this one adds even more shimmer to these dark depths.

Natural Bridge's "Caroling in the Caverns" opportunities and new Holiday Live Underground Concert series bring the public up close with professional singers and musicians for resonant performances in the stunning underground space. This year, the cavern's festivities are extended five days longer than usual, lasting December 2-30.

The live concerts will take place in a newly developed space dubbed by a release "the deepest underground event venue in Texas."

Photos highlight the unique offering, highlighting performers bathed in light from nowhere amid the quasi-cathedral natural environment. Considering the acoustics, it's almost weird that we don't have more concerts in caves.

"Our 'Live Underground' concerts have been so popular, when we were looking for a way to celebrate our 10th anniversary, it seemed like the perfect way to extend the festivities," said President of Natural Bridge Caverns Brad Wuest in the release.

There are five artists scheduled to play during the holiday series:

Zack Walther Band on December 21
Scotty Alexander on December 26
Matt Castillo on December 28
Payton Howie on December 29
Clay Hollis on December 30

Both below and above ground, classic traditions are returning, starting on December 2: a trail of lights that stretches a third of a mile (with some new additions), a 30-foot Christmas tree, a visit from "Spelunker Claus" and Mrs. Claus. More unusual, the 5,000-square-foot "Reindeer Roundup Maze" gives kids a festive mission.

It's not all just entertainment; in the spirit of the holidays and Christmas at the Caverns tradition, the venue will be collecting food and financial donations for the New Braunfels and San Antonio Food Bank. It will also donate a portion of ticket sales, adding to its previous cumulative donation of $125,000 and 1.25 million pounds of food.

While visitors are there, they might as well take some of the year-round tours that will still be running throughout the holiday festivities. A concert ticket also gets guests into all of the other holiday events, and there are multiple other ways to organize a visit.

Tickets for Underground Live Concerts are available at naturalbridgecaverns.com.

concerts live music holidays families kids

go rural

Tiny West Texas town tops Airbnb's 'off-the-map' destinations to visit

Matador, Texas, Airbnb, best rural destinations

Photo courtesy of Airbnb

Welcome to Matador, Texas.

More Texas travelers are shying away from tourist traps for their vacations and instead embracing the calming roadside with increasing interest in rural areas of the state, according to Airbnb, and one tiny Texas city in the Panhandle is generating buzz atop a brand-new list of under-the-radar rural destinations in America.

The vacation rental marketplace's inaugural "Off-the-Map" list features 20 rural destinations across the country where short-term rentals are bringing in "new opportunities for local tourism."

"From coastal fishing villages to Cajun bayou towns and alpine mountain escapes, America Off-the-Map invites travelers to discover something new and helps support local economies and communities across the country," the report said.

Matador, a small town about 80 miles northeast of Lubbock and 530 miles from Houston, was named the No. 1 hidden gem vacation destination in Texas. The report described Matador as a part of Texas that tourists "haven’t found" yet, which is what makes it all the more rewarding as an undiscovered treasure.

"Welcome to the seat of Motley County – where the wind is constant, the skies are enormous, and the history is deeper than the caprock beneath your boots," the report said.

Visitors can explore the Motley County Historical Museum, which explores the building's history as the Traweek Hospital that was originally built nearly a century ago. The museum also sheds light on Native American history, the life of ranchers, and other historical facts about the town and county.

Local restaurants like Chelle's Garden or TC's Ponderosa in nearby Dickens are good spots for travelers to eat like a local, while the Coffee Mill and Mercantile in Quitaque is the place to be for breakfast, lunch, and a cup of joe.

Matador is also less than an hour away from the newly expanded Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, a popular Texas state park known for its roaming bison herd and bat colony.

According to Airbnb's website, there are over 130 short-term rentals in Matador and the surrounding Motley County area, with some homes available for $172 for an overnight stay in April 2026.

travel airbnb panhandle vacations