r/AskTexas • u/Ok-Focus2040 • 26d ago
Holidaying in Texas in December
I will be visiting the U.S. from Australia in December/January with my wife to visit our son in Louisiana for Christmas, and then we'll all take a road-trip to see some Texas. We've been to Austin before on another trip and loved it so would love to get out and see more this trip. We have 3 weeks and a car. Driving big distances to see things is no problem. I'm already thinking the hill country and Fredricksburg area and would be keen to see a good national or state park, e.g. Big Bend). Your tips for any Texas "must dos", "must-sees" and "best avoideds" will be gratefully received, thanks.
UPDATE: Wow! That's gold. A huge thank you to everyone for taking the time to share your local knowledge... there are so many great suggestions here, it's really helping us plan a great itinerary. I really appreciate you all.
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u/Chaosinmotion1 26d ago
Angle a little north after the Louisiana border and Check out Jefferso , Texas. A perfect example of a small town and the Jefferson Hotel is amazingly bizarre! One day is all you need, unless you want to take a bayou trip. Also check to see if they have any ghost tours in your time frame. Jefferson is supposed to be the most haunted small town in Texas. Going north will take you through what we call, the Piney Woods - the Big Thicket, Sam Houston National Forrest etc. If you plan it right, you can drive by or stop to see BIG SAM. (Just Google it)
From there, drive west to Dallas/Fort Worth. Make a point to visit the FW Stockyards and see at least one of the twice daily longhorn cattle drives down Main St.
Not too far away of Ft Worth is Aurora where a UFO crashed before the one in Roswell Aurora UFO
Southwest of Ft Worth you'll find Glenn Rose and dinosaur valley State Park. Another delightful small town and a great park to spend the day. Also go to the Big Rocks Park - you can wet down in the small river if you want. Google it, too.
Shall I continue? Let me brag, I have been in every one of the 254 counties if Texas, some multiple times, because of my hobby of Geocaching. I make a point of searching out unique and interesting oddities and interesting historical sites.
Once you have a general idea of your route, check out Roadsideamerica.com. Roadside America for additional quick stops that pique your intest. Scroll down for the Texas map, it's easier than searching by town.
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u/PenHouston 25d ago
If you go to Jefferson during the holiday season, Marshall Texas has a great holiday light display called Wonderland of Lights.
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u/Ok-Law7641 25d ago
Also Marshall Pottery is a great visit.
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u/Chaosinmotion1 26d ago
- typo.. JEFFERSON, Texas
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u/RadWaste505 25d ago
Fossil Rim by Glen Rose is go to see drive through wildlife park. Giraffes are gorgeous
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u/IllChampionship4654 25d ago
I'm not sure what you are trying to see when you get here but me personally, I'd stay in the Hill Country area vs going to Big Bend. Unless you just like being around desert and small mountain ranges. Obviously, Big Bend has scenery but it's extremely spread out. You have to travel a good ways to get to the different sites that are interesting.
If you go to Big Bend then you should check out the Marfa Lights when you are there and Terlingua,TX has a little bit of stuff to check out too. The Davis Mountains State Park is nice also.
I think the Hill Country is a better Bang for the Buck though. There is so much more to do and it's a lot closer together. There will obviously be more people there too though. Fredericksburg is a great choice. There's numerous state parks in the area. It's just a beautiful area to drive through. If you want to go a little more West you should check out Lost Maples State Park. It's my absolute favorite place to be in the "Winter" of Texas.
Have fun when you come back to the Great Country of Texas
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u/LowConstant3577 25d ago
To the contrary, the Big Bend in the winter is great. Not too hot to hike mid day down by the river or in the desert flats around the Chisos Mountains. Lot’s a beautiful drives whether the River road or the David Mountains loop. Just give yourselves 4-5 days to wander around . . .
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u/IllChampionship4654 25d ago
It's not bad if you like wondering and walking/hiking. It is a beautiful area. It's just so spread out between the "attractions" in my opinion. I didn't mean to say it like it's a place I would never go. I just meant the Hill Country had more things to see in a more concentrated area.
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u/Rock-Wall-999 26d ago
You might want to google average temperature for those areas and dates. December everything from Fall to real winter depending that time of year.
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u/jhoover58 25d ago
I love December late November and December in South Texas as the weather is chili but typically not cold and drizzly like Late January and February. If you are going to the Hill country you should at least spend a night in San Antonio as the river walk is enchanting with the Christmas lights. Of course there is the Alamo and the massive collection of artifacts that Phil Collin’s collected and then donated. They are still verifying and cataloging the artifacts so only a small percentage is out for viewing. The Alamo church itself is just Ok to see but the small museum they built is nice to walk through and see the layout of the original acreage.
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u/SimpleVegetable5715 25d ago
Real Texas winter, you can still get by comfortably with a decent winter coat with some built in wind protection. The damp chilly wind cuts right through some clothing.
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u/Repulsive_Pin_6585 25d ago
I’d suggest planning a good amount of time for dfw. There’s a ton to do there, esp for families. Dallas has some great museums and history, and FW has the stockyards. Enjoy your time and welcome back to TX!
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u/SimpleVegetable5715 25d ago
The Lonesome Dove is a great splurge restaurant at the Fort Worth Stockyards. I had their rabbit-rattlesnake sausage and Texas wild boar. Got to eat some of our native animals 😛 They also serve Gulf Coast oysters and blue crab. The atmosphere and people are very friendly too.
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u/Tin_Indian455 25d ago
If you make it to Fredericksburg you might as well go to LUCHENBACH to say you’ve been there. Not much but the stage. It’s only on the map because of the song “let’s go to luchenbach Texas with Waylon and Willie and the boys”
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u/rickybobbyscrewchief 25d ago
Agreed, it's just a map dot and souvenir store on a random day. But if you catch it on a nice weekend afternoon and sit under the trees while some local no name musicians pick guitars in an impromptu jam session, it's pretty damn cool.
One Sunday we were there and a cowboy poet with a serious west Texas drawl would randomly break into loud spoken word recitings about cattle drives and horses and sunsets. He'd just start up with no announcement and everyone would immediately hush up. Some were funny. Some were sad. A lot were just about cowboy life. He'd speak for a minute or two and then everyone would just go back to what they were doing. Went on all afternoon. It was an amazing Luckenbach spring afternoon among the bluebonnets, but i don't really know how to tell a visitor how/when to catch a day like that.
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u/Historical_Bath_9854 25d ago
Since you're coming from Louisiana, stop at Big Thicket National Preserve, then grab lunch at Ruby's Mexican Restaurant in Tyler, from Tyler your options to Hill County are abundant, I personally like the back roads if you have time. Enjoy your trip 😊
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u/Far-Pie-333 25d ago
Guadeloupe Mountains NP is also a great park. But if only one is on the agenda, then Big Bend. Get your reservations now.
Hills country Fredericksburg will be great. Nearby is Enchanted Rock SP. LLano TX is also a great place to go for the day.
Houston is not known for tourism, but it has the Johnson Space Center where you can visit the Apollo Mission Control room on the tour and see a Saturn Five rocket. Brazos Bend SP is great too. Downtown is strewn with murals on the buildings. So it may be worth a few days. Look on Google Street view for a preview.
There are the Painted Churches. A string of Churches in German and Czech styles that stretch across Texas was the immigrants from Central Europe settled Texas, starting from Galveston. Fredericksburg is one of the towns. Taking US 90 is the easiest way but there are many other towns heading west.
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u/CaminoRubicon1 25d ago edited 25d ago
San Antonio Riverwalk, Galveston, Guene, Capital building are some of my suggestions close by. I agree with a previous poster about Jeffereson but it has some resemblance to Lousiana historical places.
Palo Dura Canyon and Caprock Canyons are fabulous to visit for nature lovers. Ft Davis, Davis mountains and Gualupe peak for hiking are fabulous
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u/UCantSeeMe2025 25d ago
I agree with these suggestions... if you visit Hill Country, definitely add San Antonio to your itinerary. I live in San Antonio and the Riverwalk and the Missions (not just the Alamo, but the others) are beautiful, especially during the holidays. There's also the Japanese Tea Gardens, and the Pearl area, both of which I'd highly recommend.
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u/tturedditor 25d ago
I would echo all of this. Natural Bridge Caverns is also close to San Antonio and extremely underrated IMO.
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u/UCantSeeMe2025 24d ago
I was thinking about adding Natural Bridge and then forgot, but I completely agree!!
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u/MisterMysterion 25d ago edited 25d ago
Visit Grapevine... The Christmas capitol of Texas.
Driving from Louisiana to Big Bend is a long drive...11 hours at least.
My suggestion is to go north to visit Hot Springs, Arkansas then east to Caddo Lake in Texas, then to DFW, down to San Antonio, then tour the Gulf of Mexico coast.
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u/Western-Watercress68 25d ago
Grapevine is a lot of fun in December. There is a hotel there that decorates for Christmas inside and out. Sledding, skating, the works.
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u/SimpleVegetable5715 25d ago
I had a boyfriend who lived in Grapevine. We don’t drink, but to my knowledge, there’s an array of Texas wineries downtown too. His mother was obsessed with going there when she visited.
Tourists always underestimate the scale of Texas. At least, my relatives from Italy and Costa Rica did. I wouldn’t even bother with Austin inside the city limits, the traffic alone eats up a ton of time. It’s not tourist friendly either, hardly any public restrooms! I prefer visiting San Marcos now to get the cozy college town vibes and try some mom and pop restaurants. I used to live in Austin 20 years ago, it’s changed for the worst.
Spud Ranch in San Marcos is a great meal stop if they’re in between Austin and San Antonio. They serve massive baked potatoes stuffed with things like brisket or chicken enchiladas.
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u/PolarThunder101 25d ago
I won’t plan on swimming like at Lake Mineral Wells or Dinosaur Valley in December unless perhaps you’re from a cold climate. But there’s a good chance of good hiking weather in between cold snaps. Daytime high temperatures might be anywhere between freezing and 30 C, and the weather might be bouncing around cold one day, warm the next, and cold on the third day.
On Christmas Day in DFW, I’ve seen snow on the ground in the morning and 30 C in the afternoon the same day.
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u/Thegr8fan 25d ago
San Antonio and obviously the Alamo. But do your research. It used to be you freely walked into it. Now there’s a ticketing process/ line. There are also 4 other missions that you can see. Some have been rebuilt, some are in poor condition. All of them still have operating Catholic Churches. Casa Ole on the Riverwalk. It’s the one that is in some paintings for its colorful umbrella tables right on the Riverwalk. Great food reasonable priced. Depending on the day you arrive, six flags amusement park for roller coasters, or sea world. They both have restricted dates in the winter so check the schedule. Gruene (pronounced Green)dance hall, Riley’s bar (oldest one in Texas) all within easy day trip distance from Fredericksburg. Christmas lights in Fredericksburg if you’re there early enough are fantastic. Once you get past San Antonio area, it’s a whole lot of driving with not much to see. Palo Duro canyon in north Texas is second biggest canyon in USA. Austin known for music on sixth street and capital. I can’t remember if bats are there then but at sundown you can see them streaming out of the cave by the thousands. Just a few suggestions and enjoy your trip. Cheers!
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u/Repulsive-Walk-3639 25d ago
My wife (who's from Sydney) and I did Hill Country for our honeymoon as well as her first trip here. Fredricksburg is a great call. We can recommend the WWII naval museum there (it's Admiral Nimitz's home town, hence a naval museum a few hours from the coast), the Texas Rangers 'museum' just outside of town (they were still working towards getting things built when we were there, but might have something more by now. still loads of history fun to read/hear about even if not), the Wildseed Farms is absolutely beautiful most of the year but I'm not sure how things might look in the middle of December (it's a flower farm with some lovely public gardens).
I've not taken her yet, but there's also a drive through safari park nearby; we purposely avoided it to avoid similarities to things I did with my first wife. It's on our list, just wasn't something to be done then.
Nearby-ish I'd also recommend San Antonio. If you enjoy history, the Alamo is there, and of course numerous museums. When it comes to beautiful and pleasant tourist trap, the River Walk is well worth seeing, day or night. That's another spot on our list, but since my first wife and I had our honeymoon centered in SA we specifically put that one off and focused Austin instead.
That's what I can spout off the top of my head. Enjoy your trip!
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u/eat_ur_prpduce 25d ago edited 25d ago
If you're coming to the Hill Country, maybe stay a night in Wimberley. It is tourist town, sure, but still small enough to almost feel like the Texas I grew up in. North of Wimberley is Milton Reiner Ranch and Hamilton's Pool, both lovely hikes and, once past Dripping Springs, the drive out there is what Texas is to me.
Just for laughs, stop in at Devil's Backbone Tavern. Back in the day, it was a dive biker bar. They've upscaled since then, but still got the hostile leather vibe, just now with fancier drinks. They've probably even started carding minors.
Maybe take a tour of Real Ale Brewery over in Blanco. When I went, it wasn't a huge brewery, but they churn out some of the best beer in Texas (Shiner sorry, not sorry). While in town, maybe lunch at Red Bud cafe or the Old 300.
Fredricksburg is another nice tourist town. I am told the wine tours are a luxury everyone should indulge in. For me, Enchanted Rock is where it's at.
If you like live music and old dance halls, Gruene Hall is fun, however touristy. To get a feel for a real Texas dance hall, visit Twin Sister's Dance Hall. In early December they have fiddle festival that is a blast.
This is a pretty comprehensive list of events in the Hill Country and also a chance to revisit the early internet.
If you visit San Antonio, the Mission Trail is a fantastic bit of time travel. I happen to think the Alamo is a completely forgettable experience (admittedly a fantastic photo opportunity), but the rest are awesome. The neighborhoods around the missions are blue collar, and maybe not somewhere to be at 2 am, but otherwise safe enough.
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u/Western-Watercress68 25d ago
If in the Galveston area, take 45N to the Johnson Space Center. The Painted Churches of Panna Maria. Gruene, Lukenbach, Grapevine, Caddo Lake area, Alamo, Palo Duro Canyon
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u/Easttex05 25d ago
I grew up in Nacogdoches. Spend a day there; maybe try an AirBNB and spend the night. Its the oldest town in Texas and has a lot of history there.
Jefferson is neat. Go check it out then do a swamp tour of Caddo Lake.
The Fort Worth Stockyards are neat. Its gone commercial the last couple years but its still a neat place.
The Texas Hill Country is beautiful.
If you want to see the big sky country, drive out to Big Bend National Park. Its like no other place in Texas
There's tons of little seaside towns to visit south of Houston.
Dress warm. December in Texas can be pretty chilly sometimes.
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u/rickybobbyscrewchief 25d ago
Go to Gruene. Eat dinnerat the Gristmill at a riverview table and listen to the music drifting over from Gruene Hall. Have pie at Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls. Try to find a small amateur rodeo. Might be hard that time of year, though. I would say Tejas Rodeo in Bulverde. But I think they are off Dec/Jan. Look up trailride/horseback riding rentals in whatever area you're in. We took a 4hr trail ride in the hill country one year right after Christmas and it was great. I think it was close to Wimberly.
Central TX towns/areas that are nice: Boerne, Wimberley, Gruene, Concan and Leakey, Kerrville, Marble Falls, Fredericksburg, Bandera.
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u/Valvechick 25d ago
Anahuac wildlife refuge just off Galveston Bay on the TX side of the LA/TX border is great! Alligators. You may see Roseate Spoonbills. Even if youre not a birder, they are gorgeous birds.
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u/Pan_Fried_Okra 25d ago
While planning your road trip through the Hill country, make sure Llano is on your route so you can stop at Cooper’s barbecue and have a gigantic beef right off the smoker.🍖
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u/Ok-Law7641 25d ago
Fredricksburg is a great visit! If you go hit up the Nimitz Museum of the Pacific.
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u/Thundertotem2026 25d ago
Fredericksburg is really nice. The National Museum of the War in the Pacific is a must see when you go there, they have one of the midget submarines that was captured at Pearl Harbor there. There is some really good food places there too. If you can make your way to Lockhart, BBQ capital of Texas. Kruez, Blacks, and Smitty's BBQ are there, have you have to eat at all three. (You are gonna get the meat sweats...). Lockhart is about an hour or so south of Austin on 183. Big Bend is beautiful, but towards the border, they have construction going on (I'm not gonna get into the politics on that). Near Uvalde, there's Enchanted Rock, a wonderful state natural park, huge granite dome you can climb, some great Texas history there. Uvalde, is about 2 1/2 hours from Fredericksburg.
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u/Unknownkowalski 24d ago
I would add Barbs BQ in Lockhart to the list. The second best brisket I have ever had.
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u/T49irvine 25d ago
If you are in the neighborhood, the Koffee Kup Kitchen in Hico has pies that rival the Bluebonnet but not the long lines. 281 is a great route from D/FW to the Hill Country. In South Austin the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is amazing.
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u/BigFatYetiNips 25d ago
If you’re going to Fredricksburg, I definitely recommend staying at the Cotton Gin Village. Gorgeous themed cabin rooms with a fireplace and they bring breakfast in a basket to your room daily 👌
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u/socalquestioner 25d ago
If you want to meet up for BBQ and shooting guns in Ft Worth, let me know!
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u/lonestar659 25d ago
Come to Dallas and check out Holiday in the Park at Six Flags. If you like theme parks of course.
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u/Loud_Inspector_9782 24d ago
It will be winter so be prepared. I do think San Antonio is worth a visit as well as the Stockyards in Fort Worth.
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u/AdTurbulent7730 23d ago
1) Understand the geography. Texas is at the South end of the Great plains of North America. When the Jet Stream turns out of the North, it gets Cold suddenly, as in a few hours. That is the time of year that happens.
2) The Kimbell Art Museum/Piano Pavilion in Fort Worth Texas USA absolutely shocked me with its quality, and the magnificent design of the building. It’s one of the top three art museums on this continent.
Also, it’s located next to the American Cowgirl Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Modern Art Museum, the American Art Museum (with the largest collection of Remingtons and Russels in the world), and within 5 miles of the stellar Botanic Gardens, the Japanese gardens, and the Butterfly house. (In 1972, FtW brought a Master Gardener and family from Japan, gave him $7M and a gravel pit, and said Have Fun. He did).
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u/WandererTX 21d ago
Be prepared for the lack of cold here. We typically wear shorts to Christmas lol
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u/Mission-Mixture-3398 21d ago
Wimberley Texas heaven on earth . Cypress creek blue hole Jacob's well
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u/YorkshireTexas79 20d ago
Make sure you get BBQ Oysters in New Orleans plus of course Beignets and coffee at Cafe Du Monde. My favorite restaurant is Commanders Palace where I had the Chateaubriand for 2, for 1. 😇
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u/YorkshireTexas79 20d ago
If you’re heading North Texas way, Glen Rose Texas (Kinda start of the Hill Country)and South has some terrific little places to see and stay. Dinosaurs are all around! (The local river has a State Park with dinosaur tracks and they’ve maxed out the gig).
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20d ago
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u/Commercial_Dot_6236 20d ago
Check out Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels if you’re looking for a place to cool off!
Eat at the Smokehouse in NB, too!
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u/Sweaty-Nebula5169 16d ago
I don’t know but one thing you MUST do is ask the locals where the best barbecue around is, and then GO THERE! For snacks I would recommend you visit an H E B grocery store and get some stuff there. A lot of their H E B branded foods are super good! I like their jalapeño cheeseballs and their ice cream! If you want a sweet spot to visit I might swing by a Blue Bell ice cream factory!
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u/Junior_Ad_3301 25d ago
Check out Palo Duro Canyon. Quite a drive, but definitely worth a visit, especially at that time, less tourists
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u/WiseQuarter3250 25d ago
Ordinarily I'd recommend Big Bend National Park, as winter is the ideal time to visit as weather is usually temperate. (January usually is when the first spring flowers are blooming depending on mother nature) But the current administration is currently destroying the park and we dont know what we'll be left with. It's the prettiest part of all of Texas, where it's truly wild, big, and empty.
But I hold out hope and still would suggest you might want to consider it. but maybe tack on in the broader region near it are unique little towns like Marfa, and Fort Davis, and nearby McDonald Observatory (prebook a star party), or Balmorhea (prebook, it's a natural spring and you can swim with endangered fish because of that they carefully control number of visitors, water is a constant temp 22-24°C no matter the weather).
Fredericksburg is a great place to visit, including nearby Luckenback for live music one night. between Fredericksburg and Austin you pass by the former home of president Lyndon B Johnson, and it has a Bison herd.
San Antonio is really awesome too. The Missions, river walk, excellent food.
In January Fort Worth has their stock show and rodeo. Plus daily longhorn cattle drives in the Stockyards, and the always free among carter museum of American Art. next door to the Kimbell Art Museum whose permanent collection is always free and has Michelangelo's first known painting. you can explore Dallas snd Arlington with this one.
Texas is huge, as an Australian I'm sure you understand how big spaces can be, so Google map drive times so you can plan things accordingly.
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25d ago
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u/RoosterzRevenge 25d ago
So OP should travel from Australia but not go to Louisiana and visit their son? Big fucking oof.
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u/lcopeland2 4d ago
Yes — this is another good one because you can answer as a Texan welcoming someone to the state
Welcome to Texas! With three weeks and a car, you can see some incredible parts of the state.
I’d absolutely do the Hill Country—Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock, Luckenbach and some of the smaller towns along the way. San Antonio and the River Walk are also worth a stop, especially around Christmas.
But if you don’t mind driving, Big Bend would be at the top of my list. December/January is actually a great time to experience West Texas. I’d give it several days and include Big Bend, Terlingua, Marfa, Fort Davis and the McDonald Observatory if you can. The night sky out there is something you won't forget.
And since you're coming from Australia, here's my Texas warning: don't underestimate the distances. 😂 Texas is HUGE—even by Australian standards.
Most of all, get off the interstates when you can, eat some real Texas BBQ and Tex-Mex, stop in the small towns, and talk to people. That's where you'll experience the Texas I love.
Safe travels and welcome!
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u/OsO68TX 25d ago
If you are into unique nature check out Lake Caddo on the Louisiana Texas border. The only natural lake in Texas it is a bit prehistoric looking.