Trail of Lights and Austin Holiday Lights
Austin's holiday season runs on Zilker Park's two-mile Trail of Lights and a dozen neighborhood displays that have quietly grown into institutions. Here is where to go, in what order, and how to skip the parking.
The 60-plus-year Zilker tradition with tunnels, the Zilker Tree, and a fun run on opening weekend; ZIP fast passes go on sale in the fall.
The 155-foot moonlight-tower tree opens in late November; spinning under it is a rite of passage.
The eccentric block near Guadalupe that started Austin's DIY lights culture in the 1980s.
A synchronized lights-and-music show on the Lake Austin deck, free nightly from mid-November.
Old-money neighborhood displays are best on a walk with a thermos.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center strings its gardens with lights and luminarias.
A drive-through light show on the F1 track, with the track itself lit.
Cut your own tree 30 minutes east; the weekend hayrides fill up fast.
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