Holiday Events in Dallas

I love living in Dallas. I’ve lived here since I was 12, and each year, more and more opportunities come to Dallas to make this city even more exciting. I know a lot of you live in the area, and some of you have emailed me saying you were traveling here for the holidays. I always get asked about dining, shopping, and entertainment so I figured I’d share some of my favorite places to go while in the city for the holidays. Most of these are family friendly so feel free to bring on the kids! Happy Holidays! xx

1. Highland Park Village This has always been one of my favorite spots in Dallas. During the holidays they have every tree (more like branch) lit up with beautiful white lights. It’s so gorgeous!  Each year, Austin and I have our “Christmas Date” here and we hit up Mi Cocina, Starbucks then drive through the neighborhoods to look at lights and jam to Christmas tunes. While I visit the village often, this is probably my favorite date that we have and I look forward to it every year. The shopping is pretty fabulous too!

2. The Carriage Rides at Highland Park Village While you’re in Dallas, why not take a festive horse drawn carriage to take you through the neighborhoods of Highland Park. Sit back and sip on some hot cocoa as you look at all the lights and homes decorated for the holidays! My family has done this before and it was so much fun and festive!

3. The Trains at Northpark This is geared towards the little ones but one that you might secretly enjoy as well! The exhibit encompasses more than 4,000 square feet of train themed environments, with all the trimmings of the holiday train travel experience—steam engine and coach cars, a ticket booth and a train station as well as interactive features. The cost is $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for children and proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas.

4. The 12 Days of Christmas at The Dallas Arboretum  I love the Arboretum anytime of the year, but nothing beats the festive decorations at Christmas. Highly recommend this one!

5. The Gaylord Texan Lights Another family favorite. Every year, we always drive out to Grapevine to look at this gorgeous hotel. Inside, they have the most beautiful lights, trees, and decorations. It’s fun to grab a drink and walk around and enjoy the view.

6. The Shops at Legacy This is a must. Similar to Highland Park Village, you have lights, shopping, yummy food and drinks. I love coming here to eat at (you guessed it) Mi Cocina and stopping by The Ginger Man. The shopping is good too! Check out Urban Outfitters, Kendra Scott and the new Elaine Turner while you’re here.

7. Christmas in the Square Ok, this is so much fun! They have the whole square decked out with lights and as you drive through the square the are synchronized to the music. On the weekends, they have a fake snow machine (we get desperate here in Dallas), and carriage rides. This is very family friendly! See the full schedule here.

8. Ice Skating at The Galleria Dallas Austin and have done this once and let’s just say ice skating is not our forte.  However, it was really neat to skate around the huge tree in the middle of the rink and listen to the Christmas music. If your new to Dallas or visiting, this is definitely something that I would recommend. Lots of great shopping at the Galleria too!

9. Christmas Eve Service at The Village Church Austin and I have been going to the Village Dallas for about 2 years now and I always look forward to the Christmas Eve service. It helps me focus on the meaning for the season and is a gentle reminder of how blessed we really are. Feel free to email me for more information, I would love to talk to you about it! (theteacherdiva@gmail.com)

10. Best Shopping- Nordstrom Flagship Store at Northpark Mall , Neiman Marcus Downtown Dallas (the original one!), Milk & Honey (a local boutique nestled in the heart of Dallas), Tory Burch at Highland Park Village, Kate Spade on Knox Street.

As always, thank you for reading! Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or need recommendations. I hope have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy your time with your family!