Who is ready to spread holiday cheer with this ultimate list of Christmas things to do in Dallas?!? Trust me. If you are not in the holiday spirit yet, you will be after you experience a few of these Christmas things in Dallas.
This ultimate list of Christmas things to do in Dallas includes the entire DFW metroplex. From Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas®, to Frisco, Arlington, Fort Worth, and every city in-between. No matter where you live, I have something magical for you.
Spend the Day at Grapevine – the Christmas Capital of Texas®!
As the Christmas Capital of Texas®, this is one of the best Christmas things to do in Dallas. There is so much to enjoy (for ALL ages) that you will need a full day in Grapevine.
For 40 days, Grapevine is decked out in Christmas decor with fun events for everyone to experience. Moreover, Historic Main Street is so beautiful and magically decorated that the streets look like a Hallmark Christmas movie, but without the snow.
A few of the fun, family-friendly events to enjoy in Grapevine include learning how to make your very own cookie cutter, storytime with Santa, Victorian Christmas tours, riding the North Pole Express, and so much more! For the perfect girl’s weekend in Dallas, you can also enjoy an adults only wine train!
Experience a Nordic-Inspired Winter Wonderland at Enchant
Enchant is one of the most magical holiday experiences in Dallas. Once you enter the Nordic-inspired winter wonderland, you will no longer feel like you are in Dallas.
There is so much to experience at Enchant. Guests can admire the 80-foot Christmas tree, walk through a dazzling light maze, glide through the ice skating trail, and shop at the village market.
In addition, little ones can visit Santa, get crafty at the play place, and hear stories from Mrs. Clause. For the bigger ones (21 years and older), you can get into the Nordic spirit with a vodka tasting at the Polar Bar.
Visit Santa’s Workshop at Miracle on 134th Street
Who wants to visit Santa’s workshop?!?
At Miracle on 134th Street, you can take a guided tour inside Santa’s gorgeous workshop led by one of his elves. You can watch Blitzen eat a cupcake, visit the mailroom, go to elf school, and watch elves make toys. Then meet the big guy himself for FREE!
In addition to Santa’s workshop, you can take a fun train ride, stroll through a lighted forest, ride the carousel, jump on bounce houses, and enjoy hot cocoa by the fire pit.
My family had so much fun at Miracle on 134th Street. It is easily one of our new favorite Christmas things to do in Dallas.
Enjoy Holiday Lights and Activities at Radiance! in Frisco
We love Frisco, Texas. There are so many fun things to do in Frisco, including the holiday season.
You can enjoy two parks with just one ticket at Radiance! and Frozen in Frisco. This holiday event is one of the best Christmas things to do in Dallas for families.
At Radiance!, guests drive through 3 million lights synchronized to holiday music. You travel through different themed sections of the park with several light tunnels, a light laser show, and a beautiful tribute to our soldiers overseas.
At Frozen in Frisco, guests enjoy an outdoor Winter Carnival full of different activities for all ages. You can visit Santa, toss REAL snow, go tubing down a 100 ft. ice hill, skate under the stars, and ride bumper cars, Bucking Blitzen, a carousel, and a Ferris wheel.
Drive Through 4 MILLION Lights at Prairie Lights
Prairie Lights remains one of the best holiday parks and things to do in Dallas for Christmas. The holiday park includes a 2-mile drive through 4 million lights and the outdoor Holiday Village.
The park is divided into three parts. First, you drive through half of the light trail. Then you can park your vehicle and experience the Holiday Village. Finally, you return to your vehicle and finish the drive-thru light trail, ending in a spectacular finale.
The drive-thru light show features hundreds of custom displays with various themes. At the end of the show, guests get to experience the iconic grand finale – an animated light tunnel that you will never forget!
The Holiday Village is an outdoor carnival that includes photos with Santa, carousel rides, a magical walk- thru forest, and more!
Admire the 12 Days of Christmas at the Dallas Arborteum and Botanical Gardens
A visit to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is essential for every season, especially for Christmas! The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens feature a beautiful display of the 12 Days of Christmas every year.
Guests walk through the gardens to find 25-foot-tall Victorian-style gazebos representing one of the 12 Days of Christmas. Each Victorian-style gazebo is exquisitely decorated with moving displays with a Christmas song to play alongside it.
This year, the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Gardens also have a German-inspired Christmas Village with a fun scavenger hunt and German-inspired food and drinks (yes, that includes alcoholic beverages).
The 12 Days of Christmas gazebos and German-inspired Christmas Village are beautiful day and night. At night, the gardens are shining bright with holiday lights. During the day, if you visit with children, make sure you spend time at Rory Children’s Adventure Garden. It is one of the best things to do in Dallas with toddlers.
See the Vitruvian Lights
Watch Addison’s Vitruvian Park turn into a spectacular holiday light park! This annual celebration turns on 1.5 million sparkling LED lights wrapped around more than 550 trees along the waterway.
If you are looking for a FREE, casual, and relaxing evening this holiday season, a walk along the Vitruvian Lights is the perfect destination.
Find the Perfect Gift in Downtown McKinney
Downtown McKinney is one of the cutest destinations in Dallas, and more so during the holiday season. The local stores have beautiful decorations, and the charming streets have cute photo ops everywhere you look.
Moreover, Downtown McKinney is one of the best places to go shopping for the holidays. Shop local at one of the 120+ unique shops in Downtown McKinney. From art galleries to furniture stores, antique stores, home décor shops, apparel boutiques, and more. You will find the perfect gifts for your loved ones in one day.
Stroll Through Holiday Lights at Daystar
The Daystar Christmas lights are one of the best-kept secrets in Dallas. This FREE event has over 1 million lights, a family-friendly Christmas town, a life-sized Nativity, and more.
Daystar Television Network headquarters hosts this magical event for the public every year. It is the perfect holiday destination for an evening of fun with your loved ones. There are Instagram-worthy and Christmas card photo ops everywhere you look, so make sure you bring your camera!
When you arrive at Daystar, you immediately enter a lighted drive-thru tunnel. Then you can park your car and stroll around the family-friendly Christmas town, take pictures with Santa, make your way through a light maze, and more. There is plenty of fun for everyone!
Spread Holiday Cheer at NorthPark Center
NorthPark Center is not only one of the best shopping centers in Dallas, but it is also one of the best Christmas things to do in Dallas. There are several events to enjoy at NorthPark Center, such as photos with Santa, watching the Scrooge Puppet Theatre, visiting the train exhibit, admiring Gingertown, and more.
Moreover, to this day, it is one of my favorite places to go during the holiday season because it brings back so many wonderful childhood memories. In fact, so many of the holiday traditions at NorthPark Center date back at least 20 years.
The shopping center is decorated with fresh poinsettias, Christmas trees, and even a flying Santa Claus. Two of the most iconic decorations at NorthPark Center are the vintage Candy Santa flying the Pecan Reindeers and the Bavarian-style animated Christmas clock, which plays the 12 Days of Christmas every 15-minutes. Both of these decorations date back to the 1960s.
Take Pictures with the Iconic Santa
When I say this Santa is iconic, I genuinely mean that because it is the SAME Santa I grew up with as a kid (and I am in my 30s). Seeing the NorthPark Center Santa remains one of my favorite holiday memories, and I cannot wait for my kids to share the same. Sadly, the iconic Santa retired, but I have no doubt the new one will be just as good.
NorthPark Center turns a retail space into the NorthPole for children to write letters to Santa, see reindeer, and more. Once it’s their turn, they get to sit on Santa’s lap, tell him what they want for Christmas, and have their picture taken with him.
Watch the Scrooge Puppet Show
The Scrooge Puppet Theatre is a free show located on level one between Macy’s and Dillard’s.
The improvisational performance by the puppeteer will have both children and adults laughing their socks off. Watching the Scrooge is always one of my favorite Christmas things to do in Dallas because now, as an adult, I love watching everyone’s reactions to the show.
Scrooge will often call out guests and involve them in his show. So if you do not like to be put on the spot, you might want to hide. And make sure you stay till the very end of the show for Scrooge’s surprise gift to all the guests!
Visit the Minitaure Toy Train Exhibit
The Miniature Train Exhibit at NorthPark Center has been a holiday tradition in DFW for 23 years. It is a fun and beautiful exhibit for all ages. The best part, the proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas.
Inside, the exhibit features several different trains moving along 1,600 feet of railroad tracks on a journey across America. There is also a scavenger hunt for kids to find extra details throughout the exhibit, which helps make the experience more interactive and fun.
Admire the Sweet Gingertown Display
The annual Gingertown at NorthPark Center is one of the most significant gingerbread house events in North Texas. Gingertown brings together local talent from design, engineering, and construction firms for a live gingerbread building competition every year.
All of the proceeds from Gingertown’s competition benefit the Children’s Craniofacial Association. Given that the competitors are designers, engineers, and contractors – the gingerbread houses are pretty sweet (pun intended).
