AndiThis year is looking different, but there’s still a lot to do in the Dallas area. Businesses have been great about implementing new Covid protocols like mask wearing, sanitizing and social distancing. Here’s a list of fun things you can do in Dallas during Christmas 2020.
Holidays at the Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum is beautiful year round! During the Holidays, they feature twelve 25 foot Victorian style gazebos. Each one represents a day from the 12 Days of Christmas. They have the gazebos spread out, so you are able to enjoy the beautiful gardens while walking to each one.
The Christmas Village is a family favorite! It features 12 German style buildings in a village setting. A German built pyramid is new to the Village this year. Santa hangs out in the village to visit with the kids and for pictures. Socially distanced of course.
At night time the 1 million plus Christmas lights transform the gardens into a beautiful sparkling scene.
The Arboretum is perfect for social distancing! Plus they only sell so many tickets per hour/ day.
Tips for visiting:
- Must make online reservations in advance!
- Book now because the weekends are selling out!
- Tuesday through Thursday are the least crowded days
- 2:00 – 5:00 PM are the least crowded times
Drive Thru the Dallas Zoo
New this year will be a drive thru experience making it completely social distanced. You get to drive through the zoo and 1 million Christmas lights! Make sure to purchase your timed entry tickets online in advance. They expect to sell out certain nights.
Tips for visiting:
- Don’t forget to order online in advance!
- Arrive during the time shown on your ticket. They do not guarantee entry if you are late!
- One Ticket = one vehicle
- They have designated stops for bathroom breaks.
- Reliant Holiday Village is a stop you can get out for snacks and photo ops.
The Trains At NorthPark
We’ve been visiting the NorthPark Trains since my kids were babies. This is one of the best miniature train exhibits in Texas! The trains run on a track over 1600 feet and travel across different cityscapes. Dallas, of course being the biggest and best! They even show the Perot Museum and Big Tex at the State Fair.
All proceeds from the Train ticket sells go to the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. This is a great organization that houses families of children who are in the hospital with a serious illness or injury.
Tips for visiting:
- Must make online reservations in advance· It is a smaller area, but they only allow so many people in at a time to help with social distancing.
- They have hand sanitizer stations positioned throughout the exhibit.
- Weekday afternoons are the least crowded time to visit.
Ice Skate at the Galleria Dallas
Did you know that Dallas is home to the nation’s tallest indoor Christmas tree! Over 4 stories tall, it is located at the Galleria Dallas in the middle of their ice rink. The tree has a synchronized light show that shows daily at noon, 2:00pm, 4:00pm, and 6:00pm. This is one of the best places to ice skate in Dallas. Plus you can get your holiday shopping done.
Eat Dinner in a Griswold Like Restaurant
It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but as soon as you open the doors it’s a Christmas Wonderland! Campo Verde in Arlington, TX knows how to deck the halls! Over 120,000 Christmas lights, 3,000 yards of Garland, 50 Santa Clauses, 30 Christmas trees, and two model trains that travel throughout the restaurant! I had a drink at the bar when I visited, so can’t speak about their Tex Mex food.
Luminova
One of the brightest Holiday experiences in DFW! They have over 3 million Christmas lights that create gorgeous holiday landscapes. It has an indoor and outdoor exhibit to create plenty of space for social distancing. Outside holds a 65 foot light Christmas tree, an ice skating rink and food trucks. Inside has hundreds of lighted photo ops and Santa! Located in Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Tips for Visiting:
- Order tickets online in advance. They have a limited number of tickets they sell at the door.
- No bags are allowed except diaper or medical bags
- Must wear face mask
Christmas Movie at the Drive-In
Dallas has a new Drive In Movie theater! Definitely had to add to my Dallas during Christmas list! During December they are showing some of the best Christmas movies. The Christmas movie line up right now is: The Grinch, Polar Express, Home Alone, Nightmare Before Christmas, Elf, A Christmas Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s A Wonderful Life, The Holiday, Die Hard and Love Actually. Check for showtimes.
Drive Thru Christmas Lights
Drive through Christmas light displays are perfect during this season of Covid. Social distancing at it’s best! You get to drive through different scenes without ever leaving the comfort of your car. The DFW area has several to choose from:
Candy Cane Lane– Open now through December 26th. Hours vary depending on day. Located in the American Airlines Center Silver Parking Garage.
Prairie Lights– Open now through December 31st from 6:00 – 10:00pm. Located in Grand Prairie.
Gift Of Lights– Open now through January 3rd. Located at the Texas Motor Speedway. Check their events calendar for discount days!
Radiance– This has three different locations to choose from: Frisco, Decatur and Weatherford. Dates and times vary with each location.
Magic of Lights– Open now through January 2nd from 6:00-10:00pm. Located in Little Elm
Visit The Christmas Capitol of Texas
In case you didn’t know, Grapevine is the Christmas Capitol! 40 days of festive fun. Here’s a list of everything Christmas in Grapevine:
- Stroll Main Street to shop and check out all the Christmas decor and photo ops.
- Ride the North Pole Express on the vintage railroad
- Elf Adventure with the Christmas Passport
- Listen to the Singing Christmas Tree
- Visit Whoville
- Watch the Light Show Spectacular
- Texas Star Dinner Theatre
- Celebrate a Victorian Christmas at Nash Farms
- Watch a Christmas movie at the Historic Palace Theatre
- Visit Snowland at The Great Wolf Lodge
- Gaylord Texan ….speaking of
Lonestar Christmas at the Gaylord Texan
There are so many Christmas activities here it needed it’s own section! The Gaylord is a beautiful resort year round. Christmas time is just absolutely gorgeous! If the only thing you do here is stroll around, you won’t be disappointed. It’s a must see in Dallas during Christmas! The Gaylord usually holds the ICE exhibit every holiday season. This year they are doing something different due to Covid.
I Love Christmas Movies is a walk through event. You get to walk through five different Christmas movies including Elf, The Year Without Santa Claus, A Christmas Story, Polar Express and Christmas Vacation. Each movie has a few interactive scenes. Spoiler Alert. The best ones are getting snowed on in The Year without Santa. Christmas Vacation’s house being lit up, their Christmas tree with the squirrel, the chair burning from the cat and the turkey blowing up. The Polar Express train ride was fun and seeing Santa in the bell. On the whole, I liked it. I love Christmas movies period so this was perfect for me. However, it was very rushed. You have a tour guide and get placed with other people (limited group and social distanced). They only give a certain amount of time to enjoy each movie scene before turning the lights off in that area.
Other activities to enjoy:
- Ice Skating
- Yuletide
- Snow Tubing
- Build a Snowman
- Breakfast with Elf on the Shelf
- Santa pics
- Gingerbread Decorating
- Holiday Escape Room
Shop at the Largest Christmas Store
Decorator’s Warehouse in Arlington is the largest Christmas Decor store in Texas! They’ve got everything you need for the holiday season. Plus a cute little mailbox for you to drop your letter to Santa.
Holiday in the Park
Six Flags Christmas style! One of my favorite things to do in Dallas during Christmas! I’m all about theme parks in general. When they make a whole festival out of it, even better! There’s the same rides and coasters, plus so much more! They do a great job at enforcing people to keep their masks on, social distancing and sanitizing the rides.
Holiday Activities:
- Tree Lighting ceremony with Santa
- Holiday Tree of Trees Light Spectacular
- Different Musical performances -Mariachi style, drum and pipe corps, Hawaiian and carolers.
- Mystic Acres Holiday Trail
- Santa Pics in the Santa Outpost
- Snow Sledding on Frosty’s Snow Hill
- Campfire Smore’s
- Kiss Under the Texas Size Mistletoe
- Seasonal Culinary Delights
Tips for visiting:
- Must make online reservations
- Must wear a mask the entire time except when eating or drinking
- Come at park opening for shorter ride wait times
Frisco Square
One of the best light shows and best part, it’s FREE! Holiday lights and music run from 6:00-10:00pm daily. Features 180,000 lights, 200 dancing snowflakes, 10 miles of wiring and 8 miles of extension cords! Tune in to 107.3 FM on the radio to hear the synchronized music.
They also have an outdoor ice rink, Christmas Tree lot and horse drawn carriage rides for a fee.
Vitruvian Park
Parks are some of the best places to naturally social distance. This park in Addison transforms into a magical wonderland from November 27th to January 1st. Lights run from 5:00-11:00pm daily. Bonus, it’s FREE!
Sip A Cocktail at a Christmas Pop Up Bar
Miracle on Lower Greenville– Fun Christmas themed bar open now through December 31st. Must make reservations online. They only let a certain number of people in per hour to help with social distancing. The reservations are good for 90 minutes to give everyone a chance to experience the bar.
Sippin Santa – This bar has a beach themed vibe. Located in the Union and you must make reservations online. Open now through December 31st.
Tipsy Elf– Located in the Good Companion Coffee House in the Bishop Arts District. No reservations here, but it’s a small building. I suggest getting there early or there will probably be a wait to get inside.
Aussie Grind– This is like the Miracle in Dallas but on a smaller scale. Opens daily at 5pm. You do not need reservations. They do implement a 90 minute seating time limit.
As you can see there are many things to do in Dallas during Christmas 2020. Or should I say the Dallas metroplex? These are all places that require masks and social distancing. Did I miss anything I should add to the Dallas during Christmas 2020 list?
Need other ideas?
Check out other Things to Do In Dallas HERE.
The Ultimate Dallas Fall Bucket List HERE.
Christmas Bucket List Activities HERE.
