Day Trips & Beyond: December Events Roundup

December is time for daytrippin’ while the days are warm and the evenings picturesque. Read all about holiday light shows to visit here.

Closer to heaven. Sometimes a few days at the beach in Port Aransas feels like a religious experience. Aline Carter felt the same way. That’s why she built the Chapel on the Dunes. Aline spent childhood summers in Port A, and had a lifelong affection for the island village. Before she died in 1972, she won numerous poetry awards and was the poet laureate of Texas from 1947-1949. The family still owns the house and chapel near the beach.

The tiny one-room chapel, about the size of a small one-car garage, was completed in 1938. The white building sits on a sand dune with a view of the Gulf of Mexico. The multiple windows around the altar flood the six blue-and-white pews with light. In 1972, Austin-based artist John Patrick Cobb covered the interior walls with colorful Biblical murals. It’s a sanctuary and work of art. The Chapel on the Dunes is open on the first and third Saturday of the month. Tours start at the Port Aransas Museum at 9:15. The tours are limited in size and reservations can be made at 361/749-3800.
Dec. 7 & 21, Tours of Chapel on the Dunes, Port Aransas, 361/749-3800, portaransasmuseum.org

Travel Notes:

Trout fishing in Texas. It’s time once again for that most sacred of Texas traditions: trout fishing. Ordinarily the waters in Texas are too warm for rainbow trout to survive our blistering summers (with the exception of the Guadalupe River below Canyon Lake Dam, which is considered the southernmost trout stream in the U.S.) This year the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department will stock 342,373 rainbow trout between now and March 9. The schedule calls for edible-size fish to be dropped off at more than 100 locations around the state including several in the Austin area like Bullfrog Pond, Blanco State Park, Buescher State Park, Blue Hole Park Lake, the Llano River, and McKinney Falls State Park. A fishing license is required unless you’re in a state park or under 17 years of age. No fancy equipment is needed and the fish will hit on bait as simple as corn kernels.

Santa tchotchkes. Get in the holiday spirit with a visit to the Santa Claus Museum in Columbus. The collection of holiday memorabilia contains nearly 5,000 Santas decking its halls. The assemblage documents the evolution of the cultural depiction of Jolly Old Saint Nick through five families’ collections. The museum is at 604 Washington St. and opens in the afternoons on Friday and Saturday. There is no admission charge in December.

Walk on the wild side. A new nature preserve outside of New Braunfels dedicated to the protection of endangered species has opened to the public. Due to its sensitive ecosystem, the trails at Morton Preserve in Comal County will only be open September through February. A limited number of visitors per day will be allowed on the property by reservation through the county’s website. The county purchased the former ranchland near the Guadalupe River and off River Road in 2008 through a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Hikers to the 288-acre property are required to stay on former ranch roads. The sanctuary’s rules do not allow dogs and littering, among other guidelines.

Music in the country. The details haven’t been worked out yet, but save the date for the Old Settler’s Music Festival, April 24-27. This year the popular music fest returns to the heavily wooded ranch property outside of Dale, about 36 miles south of Austin.

Other December Events:

Jump to a region: | Big Bend | Gulf Coast | Hill Country | Panhandle | Piney Woods | Prairies & Lakes | South Texas

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BIG BEND

La Frontera Print Fest 2024
Experience a unique cultural event: the creation of a panoramic print with 10 panels using relief linocut printing, featuring the beauty of the borderland region, using important areas, icons, and landscapes. During the live printmaking performance, shop the art vendor market and discover the talent of artists around the region.
Dec. 7, El Paso, visitelpaso.com

GULF COAST

Nativity Displays
See a collection of 700-plus nativity scenes from around the world, some with unique interpretations and made of all kinds of materials. Organizers scour antique shops, flea markets, thrift stores, and estate sales across Texas to add to the displays.
Dec. 1-15, Port Lavaca, facebook.com

Dickens on the Strand
Downtown Galveston is transformed into Victorian England with roaming characters, parades, live music, and costumed vendors peddling their wares from street stalls and rolling carts. New additions include Tiny Tim’s Play Land and Shopkeeper Skills Village.
Dec. 6-8, Galveston, www.galvestonhistory.org/events/dickens-on-the-strand

Holiday Cruises
These 30-minute rides on a pontoon boat offer a glimpse of Snow Glow on the Bayou, an interactive light and video experience on and around Allen’s Landing organized by Downtown Houston+.
Dec. 6-29, Houston, buffalobayou.org

Cistern Illuminated
The special winter season light installation showcases the awe-inspiring qualities of the historic underground space. Tours are Wednesday through Sunday.
Dec. 6-26, Houston, buffalobayou.org

Light Boat Parade and Drone Show
Watch the night sky come to life with holiday-decorated boats parading in the City Marina followed by the second annual Holiday Drone Show. Spectators are encouraged to watch from Fisherman’s Wharf, where there will be live holiday music, photo ops, holiday beverages, Santa, and more.
Dec. 14, Port Aransas, www.portaransas.org

Island of Nighttime Kites
All ages will enjoy watching the Surfside Flyers Kite Club light up the sky with their enormous LED kites in Stahlman Park from 6-8pm.
Dec. 14, Surfside Beach, brazosport.org

Open Day
Established in 1971, the John Fairey Garden is an extraordinary preservation garden on 39 acres widely acclaimed for the originality of its design, its education and conservation programs, and its collection of over 3,000 plants, including many endangered and rare plants from Mexico, North America, and Asia. The garden is open for docent-led tours on Open Days at 10am, 11am, and 1pm. Nursery opens from 9am-3pm.
Dec. 14, 28, Hempstead, jfgarden.org

Belt Sander Races
Belt sander racing has been a tradition since 2005 at The Gaff, the “Birthplace of Texas Belt Sander Racing,” where competitors race their power tools down the wooden rack. Alcohol might be involved.
Dec, 14, 28, Jan. 11, 25, Port Aransas, facebook.com

HILL COUNTRY

Eisbahn Outdoor Ice Skating
Strap on a pair of skates and glide across the ice. The rink is open most weekdays in the evenings with extended hours on weekends.
Dec. 1-Jan. 25, Fredericksburg, www.heritageschool.org/eisbahn

Budafest
Meet Santa, shop among the vendors, enjoy the lighted parade, and stay for the fireworks.
Dec. 6-8, Buda, www.budafest.org

A Dickens of a Christmas
It’s a full weekend of fun with costume contests, baking contests, ice carving, music and magic shows, a bazaar, a bed race, and Christmas lights in the park.
Dec. 6-8, Llano, www.ltxdickens.org

Main Street Bethlehem
Explore the narrow streets of ancient Bethlehem to strains of ancient music, savoring the sights and smells. The holiday tradition happens on weekends from 6-9pm.
Dec. 6-15, Burnet, fbcburnet.org

It’s a Wonderful Life
George Bailey considers throwing his “wonderful life” in Bedford Falls away until Clarence intervenes. Evening performances with Sunday matinees.
Dec. 13-29, Round Rock, www.penfoldtheatre.org

Real Ale Cheers Holiday Market
Head out to the little brewery in the hills for an afternoon of shopping for gifts by artisans while enjoying the music in the beer garden.
Dec. 14, Blanco, www.realalebrewing.com

LBJ Tree Lighting
A holiday tradition started by President and First Lady Johnson with carolers, a live nativity scene, Santa, and the farm decked in Texas-German Christmas finery from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
Dec. 15, Stonewall, www.tpwd.texas.gov/calendar/lyndon-b-johnson/55th-annual-tree-lighting

Boxing Day Celebration
Continue the holidays with a day after Christmas tradition of with light hors d’oeuvres and holiday music in the tasting room while Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is read by the fireplace from noon to 4:30pm
Dec. 26, Stonewall, www.beckervineyards.com

PANHANDLE

Christmas at Old Fort Concho
The 29 buildings at the frontier fort are decked out for the season along with holiday shopping opportunities, entertainment, food, and living history displays.
Dec. 6-8, San Angelo, www.fortconcho.com

PINEY WOODS

The Polar Express Train Ride
Take a magical ride along with Santa Claus on a steam train through the forest to the North Pole.
Through Dec. 28, Palestine, www.texasstaterailroad.net

PRAIRIES & LAKES

Bethlehem Revisited
Step back in time and walk the streets of ancient Bethlehem as Mary and Joseph did on the night of Christ’s birth. On your journey to the site of the nativity, you will meet innkeepers, merchants, craftsmen, tradesmen, clergy, and many other citizens as they portray daily life in Bethlehem, complete with sheep, camels, and donkeys.
Dec. 6-14, Waxahachie, waxahachiecvb.com

Beat Root Revival in Concert
The high-energy duo puts on a foot-stomping performance in one of the best listening rooms in the state.
Dec. 7, La Grange, www.thebugleboy.org

Legends of Texas Whiskey Festival
Don’t just sample whiskeys from Texas distiller, learn how the elixir of the angels is made and how experts taste and judge spirits at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame from 6-9pm.
Dec. 7, Waco, www.legendsoftexaswhiskey.com

SOUTH TEXAS

Noche Buena at Main Plaza
Join a wonderful evening at the plaza in from of the beautiful San Fernando Cathedral from 4-9pm with music, food trucks, and a special showing of The Saga.
Dec. 7, San Antonio, www.mainplaza.org/events

White Shaman Tours
Journey deep into the rugged Lower Pecos Canyonlands to experience some of the best rock art in the world. Tours arranged through the Witte Museum go to various locations during the cooler months.
Dec. 7, 14, 21, 28, Comstock, www.wittemuseum.org/white-shaman-preserve

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Gerald McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his "Day Trips" column for more than 25 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page and follow him on Facebook.