Do you remember how much fun it was to go see Christmas light displays when you were a kid?

For most of us, nothing has changed. It is still a thrill to go see the millions of twinkling lights and the wondrous world they create.

If you will be in Texas this holiday season, here are ten spectacular Christmas light displays to go see…

Christmas Light Displays in Texas

1. Nature In Lights – Fort Hood

Along the shores of Belton Lake, near Fort Hood, is the Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area. The locals call it BLORA.

They host the annual Nature In Lights holiday lights display.

A cool thing about Nature in Lights is that visitors drive through the lights display. It stretches over 5½ miles and has more than 120 displays.

Along the way, you can stop by Santa’s Village where you can buy homemade cookies and hot chocolate.

Prices are very reasonable, ranging from $8 per car or mini-van to $60 for a big bus.

2. Trail Of Lights – Zilker Park, Austin

The Austin Trail of Lights is located in Zilker Park. It is probably one of the best Christmas light displays in Texas!

There are more than 50 light displays to enjoy. Many food vendors along the way will ensure that you don’t get hungry or thirsty.

If you’re planning to drive there, you have to buy your parking ticket before the time. A good option might be to park at the Burger Center or Republic Square Park, and then take a shuttle to Zilker Park.

While it may be a little tougher to get there, the Trail of Lights is spectacular and well worth a visit.

3. Prairie Lights – Grand Prairie (Dallas Area)

Prairie Lights is another “drive-thru” Christmas lights display in Texas. It is located in Grand Prairie, between Dallas and Arlington.

Prairie Lights has about 4 million lights set in various displays along a 2-mile path. It takes about 45 minutes to drive through.

Holiday Village is about halfway through the drive. Here you can get out of your car to buy some concessions, like hot chocolate, apple cider, funnel cakes, and more. The Holiday Village also has an indoor laser show and a walk-thru forest (for an extra fee).

Prairie Lights is in Lynn Creek Park at 5610 Lake Ridge Pkwy.

4. Zoo Lights – Houston Zoo

The Zoo Lights at the Houston Zoo has a great holiday lights display.

There are more than 2 million lights in multiple displays along the way. They have holiday music playing as well.

For those who need a little warmth in the tummy, there is hot chocolate available too.

The Zoo closes at 5 p.m. for regular visitors and then re-opens at 6 p.m. for Zoo Lights visitors.

Parking can be an issue at times. If that is the case when you go at 6 p.m., grab some dinner first and return at 8 p.m. after the first wave of visitors has left.

5. The Riverwalk – San Antonio

Whether it’s Christmas or not, the San Antonio Riverwalk is a special place.

But when it is Christmas, the Riverwalk is even more special!

The entire Riverwalk gets covered in millions of colorful lights that turn the place into a magic wonderland.

If you’ve never been to the Riverwalk over Christmas, don’t miss out on the opportunity when it comes up. You’ll love it!

6. Walkway Of Lights – Marble Falls

The Walkway of Lights is a very nice Christmas light display in the Texas Hill Country.

It is located in Marble Falls, along the shores of Lake Marble Falls.

The Walk of Lights boasts more than a million lights on 230 displays. It takes about 30 minutes to walk through. There is a concession along the way where you can buy hot chocolate, apple cider, and cookies.

The Walkway of Lights is free, although they give you the opportunity to make a donation at the entry or exit.

If you’ll be in the Marble Falls area this holiday season, go see it. We’ve been there a few times and love it.

7. Santa’s Wonderland – College Station

Santa’s Wonderland in College Station is a treat!

It consists of two parts. The first is Santa’s Town, a Christmas village that has food, music, shopping, and other activities, like a petting zoo and pony rides. The second part is the Trail of Lights.

There are two ways to see the Trail of Lights. The first is Santa’s Hayride Tour, which is a 50-person hay ride that takes you through the trail of lights. The second option is the VIP Horse & Carriage tour (make reservations for this tour).

Santa’s Wonderland offers a lot. Go see it if you can.

8. Santa Land – Tyler

Santa Land is near Tyler in East Texas. It is the original drive-thru Christmas lights display in Texas.

Santa Land boasts more than 2 million lights, with many light displays in an area of more than 20 acres.

They have a large gift shop where you can buy many Christmas creations and hot chocolate and apple cider.

You can also have pictures taken with Santa.

9. Concho Christmas Celebration – San Angelo

The Tour of Lights is part of the Concho Christmas Celebration in San Angelo.

It is also a drive-thru Christmas lights display.

The Tour of Lights features more than 3 million lights in various displays over 2½ miles along the Concho river.

There is no entry fee, but they suggest a donation of $5 per vehicle.

10. Rock ‘N Lights – Round Rock

The final Christmas lights display in our round-up is Rock ‘N Lights Holiday Light Tour.

It is a fairly new drive-thru holiday lights display in Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

Rock ‘N Lights has more than 2 million lights in several displays along a 1½-mile path in the park.

The organisers recommend entering the park at the north entrance along Old Settlers Blvd.

After traveling through the lights display, you can stop at Christmas Towne, which has carnival rides, go-kart rides, food, and more.

There is no way that these are the only awesome Christmas light displays in Texas. If you know of any others, please share them in the comments.

Everyone in the family is excited. It’s vacation time and you’re heading to Clear Lake Texas!

Do you know what you’re going to do while in the Clear Lake area? Would you like some vacation ideas that will help you and your family have a great vacation?

That’s what I’m setting out to go give you here… some great tips to have a wonderful vacation in the Clear Lake Texas area!

Clear Lake is located between Houston and Galveston. This puts it within easy driving distance from both, and allows you to enjoy the fun things to do in both of those vacation spots.

Before heading to those two vacation spots, let’s look specifically at Clear Lake first…

Fun in Clear Lake Texas

NASA – Johnson Space Center

Johnson Space Center is probably one of the best known attractions in the entire Houston area. It is located on the north side of Clear Lake.

Space Center Houston is the visitors’ center where there are many exhibits about space that kids and grown-ups can explore. You can also take a tram tour of the Space Center grounds.

If you’ve never been to Johnson Space Center, it is worth spending a day of your vacation there.

Clear Lake Park

Clear Lake Park is on NASA Parkway, just a few miles away from NASA, in Seabrook. It is a beautiful, relaxing park, with breathtaking views of the lake.

There are picnic tables and barbecue grills, and a playground and lagoon splash pad for the kids. There is a nice pier to go for a walk. You can also fish at Clear Lake Park.

Every year in the Spring, there is a Crawfish festival and Gumbo cook-off in Clear Lake Park. Here you can eat plenty of crawfish and other food, and there are a bunch of activities to keep grown-ups and kids busy all day long.

Clear Lake Park is a great place to go spend a day outdoors with the family.

Kemah Boardwalk

The Kemah Boardwalk is great fun for everyone! It located in Kemah, right where Clear Lake enters Galveston Bay.

There is plenty of entertainment in the Kemah Boardwalk. With about 15 fun rides and a bunch of restaurants, how could you go wrong?

There are rides for little ones, as well as teens and adults. Want to have some great fun? Try out the Iron Eagle!

You can also stay right in the Boardwalk if you want to!

Fun in Houston

Houston is only about 25 miles north of Clear Lake Texas, so it will only take about 25 minutes to get to Houston’s attractions, depending on traffic.

There are several great attractions to visit in Houston. Here you can read more about fun things to do in Houston.

Fun in Galveston

If you’d like to spend some time on the beach, Galveston is the place to go. It is only about 30 miles south of Clear Lake, and will take about 30 minutes driving.

There is a lot to do in Galveston, like Schlitterbahn waterpark, Moody Gardens, and of course the beach. Here you can read more about fun things to do in Galveston.

Hotels in Clear Lake?

 A good place to stay is Seabrook. That puts you close to NASA and Clear Lake Park, as well as the Kemah Boardwalk. Here are several Seabrook hotels to look at.

Clear Lake Texas is perfectly located for a great vacation close to the south-east Texas coast. There are several fun things to do around Clear Lake, and it is close to Houston and Galveston. There are also some great hotels and restaurants around Clear Lake.

Go to Clear Lake and have a great time!

PS. Have you been to Clear Lake Texas, or do you know of any other ways to have a great vacation in Clear Lake? Tell us about it in the comments below…

Looking for a few fun things to do in Houston Texas? Many people think of Houston as a city full of oil companies… oh, and NASA, but there are lots of other fun things to do in Houston too.

It’s a great destination for family fun!

I’ve already mentioned NASA, and I’m planning to tell you more about it, but what about other things to do in Houston?

I will tell you about other great Houston attractions, like Discovery Green Park, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Houston Zoo, and several more.

Here are our favorite… 

Things To Do In Houston

1. NASA

NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston is where astronauts are trained. The famous Mission Control, seen in several movies and from where space flights are controlled, is also located here.

That makes it a very exciting place!

Space Center Houston is the official visitors’ center. It has several fun attractions, like Space Center theater, Blast Off theater, Feel of Space, and more.

We even took a tour to Mission Control, which is open to public tours whenever there aren’t any space missions.

2. Houston Museum of Natural Science

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is another cool place that I like a lot. It is a very interesting place where one can learn a lot about the world we live in, and have fun while doing it.

My youngest son loves dinosaurs, which makes the Paleontology Hall a great place for him to hang out. My favorite is the Energy Hall and African Wildlife exhibit.

There are many other exhibits, some permanent and some on display only for for a fixed period.

HMNS has something for everybody.

3. Children’s Museum of Houston

The Children’s Museum of Houston is within walking distance of the Houston Museum of Natural Science, so it’s easy to spend a whole day in this one area and visit both museums.

The Children’s Museum has some very cool, interactive exhibits for kids. Among many others, How Does It Work? is a science exhibit that shows kids how interesting things work. Moneyville teaches kids about finances and how money works.

I think the Children’s Museum is truly a great place for kids!

4. Houston Zoo

The Houston Zoo is also within walking distance of the Houston Museum of Natural Science… another reason to visit this area.

With more than 4000 animals, the Houston Zoo has it all… all kinds of apes and monkeys, lions, tigers, giraffes, elephants, bears, birds, snakes, and much more. They even have a white alligator!

Kids like the Children’s Zoo where they can pet animals too (the non-dangerous kind).

The Houston Zoo is one of the coolest things to do in Houston! Don’t miss it!

5. Discovery Green Park

Discovery Green Park is a huge park near downtown Houston and is a great place for families to hang out.

It has huge lawns, a children’s playground, dog runs, a jogging trail, a large lake, water features, two great restaurants, and even an outdoor ice skating rink.

There is even wireless internet available if you need it!

To me, Discovery is a nice place to hang out for a more quiet day or afternoon.

6. Splashtown Waterpark

Any decent water park will have a variety of pool, slides, and raft rides. SplashTown Water Park in Spring, just north of Houston, is no exception!

Can you imagine being launched through a dark tunnel, accelerating down steep, arcing turns that takes you into a bowl, and then end with a splash into the pool below? Well, that’s the RipQurl, and that’s only one of the many rides!

I won’t try to describe every fun activity here, but I can tell you that kids and parents alike ought to have a lot of fun at SplashTown!

With all these fun things to do in Houston, you should have a memorable time in Houston. I know we do!

Looking for Houston Texas hotels? There are many hotels in Houston to pick from, that’s for sure!

I usually like our hotel to be close to attractions that we want to visit.

Since we also usually travel with our kids, it is great if the hotel has a nice pool too.

Here are our favorite Houston Texas hotels that are also located within reasonable distance of Houston attractions… 

Crowne Plaza Suites Houston Sugar Land

First on my list of favorite hotels in Houston is the Crowne Plaza Suites Houston Sugar Land.

It is a beautiful hotel with clean, comfortable rooms, a magnificent pool, hot tub, exercise room, and wonderful hospitality. It also has a nice restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

The Crowne Plaza located in Sugar Land, which means it is a short distance away from attractions near downtown Houston, but it is located right next to Hwy 59 (Southwest Freeway), so access to downtown Houston is quite easy.

If you like a round of golf while on vacation, the Crowne Plaza is located next to the Westwood Country Club.

Super 8 IAH West/Greenspoint

The next good Houston hotel to consider is the Super 8 IAH West/Greenspoint.

It is located north of downtown Houston, and is a good choice if you’re planning a visit to SplashTown as well as attractions near downtown Houston… it is about in the middle of the two locations. It is also near the airport, with easy access to Beltway 8.

The rooms are spacious and clean, and in addition to a TV and free WiFi, they include a microwave and refrigerator, which is useful if you have kids.

The hotel offers really good value that includes a great breakfast… I particularly like the sausage with biscuits & gravy. It also has rooms available that include a Jacuzzi! The outdoor pool is very nice too!

Econo Lodge at NASA

If you’re planning on going to NASA, the Econo Lodge at NASA is a good choice. It is also only about 20 minutes’ drive away from the Kemah Boardwalk.

The rooms are comfortable and clean, and include refrigerators, microwaves and free WiFi. The hotel also has a nice outdoor pool. The staff are friendly too.

Overall, this hotel offers excellent value for your money!

Drury Inn and Suites Houston Hobby

The Drury Inn and Suites Houston Hobby is located near Hobby airport and puts you about halfway between NASA and downtown Houston.

If you like free food at a hotel, this is the place to go. Not only do they have a hot breakfast, but also a free evening event called Kickback where they serve mac & cheese, hotdogs, chicken strips, and more!

The rooms are really nice… beautifully furnished and spacious! They all have refrigerators, microwaves, and free WiFi. The hotel has an indoor/outdoor pool and whirlpool too.

The Drury Inn is reasonably priced and offers great value!

Crowne Plaza Houston River Oaks

The Crowne Plaza Houston River Oaks is located near downtown Houston, which means it is near attractions like the Houston Zoo and the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It is also close to the Houston Galleria Mall.

The rooms are very spacious and nicely decorated. All also have refrigerators, microwaves, and free WiFi. The pool is really nice too!

The Crowne Plaza also has a restaurant that offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Rooms typically go for around $100 per night and up, and the hotel offers all that we typically need, and more.

Other Houston Texas Hotels?

If these hotels are not in the area where you would prefer to stay, here is a list of great hotels in Houston to consider.

Have a great stay in Houston!

If you are looking for Houston restaurants to eat at during your Houston vacation, there are plenty of choices to look at…

Not all restaurants are equally good though, and the last thing you want to do is end up in a dump!

I have had a look at several restaurants in Houston that are worth eating at, and while there are many good ones, I think the list of restaurants below are very good.

Here are our favorite Houston restaurants… 

Pappas Bros. Steakhouse

Want an absolutely delicious steak, cooked just the way you like it, and don’t mind paying a bit more to get it? Look no further than Pappas Bros. Steakhouse!

Being a steakhouse, their menu is focused on steaks, excellent steaks, but they also have a small amount of seafood items.

The setting at Pappas Bros. is really nice (read “fancy”).

Although they also have a kids’ menu, when my kids were still small, I preferred to go there when my wife and I wanted to enjoy a decent steak on that rare “evening out”.

Pappas Burger

If you’re in the Pappas Bros. Steakhouse area with the kids and would prefer some good burgers, Pappas Burger is right there!

They make really good hamburgers and they have a decent variety of burgers to choose from. My favorite is the Bleu Cheeseburger!

They also serve a bunch of other tasty food, like various sandwiches, ribs, seafood, and chicken wings, and my youngest son’s favorite… root beer floats!

At times, Pappas can be crowded. If you want to go for dinner, either go just before 6pm or around 8pm to avoid the rush.

Niko Niko’s Greek

In the mood for some excellent Greek food? Then you have to go to Niko Niko’s Greek!

The first time I ever ate tzatziki was on the Greek island, Corfu, many years ago. I loved it… it was great! And so is the tzatziki at Niko Niko’s!

There’s much more than tzatziki though…

They have several excellent sandwiches, of which the Gyros sandwich is my favorite. My spouse likes the Saganaki shrimp, and the kids love the feta cheese pizza. The have some great desserts as well.

Like Pappas Burger, Niko Niko’s can also be crowded at times, but it is well worth the wait!

Star Pizza

If pizza is on the menu for the day and you don’t want the run-of-the-mill varieties, go to Star Pizza!

They have several wonderful specialty pizzas on the menu, of which I really like Joe’s. If you want to make your own pizza, they have a huge amount of toppings available to make just about any pizza imaginable.

If you’re not in the mood for pizza, they also have several pasta dishes and salads available.

They also have a fantastic lunch buffet.

Give Star Pizza a shot if you’re a pizza fan. You’ll love it!

Baba Yega Restaurant

Quite close to Niko Niko’s Greek, is Baba Yega Restaurant, which is a nice restaurant with a good atmosphere, and that serves excellent food at a great price!

Among the appetizers, a family favorite for us is the artichoke & spinach dip.

They have an array of salads, sandwiches (I like the smoked turkey & brie), vegetarian dishes, and a handful of tasty entrees.

All of these are quite reasonably priced.

The atmosphere at Baba Yega is very nice too. Give a it a try!

Ninfa’s on Navigation

Ninfa’s on Navigation has been around for a long time, serving excellent Mexican food all along.

My favorite Mexican dish is enchaladas, and Ninfa’s enchaladas are very good. They also have a pumpkin soup that is magnificent. My wife likes their chimichanga a lot. Their fajitas are excellent as well.

In my mind, this is some of the best Mexican food that you will eat in Houston!

(You should know that there are a few other Houston restaurants named “Ninfa’s”. The restaurant I’m referring to, is specifically named “Ninfa’s on Navigation”.)

Other Houston Restaurants?

The restaurants above are some of our favorites, but they are only a handful out of hundreds of Houston Texas restaurants, so if you would like to consider other options too, here are several more good restaurants in Houston to look at.

Bon Appetit!