-
.
. -
.
. -
.
.
With Christmas on Monday, there may be some extra time to take the family out of the house. As temperatures are expected to turn chilly, it would be a perfect time to bundle up and see all the pretty sights before we head into the new year. Our close friends in Houston have several spots that take lights to another level.
Magical Winter Lights is considered the grandest of them all. Located at Katy Mills, MWL was named Champion of “The Great Christmas Light Fight” on ABC and boasts the largest holiday lighting attraction in the state. This dazzling spectacle features thousands of intricately designed lanterns in various themes, shapes, and sizes. It is a winter wonderland display that is sure to capture the essence of the festive season with more than 6 million lights. Guests can walk through illuminated tunnels, admire towering sculptures, and even take part in interactive exhibits. MWL is open through Jan. 7, 2024. Tickets are available online at magicalwinterlights. com and start at $18.
New this holiday season at Houston Botanical Garden is “Radiant Nature.” View more than 50 larger-than-life Chinese lantern installations which come to life in stunning displays that showcase the beauty of nature and celebrate the promise of the Lunar New Year in a spectacular way. See a majestic 200-footlong dragon, a soaring 12-foot-tall peacock with a fan that gracefully unfurls, and much more. Explore an interactive zone buzzing with illuminated swings, whimsical seesaws, a digital kaleidoscope you can step inside, and other immersive, Instagram-worthy features. On display through Feb. 25, 2024, tickets start at $28.50. Visit hbg.org.
A favorite of many is Zoo Lights at the Houston Zoo. Now through Jan. 7, 2024, visitors will be impressed by animal-themed lanterns and glowing flowers, an Illuminated Ocean experience where you walk under illuminated jellyfish and other sea creatures, a 33-foottall color-changing holiday tree (perfect for pictures), and the 125-foot-long Infinity Tunnel of Light. Prices start at $24 and are only available online at houstonzoo.org.
Billed as “the most technologically advanced light display in Texas,” Space Center Houston (in Webster on Nasa Road 1) hosts Galaxy Lights through Jan. 7, 2024. Guests will experience interactive, technologically advanced displays like kinetic light shows, where dozens of suspended lights move to music in precise choreographed sequences. Other attractions include a light tunnel, an indoor meteor shower, and a brand-new interactive show – “Celebrate Light” – that explores the science behind light. View spacecenter.org for more details. Prices start at $19.95.
Just 20 minutes southwest of Houston, you’ll find a sparkling wonderland featuring more than 3 million lights, eight themed areas, a 40-foot free, holiday shopping, food, and more at the 8th Sugar Land Holiday Lights at Constellation Field through Jan. 1, 2024. Prices start at $12. View sugarlandholidaylights.com. The snow area and slide ends Dec. 25.
How can one forget Moody Gardens’ Holidays in the Gardens through Jan. 6, 2024. Enjoy a festive stroll along the mile-long illuminated trail featuring 2 million lights themed to holiday music with spectacular views of Galveston Bay. Along the way, visitors can enjoy concession areas, hot chocolate, s’mores and plenty of opportunities for pictures. There’s also 3D and 4D holiday films, train rides, ice skating and an artic slide. For tickets, visit moodygardens.com.
Other recommended areas are City Lights in Downtown Houston that includes Deck the Trees, Land of Sweets, ice skating at Discovery Green, Texas Winter Lights, Twinkle Town, Mistletoe Square, Winter Wonderlawn, Sugar Plum Plaza, Jingle Town, Winter Wanderland and City Halliday Lights.
There’s also Dasher’s Light Show at Sam Houston Race Park, neighborhoods like River Oaks, Winter Wanderland on Bagby, Holiday Lights at Memorial Park, Nite of Lites at Prestonwood Forest in Northwest Houston and The Light Park at Hurricane Harbor Splashtown in Spring.