Always bring out your inner child, be young at heart always, life is beautiful. —Unknown
One of my favorite holiday traditions is driving around the city with my best friends looking at Christmas lights.
My favorite part is when we become professional Christmas lighting commentators, ha! Everything is much more fun when you’re laughing until your sides hurt.
And for some reason, the timing is always perfect. We’ll always come across homes where you can tell the wind knocked something over or the owners just threw up some lights.
Even though two of my best friends have moved away, I still hold these memories near to my heart.
That brings me to today’s article!
Whether you’re visiting or if you call Dallas home, pick up some hot cocoa and go see Christmas lights as if you’re a kid again!
Here are the best Christmas lights in Dallas / Fort Worth:
BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN DALLAS
ZOO LIGHTS | DALLAS, TX — Dallas Zoo Lights is great as a family-friendly event. Millions of twinkling lights cover three-quarters of the zoo! From life-sized animal lanterns to evening music performances, everyone will have a great time!
CAMPO VERDE RESTAURANT | ARLINGTON, TX — Campo Verde is an Arlington restaurant that’s covered Christmas decorations. Trust me when I say it gives a whole new meaning to “Deck the Halls” ha! Not sure about the food so maybe it’s best for some margaritas!
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN FORT WORTH
GIFT OF LIGHTS | FORT WORTH, TX — With more than 100-holiday displays and a million Christmas lights, check out Christmas lights at the Texas Motor Speedway! Tickets are $35 per car and take about 45 minutes to get through the show.
BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN DFW
PRAIRIE LIGHTS | GRAND PRAIRIE, TX — At two miles long, enjoy the holiday magic of four million Christmas lights at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie. You can also take a break halfway through and stop at the Holiday Village. Tickets for the Prairie Lights can be purchased online for $50 per car.
VITRUVIAN LIGHTS | ADDISON, TX — With more than 200 sparkling trees, Addison park is a beautiful holiday wonderland worth walking through! It’s family-friendly as well as romantic. A friend took us on a private plane a few years ago. The view is just as beautiful from the skies! Admission is free and Christmas lights stay up through Monday, January 1st.
BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN NEIGHBORHOODS
If you like seeing what neighborhoods do with Christmas lights, try visiting Highland Park Village, Uptown, and Swiss Avenue in addition to the areas below.
NATIONALLY-RECOGNIZED BURKMAN HOME | FRISCO, TX — The Burkman Holiday Home in Frisco is a 22-year-long tradition with 80,000 lights, 300 holiday pieces, and a full-blown Christmas village! My best friend and I went in person last year. The car lines were insanely long but worth it! I recommend parking and walking over to see it all in person. The best part of this home is that you can pay it forward. With a donation to the Burkman Family Foundation, you can help local students with disabilities with scholarships!
SANTA HOUSE AT 3600 SOUTHWESTERN AVE | DALLAS, TX — You’ll find gorgeous lights all through the Park Cities, but 3600 block of Southwestern Ave is fun. Why? You’ll find the Santa House with hundreds of Santas, haha!
DEERFIELD NEIGHBORHOOD | DALLAS, TX — Wander around between Preston and Coit Road with a cup of hot cocoa and take in all the Christmas lights in the neighborhood of Deerfield. Make sure to enter on Legacy Drive or Hedgecoxe.
HIGHLAND PARK VILLAGE | DALLAS, TX — Highland Park Village is Dallas’ top spot to dine and shop local brands and high-end designers! Plan a girls’ night, date night, or shopping day for a great time underneath trees wrapped in lights.
GREENVILLE AVE | DALLAS, TX — Head to Marquita and Matilda Street just off Greenville Avenue for lights that sync to holiday music! It’s a very popular area for good food, drinks, and hanging out with friends on any regular day too.
INTERLOCHEN LIGHTS DISPLAY | ARLINGTON, TX — I haven’t been yet, but the Interlochen neighborhood is another option if you want to see Christmas lights. Admission is free, but with over 200 decked-out homes, I assume traffic is bumper to bumper so pack some snacks and drinks.
OTHER DALLAS CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
PARADE OF LIGHTS | GRAPEVINE, TX — With more than 100 lit floats, this parade is just one of many Christmas activities. Solo, with friends, family, or a sweetheart, there is lots to do. When my other best friend is in town, we try to make it over to this area and shop to support small businesses. More information can be found on the Grapevine website.
For years, it’s been a tradition for my best friends and I to drive around and look at Christmas lights. Even though a few of them live far away now, I still do it to keep the tradition alive.
Do you guys love seeing Christmas lights as a tradition with loved ones?
My ultimate dream would be to see all the Christmas lights in London/UK. They sure know how to go all out for Christmas! Until then, I’ll be updating this article as I discover new areas with great Christmas lights!