Where to Find the Best Christmas Lights Near Houston, Texas
They say everything is bigger in Texas — and that includes Christmas lights. From enchanted wonderlands, to dazzling displays synchronized to holiday music, this is where you can find the best Christmas lights near Houston, Texas! Get all the information below.
Prestonwood Forest
Who's got the best Christmas lights on the block? It's serious business in this Houston neighborhood! Hundreds of neighbors battle it out every year in one of the city's jolliest subdivisions, Prestonwood Forest. The friendly rivalry started more than 40 years ago, with two neighbors trying to outdo each other's holiday decorations. Now, almost all of Prestonwood Forest's 785 homes light up for the annual 'Nite of Lights' competition throughout the month of December! For more information, visit www.prestonwoodforestonline.com.
Santa's Wonderland
You don't have to go to the North Pole to find Santa. Who knew he had his own Texas retreat? Santa's Wonderland in College Station (70 miles from Houston) is a Christmas celebration with a Texas twist! Take the kids on the West Pole Express and you'll find Santa – wearing a cowboy hat and boots, of course! With hayrides, a mechanical bull, and real Texas snow, it's a holiday hoedown you won't want to miss. For more information, visit www.santas-wonderland.com.
Magical Winter Lights
Ready to walk among dinosaurs? How about taking a trip around the world? Step into an enchanted wonderland at Magical Winter Lights, the biggest and brightest lantern festival in the country! The brightly-lit, 20-acre attraction in LaMarque, Texas, features replicas of world landmarks, a colorful undersea landscape, a mystical forest and a prehistoric land with life-size dinosaurs! The displays are all created with Texas-sized lanterns – some of them up to 60 feet tall! For more information, visit www.magicalwinterlights.com.
Wright Family
One Texas family is taking holiday decorating to a whole new level! They didn't just light up their home – they created a beloved Christmas wonderland in the small town of Dayton, Texas. The Wright family is simply known as "the Christmas people" around town. Their larger-than-life display of more than 150,000 lights has even put them in the national spotlight. They earned the grand $50,000 prize on ABC's "The Great Christmas Light Fight"! For more information, check out the Wright family's Facebook page.
River Oaks
There's nowhere more extravagant to see Christmas lights in Houston than River Oaks, one of the city's most historic neighborhoods. With lavishly decorated mansions and towering oak trees wrapped in glittering lights, River Oaks always draws huge crowds. It's not hard to see how the average homeowner in River Oaks spends thousands of dollars on their Christmas light display! For more information, check out the River Oaks Christmas Lights Facebook page.
Franck Christmas Light Show
If you thought putting up Christmas lights was hard work, wait until you see what goes into putting up Don Franck's holiday display! The Houston homeowner strings up over 150,000 twinkling lights and thousands of feet of electrical cord each year in a dazzling display synchronized to 17 different music tracks. It's a display so grand, he works on it all throughout the year! For more information, check out the Franck family's Facebook page.
Pecan Grove
You know it's Christmastime when you drive through the Richmond, TX, community of Pecan Grove! Almost all of the 2,100 homes in Pecan Grove are seriously decked out for the neighborhood's annual holiday decorating contest. Jump on a hayride and grab a cup of hot cocoa for the ultimate Christmas light sightseeing experience in this stunning winter wonderland! For more information, visit www.pecangrove.org.
Gullo Family
Santa always comes a little early in the Texas town of Magnolia! Every weekend before Christmas, Tony Gullo dresses up as Old St. Nick and invites neighbors into the whimsical, 5-acre holiday village in his front yard! With a massive light show, Christmas carols and hot chocolate, visiting the Gullo home has become a treasured holiday tradition for many families around town. For more information, visit the Gullo family's Facebook page.