You can enjoy great holiday traditions in our charming Central Texas towns from Wassail Fest to charming lighted parades to Snow Day. Check out the Top 10 family-friendly ways you can enjoy the holidays in Bastrop County!
No. 1 Cut your own Christmas tree!
Instead of going to a parking lot to buy a tree, how about making a holiday memory? Elgin Christmas Tree Farm and Evergreen Farms grow Christmas Trees for the holidays. You can search out your perfect tree and enjoy other family-friendly activities at the locations. They also have other programs during the year to make folks happy.
No. 2 Put a “twist” in your December weekends.
Want a little bit different time? Head out to Scream Hollow’s Twisted Christmas for 20 acres of lights and three haunted holiday houses and tours. They’ll even have cookies and hot beverages!
Runs for first three weekends in December for a traditionally twisted good time.
No. 3 Be entertained by a holiday musical… or two!
Continuing the “twist” theme, try out the musical performances of “A Nightmare Before Christmas” or see the classic “The Best Christmas Pageant.” Both run for three weekends in December.
“A Nightmare Before Christmas” explores the meaning of Christmas from Halloween Town to Christmas Town in witty performances that mirror the popular movie of the same name at Playhouse Smithville, a delightful community theater.
“The Best Pageant Christmas Pageant” is a tale of two young children whose antics turn a town pageant on its head, in this funny, touching holiday classic at the historic Bastrop Opera House.
No. 4 Take a walk down the River of Lights
Fisherman’s Park turns into a holiday treat with lighted displays all along the Riverwalk with the River of Lights. The display runs from Nov. 30 to Jan. 3, 2020.
No. 5 Enjoy some Wassail – Saturday, Nov. 30
Spicen your taste buds with homemade and house-recipe hot mulled ciders and wines at various downtown Bastrop shops during the Fifth annual Wassail Fest. You can even vote for your favorites!
No. 6 Enjoy the Festival of Lights – Saturday, Dec. 7
Smithville’s Festival of Lights comes with lots of gingerbread men, holiday markets, a large kid’s fest with lots of games and activities – including the infamous tricycle races – live music and lighted parade at dusk. You can even sign up that morning to be in the parade, but your entry must be lighted. Expect to get a visit from Santa, too!
No. 7 Hot Cocoa Stroll – Also on Saturday, Dec. 7
Elgin Home for the Holiday by the Tracks, Elgin’s Christmas holiday celebration, offers a Hot Cocoa Stroll, where you get a limited edition souvenir mug and sample your way through downtown. A lighted parade is after dusk with a multitude of floats and lighted entries. I bet Santa makes it to Elgin, too.
No. 8 Bastrop’s Lost Pines Christmas – Saturday, Dec. 14
From morning to night, you’ll love the wonderland created by the Lost Pines Christmas. An all-day festival, delights in every store, live music, and a 100-plus entry lighted parade at night. You’ll even get a visit from Santa! The event runs in conjunction with the Holiday Homes Tour.
No. 9 Bastrop Tour of Homes – Saturday, Dec. 14
For more than 40 years, the tour has showcased Bastrop’s historic past, and this year is no exception. People open their doors for the Bastrop Holiday Homes Tour 2019, a central event of Bastrop’s Lost Pines Christmas celebration! Head to downtown Bastrop for one of the most wonderful times of the year! Enjoy!
No. 10 Everybody loves a Snow Day – Saturday, Dec. 14
Snow Day – that about says it all. The Bastrop Parks Department hauls in a load of snow on Dec. 14th so the kids can slide and play in the winter coldness, no matter what the forecast says. The free event also includes games, crafts and treats for the children. Don’t forget your gloves!
BONUS: Photo op with Smitty, the World’s Largest Gingerbread Man
Check out Smitty, the giant gingerbread man who sports a Santa hat year-round at the end of Main Street and First in Smithville. The monument is the cookie sheet used to bake the giant cookie during Smithville’s holiday celebration in 2006, where it earned its place in the Guinness World Book of Records. And it’s painted just like it was frosted for the holidays. Smitty even has his own Facebook page. Make sure and take photos and selfies!
Want some more ideas? Check out our Upcoming Events.
Happy Holidays from Bastrop County!
