Insider Tips for Visiting Christmas Hotels & Towns with Kids

• Winters in North Texas are unpredictable. While it’s usually on the warmer side, there’s always a chance of rain, frigid temps, and even snowy or icy conditions. Dress appropriately, bring layers, and drive safely!
• Be sure to check websites for updates before heading out. If there’s a chance something has been canceled or rescheduled, you’ll want to know before you get there.
• Lots of festive hotels near DFW fill up early during the holiday season. Make your reservation as soon as you know you’re going.
• Be adventurous and try new festive hotels or Christmas towns near Dallas-Fort Worth every year. It’ll just make the memories that much sweeter.
• If you want to check out a Christmas town that’s farther away than right outside the metroplex, make it a weekend getaway the kids will never forget.

Festive Hotels Near Dallas-Fort Worth

The Gaylord - Grapevine

The Gaylord Texas is THE festival hotel in DFW. Known for over-the-top decorations, fantastic holiday packages, and ongoing activities, it’s worth the price tag to book an overnight stay or a weekend trip here. Some of the highlights of Christmas at the Gaylord include:

• The legendary ICE! Exhibit. From November 14, 2025, to January 4, 2026, wander through 10 frozen rooms filled with ice sculptures depicting characters and scenes from this year’s theme: the classic holiday film Elf.
• A 6,000 ice skating rink
• Snow Flow Mountain: a six-lane tubing hill made from real ice
• Gingerbread decorating corner
• Pictures with Santa.
• Stories with Mrs. Claus
• The Here We Glow a Caroling Light Show
• Elf Training Academy
• Snowball Build and Blast

The Anatole - Dallas Design District

One of Dallas’ most family-friendly hotels is also one of the most festive hotels in DFW. They offer impressive packaged stays that include multiple activities, including Breakfast with Santa and ice skating, and there’s even the Santa Suite that’s decked out for the holidays. Highlights include:

• Ice skating
• Train rides
• Holiday bounce houses
• Mrs. Claus’s library
• Santa’s Workshop craft station
• Breakfast with Santa on weekends from December 6 to December 24, 2025

The Aldophus - Downtown Dallas

This historical hotel lights up for the holidays, but the architecture alone is worth a visit. Christmas activities include:

• The revered holiday high tea, happening from November 5, 2025, to January 11, 2025, at The French Room 
• Upgraded rooms via the Holiday Glow package
• Holiday dining at The French Room bar
• The Winter Village: a rooftop apres-ski experience complete with cozy chalets, warm blankets, and global holiday cuisine
• The Aldophus Great Tree Lighting on December 5, 2025, from 5-8pm. See the live 25-foot tree aglow in lights, listen to Victorian Carolers, and enjoy the hot toddy bar and complimentary holiday cookies
• The Rare Magic show performed by celebrated Dallas magician Drew Murray, on November 28- 29 and December 19-20, 2025

Hotel Drover - Fort Worth’s Historic Stockyards District

One of the newest and coolest places to hang your hats in Fort Worth is also one of the most festive hotels in DFW. Holiday highlights include:

• The Legendary Tree Lighting on November 28, 2025, complete with sweet treats and photo ops with Cowboy Santa
• 12 Days of Drover: a fun countdown to Christmas filled with activities like fireside s’mores, visits from live reindeer, mailing letters from the North Pole post, and more.
• Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Brunch

Christmas Towns Near Dallas-Fort Worth That Are Worth the Drive

Grapevine, Texas

The official Christmas Capital of Texas gets over 2 million visitors during the holiday season every year, whether it’s to stay in one of the festive hotels or check out the larger-than-life decorations. The best part? It’s right in the middle of the metroplex, so it’s an easy day trip for anyone living in DFW.

Climb aboard Santa’s North Pole Express on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, take a spin on skates at the Peace Plaza Ice Rink, enjoy iconic Christmas films at the Palace Arts Center, and experience a Victorian Christmas at Nash Farm.

Enjoy the beauty of the Carol of Lights along Main Street, and cheer for your favorite float during the Parade of Lights. Find the perfect gift at the Grapevine Christmas Village Market, or plan a weekend getaway at the Gaylord Texan, Hotel Vin, or Great Wolf Lodge.

Nacogdoches, Texas

A trip to what is considered the oldest town in Texas is worth the drive. It’s just under three hours away, but the piney woods and rolling East Texas hills make you feel a lot farther away.

The city’s Nine Flags Christmas Festival happens every year from mid-November through the end of December and is filled with family fun that includes a downtown filled with twinkling holiday lights, a Merry Christmas market, Main Street Movie Nights, a Jingle Bell Run, a Victorian Christmas dinner, a model train display, a stocking stuffer stroll, and much more.

Cleburne, Texas

This suburb of Fort Worth is just under an hour away from downtown Dallas, making it Christmas town near DFW that’s perfect for a day trip during the holiday season.

Known for its old-fashioned Christmas celebration that runs from November 24 through January 4, 2026, the festivities kick off on November 24 with the Whistle Stop lighting ceremony at Hulan Park. There’s a lighted Christmas Parade on December 5, and other seasonal fun includes children’s train rides, candlewalk tours of historic homes, breakfast with Santa, the Winter Wonderland festival, carolers, ornament workshops, and more.