When December comes to Austin, Zilker Park turns into a river of light. The Austin Trail of Lights, glowing since 1965, winds families through more than two million bulbs, ninety lighted trees and tunnels of color that make every child walk a little slower and stare a little longer.
The ritual has rules of joy: hot chocolate at the gate, a spin, arms wide, beneath the 155-foot Zilker Tree, the moontower-turned-Christmas-icon that has crowned the hill since 1967, and a slow lap past the lighted scenes, from Santa’s workshop to the dancing displays local sponsors dream up each year.
Zip passes and early entry help families with little legs, and the whole route is stroller-friendly under the pecan trees. Food trucks line the way with the smell of kettle corn and cocoa.
It is the brightest walk in Texas and the merriest mile in Austin. Happy City News will see you under the tree, spinning.
