Magic on Mainstreet in Grapevine, The Christmas Capital of Texas

Christmas is a magical time, especially on Main street in Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas where millions of lights sparkle, the storefronts and wineries are decorated with silver tinsel and red ribbons and the holiday spirit is the size of Texas.

Magic on Mainstreet in Grapevine, The Christmas Capital of Texas | Outside Suburbia

I love this time of the year when there is magic in the year! Whether we are in the Maldives, Morocco or Dallas, we manage to find the holiday spirit. Sometimes we get to see Santa zipping in a jet ski to deliver presents, but this year we were home for the holidays and found it on the main street in a small Texas town. We got to experience Christmas in Grapevine, a place that is recognized as the Christmas Capital of Texas (officially by the senate) since 2009.

See other ways to celebrate Christmas in Dallas (including skating around the nation’s biggest Texas sized indoor Christmas tree).

Looking for some matching family Christmas Pajamas, here are some of our favorites.

Christmas things to do in Dallas Fort Worth | Outside Suburbia

Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas!

Grapevine, Texas is just a few minutes from the Dallas International airport with a quaint main street that is home to wine tasting rooms, one of a kind shops, galleries, a vintage railroad, all anchored by a Glockenspiel Clock Tower. Turns out it is a great place to create wonderful Christmas memories with family and friends.

Magic on Mainstreet in Grapevine, The Christmas Capital of Texas | Outside Suburbia

The city comes alive with enormous Christmas ornaments, lights and decorations. Many events are held during the holiday season and there are plenty of Instagram-worthy photo ops.

Best things to do in Grapevine, Texas | Outside Suburbia

You can snap photos with characters, take photos on the vintage sleighs, life-sized Christmas cards and more throughout the main street, the main artery that runs through the town’s historic downtown!

After the sun sets, the magic really comes to life with a 40-foot community animated Singing Christmas Tree at Town Square Gazebo, and a massive Light Show Spectacular at City Hall. It truly is magical and I can’t believe we missed all these fund things to do in Grapevine all these years!

Here are some fun things to do during Christmas in Grapevine:

Soak in the Christmas Spirit on Main Street

Christmas lights and décor cover more of Main Street and include the area Hotels as well! You can enjoy the thousands of Christmas lights and decorations up and down Main Street. There are some scheduled daily performances as well.

Whos in Whoville 

Enjoy Light Show at the City Hall

Staring at nightly starting at dusk, you can see twinkling lights every night! The brilliantly-choreographed show at the City Hall runs nightly during the season.

City Hall, 200 S. Main St, Grapevine, TX 76051

Things to do in Grapevine, The Christmas Capital of Texas | Outside Suburbia

Shop the European style Christmas Market in Texas

At the Christmas market in Grapevine, you can shop locally and regionally sourced jewelry, produce, baked goods, local cheese, nuts, gift baskets and more at this open-air European-style market. Check the Grapevine Website for more details about dates and times

Town Square Gazebo, 325 S. Main St, Grapevine

We found Santa's Workshop right here in Texas | Outside Suburbia
We found Santa’s Workshop right here in Texas
Best things to do in Grapevine, Texas | Outside Suburbia

Ride the North Pole Express Train

You can experience the magic of Christmas onboard Grapevine Vintage Railroad’s North Pole Express. On board the train which features 1920s Victorian-inspired decor you can see performances from Santa and His Jovial Elves while you enjoy cookies and take home a Memory Mug and Recipe Card on How to Make Santa’s Special Frosty Chocolate Snow Milk.

705 S. Main St, Grapevine, TX  76051

Ride the North Pole Express Train in Grapevine, The Christmas Capital of Texas | Outside Suburbia

The Nutcracker in the Park

See the Nutcracker show which takes you on a magical journey through the Land of Snow to the Kingdom of the Sweets to visit the Sugarplum Fairy.  North Central Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker, now in its 26th season, and tickets are only $20.

Meadowmere Park & Campground, 3000 Meadowmere Lane
Grapevine, TX 76051

Christmas at Gaylord Texan in Grapevine

Gaylord Texan puts on some of the most spectacular events for Christmas. There are a variety of family-friendly traditional Christmas activities, events, and performances, Christmas decorations, and light shows. You can even go snow tubing, build your own snowman out of real snow (which is hard to come by in Texas!) or go ice skating at the 6,000 square-foot skating rink.

Gaylord Texan Resort - Yuletide Bright Light Attraction

The Gaylord Texan Resort has another huge Holiday attraction – Yuletide Bright, an outdoor attraction where visitors can walk through an enchanting, 50,000 square-foot outdoor space full of colorful, glowing, and holiday-themed lanterns, characters, and scenes that will evoke the heart-warming feeling of Christmas. Tickets here.

Mistletoe Booth and other Photos ops in Grapevine

We loved wandering on Main street in Mainstreet and finding all the photo ops in Grapevine. How cute is this Mistletoe Booth!

Mistletoe Booth and other Photos ops in Grapevine | Outside Suburbia
Christmas Photos in Grapevine | Outside Suburbia
Christmas Photos ops in Grapevine | Outside Suburbia
Christmas capital of Texas | Outside Suburbia

The city of Grapevine organizes over 1,400 Christmas events for 40 days during the holiday season. See their website for a complete list.

Grapevine Santa House

Located just 10 minutes away from the downtown area is the Grapevine Santa House. A house decorated with hundreds of glowing Santas. These are not just any Santa statues, they are “blow molds,” a specific kind of hollow, plastic figure which was popular in the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s. They’re rarely made now, and considered collectibles.

Murillo family owns the house and decorat them every year and you can donate online via a GoFundMe page. The funds are used to provid new, unwrapped gifts to Tarrant County families facing financial hardship.
3373 Spruce Lane, Grapevine

Grapevine Wineries

Grapevine is famous for the many wine tasting rooms and wineries. You can try some of these fantastic Texas wines along Grapevine’s Urban Wine Trail.

Grapevine Wineries | Outside Suburbia
  • Bingham Family Vineyards is a great wine tasting room in Grapevine, Texas. Since 1992, Cliff and his wife, Betty have served as pioneers in the Texas organic cotton and peanut markets and diversified their farming operations later to grapes. Together with their children, the Binghams currently own or manage over 200 acres of wine grapes in the Texas High Plains American Viticultural Area.
    620 S. Main St, Grapevine
     
  • Bull Lion Winery has been a working ranch for over 25 years, in 2010, they began a new adventure in the vineyard and wine business even though their families in Italy have been growing wine grape for over 100 years. Their vineyards are located in the Chalk Mountain AVA near Hico, and they have a tasting room in Glen Rose. Chuck Tordiglione, the owner focuses on growing Italian varietals along with a few others from Bordeaux and Spain. Try his award-winning Texianti.
     
  • Cross Timbers Winery is located in one of the oldest structures in Grapevine, at the historic Dorris/Brock home. Cross Timbers Winery offers a unique wine tasting experience, featuring 11 varietals grown in the High Plains.
    805 N. Main St, Grapevine
     
  • Delaney Vineyards is the largest vineyard in North Texas. Reminiscent of an 18th French Chateau, the 8,000 square-foot winery is nestled among 10 acres of lush grapevines. Not just wine tastings their winery is popular for special events, and weddings.
    2000 Champagne Blvd, Grapevine
     
  • Grape Vine Springs Winery is another great wine tasting room in Grapevine’s Historic Main Street. Featuring more than 32 different wines in production, Grape Vine Springs Winery offers daily wine tastings, a wide variety of wine accessories and the Night Watchman Ghost Tour.
    409 S. Main St, Grapevine
     
  • Landon Winery Bob Landon tried his hand at making wine in the basement of his Kansas City home in 1989. Now he operates the 9th largest winery in Texas with several tasting rooms in the Dallas area including the ones in Grapevine and downtown McKinney. The Landon wine-making process is complex and they use stainless steel tanks and American and French oak barrels.
    415 S. Main St, Grapevine
     
  • Messina Hof Grapevine Winery is located in the replica of the Wallis Hotel and offers a cozy 19th-century vibe. Messina Hof Winery is a family owned business and one of the most highly regarded and awarded Texas wineries. They feature more than 50 wines from 28 different varietals, some favorites include Private Reserve Papa Paulo Port, Private Reserve Cabernet Franc, and Solera Sherry.
    201 S. Main St, Grapevine
     
  • Sloan & Williams Winery You can enjoy a glass of wine on their pet-friendly patio. They offer seven varietals and three blends of wines. Some favorites include Serendipity, Sangiovese and Symphony. Make sure to try their amazing wine ice cream.
    401 S. Main St, Grapevine
  • Umbra Winery is a Texas winery in Springtown, Texas.  In 2016, Owners John and Debbie Wilson purchased La Buena Vida Vineyards, the third oldest vineyard and winery in Texas.  The grounds boast 7.5 acres of established vines, quaint cottages, an estate wine cellar, and an 8000 sq ft event center. You can try some of their award winning wines at the tasting room in Grapevine including the Umbra Pinot Gris.
    415 S. Main St, Grapevine

Other things to do in Grapevine

It is a shoppers mecca at the 1.8 million square feet, Grapevine Mills. There are many places to eat, but the Rainforest Cafe is always popular.

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center is an indoor LEGO® Playground experience full of building fun designed that families with kids aged 3-10 years will enjoy. Kids will love the LEGO City and the Build and Test area where you can build the fastest car and test it on the tracks. 

You can dive into an amazing underwater world and take the family on a fascinating journey from the coast to the ocean depths through 16 themed zones at SEA LIFE Grapevine aquarium. Don’t miss the amazing 360° view from the sea bed in the Ocean Tunnel.

Where to stay in Grapevine

We haven’t gotten to stay in these hotels and resorts in Grapevine since we live 20 minutes away in Plano, Texas. But if you are visiting the Dallas Fort Worth area or even planning a staycation in Grapevine, here are some great hotels that families would love.

Gaylord Texan Resort
Sitting on the shores of Lake Grapevine with 4.5 acres of indoor gardens, 10 restaurants, a resort pool and an indoor lap pool, this is a hotel proves that everything is big in Texas, the Lone Star State.

Hyatt Regency DFW
Located in the DFW Airport corridor, Hyatt Regency DFW International Airport offers great service, including a complimentary 24-hour airport shuttle and easy access to the historic Grapevine district.

Great Wolf Lodge
Considered one of the best indoor waterparks in Texas at Great Wolf Lodge, you can enjoy all of the water slides and pools. You can also enjoye Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine with a Day Pass. Half-Day Passes start at $40 per person and Full Day Passes start at $50 per person.

Christmas in Grapevine Texas | Outside Suburbia

We didn’t manage to go out of town this holiday season but glad we got to find some Christmas magic close to home and make some family memories in Grapevine, Texas!

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