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Austin's Zilker Tree and Trail of Lights
When: December
Where: Austin's
Zilker Park, located just south of Town Lake
Admission: admission
to both the tree and the trail are free but there is a fee for parking
in Zilker Park or for parking in state lots and riding the shuttle
to the park.
Zilker Tree: The
lighting of the Zilker Tree kicks off the holiday season in Austin.
Started in 1967, the tree (then called the World's Largest Man-Made
Tree) has lit up the Austin skyline. The tree stands 155 feet tall
and is strung with 3500 multi-colored lights.
Just what is the tree? What's easily overlooked
during a daylight visit is easy to spot at night: the "tree"
is formed by strings of lights strung from a "Moonlight Tower,"
one of the famous towers which were first constructed to provide
Austin with "artificial moonlight." Around the tree you'll
find food booths; beneath the tree, look for kids carrying out an
Austin tradition: twirling in circles as they look up at the lights. [Related page: Video slide show of Zilker Tree]
Trail of Lights: A short walk from the Zilker Tree you'll find the Trail of Lights.
What originally began as Yule Fest has evolved into the Trail of
Lights, a one-mile walkway of illuminated displays, food booths,
Santa's House, an entertainment stage with singers and dancers,
and a Yule Log. [Related page: video of Trail of Lights]
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TexasTripper
Suggestion: Arrive early...really
early. We reached the park at 5:30pm and had no problem getting
to the park from the MoPac entrance and no problem finding a
place to park. By the time we left after 8pm, the roads leading
to Zilker were literally backed up
for miles. |
Special Events:
The Trail of Lights 5K
gives runners a "sneak preview" of the trail.
The Trail of Lights begins the next week with the Grand Opening
Parade.
Special "bike nights" give bicyclists, big and
small, first access to the trail.
Parking:
Parking in Zilker Park is limited
and there's an $8 per car fee. The Barton Springs entrance to the
park will be closed during the evenings; all traffic must enter
and exit on MoPac (Loop 1).
The other option is to park in
designated State parking lots downtown and hop a CapMetro shuttle.
For details on shuttle times and fees, check out the City
of Austin site.
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