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]

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.