Merry Christmas Y’all – A Texan Christmas Getaway
When people say they flew into Dallas airport, they didn’t actually land in Dallas, but an area between Dallas and Fort Worth, which incorporates the rather wonderful town of Grapevine. If you are planning a visit to Texas, or even just a layover in DFW (Dallas Fort Worth), I would strongly recommend you visit this delightful small Texan town and there is no better time than over the festive period.
Designated the Christmas Capital of Texas by the Texas State Senate in 2009, the town goes all out, with shop fronts, lamp posts sidewalks, public benches, pretty much everything you see almost groaning with the weight of countless baubles, lights, tinsel, candy canes and all sorts of other decorations. And that’s just outside, step inside almost any building and its like being in a Christmas grotto. The town’s Christmas decoration contest is an award hotly sought after.
Grapevine proudly boards of hosting 1,400 Christmas events over 40 days, with everything from carved ice displays, costumed carol singing, ice skating, Christmas parades, crafting events, concerts, festive vintage train rides, Christmas markets and much, much more. Plan your trip carefully so you can fit in as many as possible, it will be exhausting but will put you in the festive mood for possibly the whole year ahead.
The favourable weather is also a draw, no need for bulky coats here as December temperatures can reach early 20° Cs.
Food and Drink:
You won’t go hungry on any visit to Texas and this is definitely true here, with a huge amount of choice on places to eat and drink. Just a wonder along Main Street and you will come across a host of dining options.
Willhoite’s is a laid-back bar and restaurant within one of the oldest buildings in Grapevine. Known for its all-you-can-eat lunch buffet.
Harvest Hall is a casual dining option with a selection of food vendors to choose from, a great choice if not everyone in your group can decide what to eat.
For high end dining Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille of Bacchus Kitchen & Bar are both great spots.
With a name like Grapevine it comes as no surprise that wine is readily available here. The town has a number of wine tasting rooms, where you can try delicious Texan wine. The state is the fifth biggest wine producer in the US but locals joke you wont wine their wines anywhere else as they drink them all!
Accommodation:
Great Wolf Lodge is a perfect hotel for those travelling with kids, with an on-site indoor water park, themed rooms, and events and activities taking place each day including kids exercise classes, dance events, arts and craft and story time.
Gaylord Resort is another great choice, this huge hotel has a quite spectacular Christmas offering, the hotel’s atrium, which covers several acres, complete with trees, plants, water features and walking paths, gets an extreme Christmas makeover. Think Christmas trees several stories high, giraffe height nutcrackers and fairy lights that appear suspended from the sky, it really is quite magical.
The resort hosts ICE!, a Christmas attraction made almost entirely of, you guessed it- ice, with sculptures all based around the Elf movie, ice slides and even an ice bar. There are also daily activities within the hotel such as Christmas character breakfasts, Elf Training academy, gingerbread decorating and decoration making.
Shopping:
Grapevine Mainstreet has some wonderful shops with anything from high end clothing, jewellery, shoes and home wear, to cute trinkets and souvenirs.
I manged to get in some Christmas shopping at Grapevine Mills, an Outlet Mall which has over 180 shops, some of which offer great savings on named brands. Covering 1.8 million- square foot, this mall is Texan in size so be prepared to get your steps in. The Rainforest Café provides a great stop with animatronic animals that move and make sounds, keeping the little ones entertained, and almost pint-sized margaritas to keep Mum happy! Food portions are big and good value.
Top tip- Texas offers tax free shopping on clothes and shoes, offering even more savings. More information here.
How to get there:
Direct flights from London and Dublin to Dallas Fort Worth. Flight time around 10 hours.
From DFW airport you can take the train to Grapevine for just $2.50. The train station is very central.
Alternatively grab an uber, which costs around $35 and takes 15 minutes
More information:
https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/
By Anna Watt
Image credits Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau, Anna Watt & Dreamstime
