Want to get out of town for Christmas? These cities a day’s drive from San Antonio go all out for the holidays

SAN ANTONIO — Listen, we get it. 

If you’ve lived in San Antonio for a certain amount of time, visiting the River Walk lights or driving through displays at Wolff Stadium every year may leave you feeling a little “been there, done that.”

Don’t feel guilty. We’ll keep your secret. 

In fact, we’ll do you one better: Here are some South Texas communities a day’s drive from San Antonio where you can feel merry anew about the holiday season. 

With millions of twinkling lights adorning the county courthouse, city parks and downtown buildings, this Blanco County community just about an hour’s drive up Highway 281 has earned its nickname as “The Twinkliest Town in Texas.”

The lights flip on every evening through Jan. 4, and the weekend before Christmas will bring screenings of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for families to enjoy at Memorial Park (along with a visit from the big, green meanie himself. 

Just a little further up 281 is another quaint Hill Country community that sets up its own “Walkway of Lights” against the striking backdrop of Marble Falls Lake. Santa is also around to meet with kiddos during the weekend, and revelers can also enjoy a winter ice rink, wine tasting, a “Polar Express” screening and supporting local shops. 

Dickens on Main may have passed, but there’s still reason to visit Boerne on Saturday: It’s the final day of the Cowboy Christmas Market, where those in need of last-minute gifts will be able to peruse wares from dozens and dozens of vendors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Families can also enjoy the Old West Christmas Light Fest, a leisurely stroll through a fantastically merry part of town featuring opportunities to meet Santa, dance to live music and roast s’mores. 

In Fredericksburg, just an hour’s drive from the Alamo City, the centerpiece to see isn’t a Christmas tree but a 26-foot-tall Weihnactspyramide that harkens back to Germanic traditions.

 There is also outdoor ice skating, a German Christmas Market and the chance for families to decorate their own paper mache ornaments. 

Up closer to Austin, Buda is welcoming visitors to Stagecoach Park enjoy its own holiday lights trail, which concludes this weekend. Shoppers can also head to Buda City Park on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to enjoy the Budaful Farmers Market, and if you happen to find yourself in town on Christmas Eve, you can try your hands, er, feet at free line dance lessons at the famous Mavericks Dance Hall.