Langtry legions. The real Judge Roy Bean, not the ones from film and screen, was a colorful character of the Old West without need for embellishment. He proclaimed he was “the law west of the Pecos” on dusty hill in Langtry not far from the Rio Grande at the gateway to West Texas. National fame came in 1896 when he staged an illegal prize fight on a sandbar in the river between the U.S. and Mexico. He gained legendary status by being a mythical product of the borderland frontier. Since 1936, Judge Bean’s Jersey Lilly saloon, pool hall, and courthouse have been preserved as part of a Texas Travel Information Center on US 90.
The southern route to Big Bend on US 90 takes a little longer than I-10, but it’s so much more interesting, especially the 60-mile strip between Del Rio and Langtry. Old Roy died in 1903 after a night of heavy drinking at the ripe old age of 78. He headstone was stolen so many times that his grave was moved from Langtry to the grounds of the Whitehead Memorial Museum in Del Rio. Expect to see lots of airplanes flying over the border town from Laughlin Air Force Base. A few blocks from the museum is Val Verde Winery, the oldest winery in Texas, open since 1883. On the northern edge of town San Felipe Springs is the fourth-largest spring in Texas and one of its best swimming holes.
There is also swimming, camping, and hiking at Lake Amistad National Recreation Area, a popular fishing hole a short 12 miles west of Del Rio. In the near-ghost town of Comstock, stop at J&P Bar and Grill for a great burger or chicken-fried steak. Continuing on US 90, take time to join a guided tour to see the ancient pictographs at Seminole Canyon State Park. Not far from the state park is a pullout with a scenic view of the river at the Pecos River High Bridge, the tallest bridge in Texas. It’s a 15-minute drive from the bridge to a potty break at one of the most unusual Texas travel centers before the hourlong drive to Sanderson. Judge Roy Bean built his Jersey Lilly on railroad company land to provide refreshments and the law west of the Pecos River to the men working on the railroad bridge. Walk through the restored saloon to get a feel for the authentic Old West.
Travel Notes:
Light Park, a drive-thru holiday light show, is now at nine locations. Credit: Light Park
Light up the night. Founded in 2020, Light Park is a colorful drive-thru attraction with holiday lights, immersive tunnels, and larger-than-life displays. The drive-thru Christmas light destination has nine locations across Texas, including San Antonio, Round Rock, Selma, Dallas/Fort Worth, and the Houston area. Hours are 5:30 to 10pm Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 4.
Thousands of rainbow trout will be stocked in Bullfrog Pond and Kingfisher Lake in Austin. Credit: TPWD
Trout time. The stocking of Rainbow trout in bodies of water around the state continues until March. Texas Parks & Wildlife will stock 300,000-plus rainbows at more than 200 locations, most of them easily accessible to urban areas. These trout are fun to catch and meant to be eaten. The daily bag limit is 5 fish per person, with no size limit. Fishing licenses are required for almost all anglers over 17 years old unless they’re fishing in a state park.
A good place to spot whooping cranes is in the field at Eighth Street and Lamar Beach Road in Lamar. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod
Whopping success. Last year a record number of whooping cranes spent their winter vacation on the Texas coast. A whopping 557 birds, including at least 41 juveniles, were counted between November and March. The cranes, which migrate from Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada, spend their winters at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding areas. All whooping cranes alive today came from the all-time low of 15 whooping cranes that were wintering at Aransas NWR in Austwell in 1941. The red-capped cranes are the tallest birds in North America and the rarest cranes in the world. The first pair of whooping cranes of the 2025-2026 season were spotted on Nov. 19 at the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture.
The Quarters at Presidio La Bahía has its own entrance to a small apartment at the historic fort near Goliad. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod
No room at the inn. Due to plumbing renovations, the Quarters at Presidio La Bahía will be unavailable for rental until further notice. Presidio La Bahía is a fort built in 1749, not a mission. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is considered the world’s finest example of a Spanish frontier fort. The fort’s chapel is one of the oldest churches in America. After the Texas Historic Commission took over management of the historic site in 2023 from the Catholic Diocese of Victoria it continued to operate the Quarters as place that visitors could rent for the night. The small apartment contains a small living area, kitchen, and bedroom.
Other December Events:
BIG BEND
1968: A Folsom Redemption
Johnny Cash fans won’t want to miss this opportunity to see a collection of rare photos and memorabilia from the historic Folsom Prison concerts.
Dec. 6-March 15, Odessa, www.noelartmuseum.org
GULF COAST
Ice Land in Galveston provides a frozen world for the holidays. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod
Holiday in the Gardens
Ice Land presents “Christmas Around the World” featuring more than 2 million pounds of ice that have been meticulously carved into stunning ice sculptures. Enjoy more holiday fun including the Arctic Ice Slide, an ice-skating rink, holiday-themed movies, and more. Don’t miss the Holiday Lights Trail, a mile-long trail of illuminated displays.
Dec. 1–Jan. 3, Galveston, www.moodygardens.com
Montrose Walking Tour
Get to know Houston’s famous Montrose neighborhood, home to the Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, the campus of the University of St. Thomas, as well as spectacular mansions and charming bungalows on a 2-hour walk sponsored by Architecture Center Houston.
Dec. 13, Houston, architecturehouston.org/event/montrose-walking-tour-5
Dickens on the Strand
This holiday street festival transforms downtown into the Victorian London of Charles Dickens complete with costumed characters, street performers, vendors, bed races, parades, holiday food and drink, Victorian-inspired crafts, and more. Attendees are encouraged to join in the fun by dressing in period costumes.
Dec. 5-7, Galveston, www.galvestonhistory.org
Handmade Nativity scenes are part of the display. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod
Fields of Honor: A Luminous Tribute at San Jacinto
More than 21,500 candles will illuminate the San Jacinto Battlefield in remembrance of the Texans who gave their lives in armed conflict.
Dec. 6, La Porte, www.sanjacinto-museum.org
HILL COUNTRY
The Jones Christmas Ranch
A ranch-size drive-thru holiday display with more than 4 million lights and musical displays that opens nightly at 6pm.
Dec. 1-31, Boerne, www.thejoneschristmasranch.com
A Time Before Texas
This immersive exhibition explores the lives of the earliest people to inhabit what we now call Texas.
Dec. 1-31, Goldthwaite, www.legacyplaza.org/events
Starry Starry Nights Lighted Christmas Park
Bring friends for stroll through Badu Park along the Llano River and enjoy the lights.
Dec. 1-31, Llano, www.llanostarrystarrynights.com
Follow Santa to a world of colored lights beside Lake Marble Falls. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod
Walkway of Lights
Walk along the banks of the lake illuminated by thousands of lights leading to hot chocolate and the ice-skating rink.
Dec. 1-Jan. 3, Marble Falls, www.visitmarblefalls.org
Lights Spectacular Hill Country Style
One of the special holiday lighting experiences with walk-thru displays at the county courthouse, Memorial Park, and PEC headquarters.
Dec. 1-Jan. 4, Johnson City, www.lightsspectacular.com
Sights and Sounds of Christmas
It’s an evening of fun with a lighting display, carnival, Night in Old Bethlehem, petting zoo, and food court.
Dec. 4-6, 11-13, San Marcos, www.sights-n-sounds.org
Dry Comal Creek Guided Walk + Foraging
Great Springs Project is partnering with a local forager to host a guided walk on a segment of the GSP trail.
Dec. 5, 9am, New Braunfels, www.givepulse.com/group/1102703
Budafest
Enjoy the holiday cheer with activities, carnival, shopping, a night parade, and fireworks.
Dec. 5-7, Buda, www.budafest.org
Main Street Bethlehem
Explore the narrow streets populated by actors and live animals following the trail to the cave where a road-weary couple has moved in with the animals, 5:30-8:30pm.
Dec. 5-7 & 12-14, Burnet, fbcburnet.org/main-street-bethlehem
The National Museum of the Pacific War, a Texas Historical Commission property operated by the Admiral Nimitz Foundation, gets its first update since 2009. Credit: Texas Historical Commission
Reopening of the George H.W. Bush Gallery
The refreshed gallery at the National Museum of the Pacific War will introduce novel interactive experiences that bridge past and present. Visitors will see the Pacific War through the eyes of virtual characters such as pilots, nurses and refugees.
Dec. 6, Fredericksburg, www.pacificwarmuseum.org/event/grand-reopening
Robotics and Rocketry Day
Competitive robotics and rocketry teams from Johnson City High School will show and explain their science projects.
Dec. 6, 10am-2pm., Johnson City, www.sciencemill.org
A Walk in Bethlehem
Walk through a recreation of the town of Bethlehem to find the babe in a manger, 6-9pm.
Dec. 9-10, Boerne, www.sthelenas.net
The Cello Chronicles
An evening at Altstadt Brewery featuring the Texas Cellos, a quartet of international soloists, presenting a musical tour of world history and culture, from ancient Italy through the Beatles, culminating in a haunting arrangement of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah.
Dec. 19, Fredericksburg, www.texascellos.org
PANHANDLE PLAINS
Part folk art display and part Christmas light extravaganza, Fantasy of Lights will enthrall all ages. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod
MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights
It started as one family’s Christmas decorations and has evolved into a community celebration like no other.
Dec. 1-26, Wichita Falls, fol.msutexas.edu
Texas Cowboy Christmas Ball
The original Ball was held in 1885 in the Star Hotel in Anson, the annual dance has been held in Pioneer Hall since 1940. This year’s program covers three nights with Michael Martin Murphey, Billy Mata and the Texas Tradition, Jody Nix and his Texas Cowboys.
Dec. 18-20, Anson, https://texasccb.com/christmas-ball
PRAIRIES AND LAKES
Santa’s Wonderland
This claims to be the world’s largest Christmas park with millions of lights, real Texas snow, live music, horse-drawn tours, train rides, bull rides, and a petting zoo.
Dec. 1-Jan. 4, College Station, www.santas-wonderland.com
Santa Claus Museum
The only Santa museum in the south shows why old St. Nick is so jolly with nearly 5,000 Santas decking its halls. Open Friday and Saturday.
Dec. 1-27, Columbus, www.santamuseum.org
Nothing says Christmas like model trains in the Elgin Depot. Credit: Tinplate Trackers of Austin
Holiday Display of Electric Trains
The Tinplate Trackers of Austin will be setting up four tracks of model trains in an extended infinity shaped layout with winter and Christmas motifs in Elgin’s 1903 railroad depot. Unique among model train organizations, TTofA allows kids to work the controls.
Dec. 4-Jan. 4, noon-5pm, Elgin, www.elgintexas.gov/200/Elgin-Depot-Museum
Festival of Nights at Trail of Lights
Walk the grounds of the Kreische Brewery State Historic Site and enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas, refreshments, and colorful lights.
Dec. 12-13, 19-21, (Lights only Dec. 17, 18, 22, 23), 5:30-8pm, La Grange, https://thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/kreische-brewery
SOUTH TEXAS
The historic mission at Goliad shines in the holiday night. Credit: Gerald E. McLeod
Illuminate
Step into a world of wonder as the gardens are lit with handcrafted lanterns, glowing trails that wind through the garden’s natural beauty, and larger-than-life sculptures that transform the night into pure enchantment.
Dec. 1-Jan. 11, San Antonio, www.sabot.org
Who Murdered the Mall Santa?
A hilarious murder mystery where the audience helps choose the murderer and the victim. Pay-What-You-Will night on Thursday Dec. 18, and Sunday matinee on Dec. 7 at 2pm.
Dec. 5-27, San Antonio, theovertimetheater.org
Anniversary of the Goliad Declaration of Independence
The Goliad Declaration of Independence was signed by colonists on Dec. 20, 1835, making it the first declaration of independence for Texas. Reenactors will be re-creating the signing of the document 190 years to the day on the same spot as the original signers.
Dec. 20, Goliad, https://thc.texas.gov/historic-sites/presidio-la-bahia
OUT OF STATE
Christmas Eve Bonfires in St. James Parish
Southern Louisiana has many colorful traditions and one of the most beautiful is the lighting of the bonfires along the Mississippi River on Christmas Eve. As many as 100 bonfires may be erected in the adjoining communities of Gramercy, Lutcher, Paulina, and more scattered in other locations in St. James and neighboring parishes.
Dec. 24, St. James Parish, LA, www.explorelouisiana.com/articles/louisiana-christmas-tradition-bonfires-levee
Gerald McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his “Day Trips” column for more than 30 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page and follow him on Facebook.
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