Things to Do in Houston at Christmas: Six Ideas

Christmas things to do in Houston are mostly lights, an ice rink and a few themed rides, and most happen in the evening. Plan one evening idea per night.

1. Discovery Green: the ice rink and the park

Discovery Green is the easiest first stop because the park is free and the ice rink is the holiday draw. The Discovery Green park in downtown Houston is open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the park's visitor page says admission is always free.

The Green Mountain Energy Ice rink is the winter attraction. The rink's page listed last season as open November 15 through February 2. Inclusive Skating cost $18 plus tax for 75 minutes with skates included. Two kids aged 10 and under skated free on select Thursdays with one adult ticket.

The 2026-27 dates were not posted on that page on 28 October. We could not confirm any lights show at Discovery Green, because the park's pages list none, so treat the rink as the draw and check the events calendar for December.

2. Downtown lights and a tunnel tour for a wet afternoon

Downtown has the most holiday lights within walking distance of each other. Visit Houston listed City Lights Downtown Holiday Magic from November 22 to December 31 last season and said it was mostly free to enter. It also listed Astros Light Up the Park at Daikin Park from November 22 to January 4. Those are 2025 dates, so confirm the 2026 ones with the organisers.

For a wet or chilly afternoon, go underground. The Astroville downtown tunnel tour and hidden gems is a 2 hour walk with a local guide through the air-conditioned tunnel system. It meets at 914 Dallas Street, takes up to 15 people and is run by Astroville Tours & Houston Charter Transportation.

The tour costs from €27 per person and is rated 4.9 from 263 reviews. Free cancellation is stated. The listing says it is not suitable for wheelchair users. Downtown Houston says the tunnels close by 6 p.m. and are not open on weekends or evenings, so check the listing for the days it runs.

3. Zoo Lights at the Houston Zoo

Zoo Lights is a ticketed evening light show at the Houston Zoo in the Museum District. Last season it ran from November 21 to January 4, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., with the last entry at 9:30 p.m. Adults and children paid the same price, and children aged 2 and under were free, according to the tourist board's list.

Tickets cannot be bought at the gate, and the zoo offers no refunds or exchanges. The zoo's own page for the 2026 season could not be read on 28 October, so look there for the dates and the price. Parking in Hermann Park's lots is free, and the Red Line rail stop at the zoo is about a 10 minute walk away.

Pro Tip Buy the timed Zoo Lights ticket online before you leave, because the zoo does not sell tickets at the gate and does not refund them.

4. Neighborhood lights in River Oaks, the Heights and Uptown

River Oaks is the classic free drive. The tourist board calls it the city's most popular neighborhood to visit during the holiday season, with mansions covered in lights. Its holiday lights list suggests starting at the River Oaks Country Club and listing the self-guided tour for December 2025.

Two more were listed, and nothing ranks them against River Oaks. Lights in the Heights was dated December 13, 2025, and Uptown's display runs along Post Oak Boulevard. No hours, prices or street route were given for any of them, so use a map app and go after dark.

One limit to know. The tourist board's River Oaks article is from 2022 and gives no dates, so homes may light up on different weeks each year.

5. A holiday lights tour on a double-decker bus

A lights bus is the easy way to see downtown without parking. The holiday lights tour on a double-decker bus lasts 1 hour and meets at 500 McKinney Street. It is run by TopView, and the listing mentions panoramic windows, a glass roof and Christmas music.

The listing says you can bring your own drinks, and it does not say that drinks are supplied. The tour costs from €29 per person and states free cancellation. It is new on GetYourGuide and has no ratings yet, so there is nothing to judge it by. The listing notes that it is wheelchair accessible, and no group size is named.

6. A Home Alone Christmas ride with pizza

A themed ride suits a small group that wants to ride instead of walk. The Home Alone-inspired Christmas ride with pizza is a 2 hour drive in a fully electric pink karaoke cart, with a pizza stop and a photo stop. It starts at Roots, 3107 Leeland Street, and is run by Life of the Party Bus.

The ride costs from €47 per person. The listing includes one slice of cheese pizza, a Christmas cup and a pigeon decoration to keep. It takes 3 to 6 people, and if 3 have not booked 24 hours before, you can reschedule or get a full refund. Drinks, parking and the driver's tip are not included, and bring-your-own drinks are welcome for guests 21 and over, with no glass. It has no ratings yet. If you want free neighborhood lights instead, the tourist board names River Oaks first, then Lights in the Heights and Uptown (see section 4), and it ranks none of them above River Oaks.

Holiday lights look best when you plan the evening around one place.

How to choose things to do in Houston at Christmas

Pick by who you are with and how much you want to spend. Use the table below.

The Best Travel Destinations' count of GetYourGuide listings for Houston in October 2026 found 2 holiday listings among 93: a holiday lights bus and a Christmas karaoke-cart ride.

Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 28 October 2026, except the tunnel tour, shown on 27 October 2026.

Christmas Day in Houston: what is open

On Christmas Day, the clearest options are Discovery Green's free park and its ice rink, which kept shorter hours last season. The park is open daily, and its visitor page names no holiday closure. The rink listed December 24 as 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and December 25 as 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Other places close. The city lists the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park as closed on Christmas Day. The downtown tunnels are normally open on weekdays only. The pages checked did not give Christmas Day hours for the zoo or the museums, so call first. No official page says whether Christmas Day is quiet or busy, so we cannot give a crowd level. The published signs are shorter hours (the rink opened two hours later than on Christmas Eve), closed attractions and timed tickets, so plan one fixed stop, check its hours and book ahead where tickets are timed.

Key Takeaway Discovery Green is free and its rink listed 1 to 7 p.m. on Christmas Day last season, while Zoo Lights sells timed tickets online only.

December weather in Houston

December in Houston is mild and fairly wet. The National Weather Service's 1991-2020 normals for Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport are a high of 65.3°F, a low of 45.6°F and 4.03 inches of rain for December.

Dress in layers, because the evenings that suit lights are the cooler ones. Bring a light jacket and a small umbrella. For other months, see best time to visit Houston.

Where to stay for the holidays

Stay downtown if the rink, the downtown lights and the bus are your plan. In December 2026, a 4-star hotel night in Houston cost a median $112, against $189 in March, in the 2026 Houston Travel Cost Study of prices read in October 2026.

Two downtown hotels from our list are Hotel Icon, Autograph Collection and The Sam Houston Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. For other areas, see where to stay in Houston.