Christmas Cheer
The best San Antonio neighborhoods for dazzling holiday light displays
Christmas connoisseurs know that great holiday light displays can be found at the Don Strange Ranch in Boerne or Santa's Ranch in New Braunfels. However, there many amazing light displays right here in Alamo City. With that in mind, we've compiled the four best neighborhoods in San Antonio to ogle at Christmas lights this holiday season.
Alamo Heights
Garland and lights are strung across the street down the Broadway corridor, and in the windows of many businesses in the area, you will see wreaths, red bows, and Christmas trees. Many of the neighborhood houses are decorated with holiday lights as well, but the crown jewel of this area during Christmastime is definitely the University of Incarnate Word. Nearly a million twinkling lights light up the campus in a spectacle definitely worth seeing.
Deerfield
Right inside 1604 and Huebner is nestled the upscale neighborhood of Deerfield, which is welcoming to Christmas visitors. Giant inflatable snowmen, light-up reindeer, and elegant white lights adorn many of the houses — and a few homes take it further. Driving along Deer Crest or Fawn Bluff, onlookers can see houses where yards are filled with over-the-top Christmas decorations. It's the perfect neighborhood to cruise through with friends and family and marvel at the lights.
The River Walk/Alamo Plaza/Museum Reach
This area is the most well-known for Christmas lights in the city, and for good reason: The lights downtown are breathtaking. It's magical to walk along the River Walk and see all the multicolored lights on the trees that reflect onto the river. On the street level, the trees in Alamo Plaza are filled with twinkling lights, and the focal point is the 55-foot H-E-B Christmas tree. Lights now extend all the way north into the Pearl district, which makes over 3 miles of lights. Once visitors reach the Museum Reach portion of the river, they will notice parts of the river are illuminated with underwater lights.
Windcrest
Every year this neighborhood gets its residents in the holiday spirit by hosting a contest for Christmas decorations. Prizes go out in categories such as most elegant, most creative, best block or cul-de-sac, best of theme, and more. This year's theme is "Safari Through Windcrest," so visitors can be sure to see the residents' extraordinary interpretations as they drive through the area. This San Antonio Christmas tradition will always be worth seeing.
