Ah, the holidays. You can enjoy delicious meals and treats with friends and family, sip hot chocolate by the fireplace and spend some quality time lounging around watching holiday movies. But sometimes, you just want to get out of the house for a while. Ready to bundle up and enjoy the crisp fall and winter air? Get a bit of exercise to work off some of that pumpkin pie? Here’s a list of fun holiday adventures in the Austin area that combine the sights and sounds of the season and gets you out and about:
See some amazing holiday light displays
Austin is home to one of THE most fabulous holiday lights displays around: the Austin Trail of Lights. This year is the 57th year and will be a drive-thru event featuring over two million lights, 90 lit trees and 70+ other lights displays! Vehicle passes are on sale now via the website, and the lights are live from Nov. 27 through Dec. 31. Check out the calendar and find a night to make the magical drive to Zilker Park. You’ll love it!
Described by their website as a “one-half mile promenade,” the River of Lights at Fisherman’s Park on Farm Street in Bastrop starting on Nov. 27! Bring the kids down to the Lost Pines Christmas Tree Lighting Party at Fisherman’s Park (1200 Wilson Street) on Nov. 27 from 6 – 7 p.m. for music treats and a visit from St. Nick himself! Check this link to find more awesome lights to visit in the Austin area.
Find a letterbox
You’re probably familiar with geocaching, a treasure hunting activity based on using a GPS to find small treasure boxes stashed throughout the world. But have you heard about letterboxing? Letterboxing is a fun activity that involves finding small, weatherproof boxes hidden in publicly accessible places (like parks). Clues are posted online on various websites. Unlike geocaching, you don’t need a handheld GPS to find these little treasures — just your imagination! Dozens of letterboxes have been hidden throughout Austin and other cities nationwide. Just go to this link and search by city to find a list of boxes in your area and to print out a list of clues for each box. Once you’ve found a few boxes, try finding your own secret hiding place, creating a box of your own and creating a fun set of clues for other people to follow! For more information about letterboxing, check out this informative Q&A.
Stroll through a museum
Too cold or wet outside? No problem! Stroll through a museum! The Blanton Museum of Art on the south corner of University of Texas is open Wednesday-Sunday with varying hours, with free admission on Thursdays! Through Feb. 20, 2022, you can view the
Pop Crítico/Political Pop: Expressive Figuration in the Americas, 1960s-1980s and Border Vision: Luis Jiménez’s Southwest exhibits until Jan. 16, 2022, and Without Limits: Helen Frankenthaler, Abstraction, and the Language of Print exhibit until Feb. 20, 2022.
Go on a scavenger hunt
An outdoor scavenger hunt could be just the thing to get the whole family to put down their phones and head outdoors into the crisp Richmond air. You may think scavenger hunts are a spring or summertime activity, but going on a hunt in the winter months offers a different type of fun! Try a neighborhood scavenger hunt or any of the other fun ideas on this list. Here are some additional ideas. For more fun ideas, take a look at this link. Wrap up the hunt with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and some warm cookies and you have the perfect afternoon for the entire family.
Take a hike (or walk)
Whether it’s in your neighborhood, in a local park or on a nearby trail in the Austin area, spending a bit of time in the outdoors in the winter months can do your mind and body good. You don’t even have to pile in the car — you could see a lot of sights and sounds of the season during just a stroll through your neighborhood. If you have small children and the weather cooperates, going to a playground can help them burn off some of that energy and help everyone sleep better. Plus, you’ll have fun, too!
Heading outside may be one of the last things that most people want to do this time of the year. But even moderate activity and a bit of sunlight can help release endorphins (those hormones that keep us happy) as well as help us feel better, more able to handle the stress of a busy holiday and sleep better, too. So get out there and get moving!
From all of us at PMI Silicon Hills, we wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season. And if you have any property management needs, we invite you to call us. We’ll help you get optimized rental income out of your property, determine your cash flow from monthly rental value and gain critical insight into local real estate market conditions. We’re here to serve you. Give us a call to learn more about us: (737) 270-7700.
