We received a media rate during our stay at the Gaylord Texan as travel writers. All opinions + photos shared are our own.
Visiting the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas has become an annual tradition for our family over the holidays. We normally spend a day visiting the gorgeous location to take holiday photos and enjoy quality time with my parents. Multi-generation travel has quickly become one of our favorite pastimes. Our kids love traveling with their grandparents and getting to share new experiences with them. That’s why we decided to take our annual day trip and turn it into a holiday staycation.
Lone Star Christmas at Gaylord Texan
This is the view from our balcony! Who wouldn’t enjoy gazing out at this?! The Christmas decor inside the Gaylord Texan is larger-than-life. It is a sight to see each year. We loved the nutcrackers but my son’s favorite is watching the Christmas toy train go around the very long track.
There is so much to walk around and see, it’s magical.
Although I highly recommend you visit the Gaylord if you are local to Texas, staying the night on the property is even better. The experience is something we will plan to do again. Being able to enjoy the holiday decorations after-hours when the crowds went home was really nice. Make sure to request a room with a view, having your own balcony overseeing the inside of the Gaylord is the best.
With the extra time at the Gaylord Texan, we strolled through their indoor Riverwalk. There were even Christmas lights in the river! So many photo opportunities around every corner.
Hotel Stay at Gaylord Texan
We didn’t spend a lot of time in our room but we were pleased with the size. When we weren’t sleeping, we were on the balcony or out enjoying the Gaylord hotel.
Since we travel with several kids it is nice to have two sinks in the bathroom. The shower was separate with its own door which made getting ready much better. I loved this the most about the rooms at the Gaylord. I was able to do my makeup in one sink while my son was showering and my husband was using another sink. It was amazing.
Christmas Activities at Gaylord Texan
Beyond the beautiful Christmas lights and decor, there are so many activities for all ages at the Gaylord Texan. From gingerbread house and cookie decorating to escape rooms, the fun is endless.
The kids got to meet and pet a real reindeer. That was pretty awesome.
The main holiday attraction at Gaylord Texan is the ICE! exhibit. This year the theme is Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.
This unique exhibit is made up of over 2,000,000 lbs of hand-carved ice! It is only 9 degrees inside but it is so beautiful. It is amazing at how talented the ice carvers are and what they can create.
Read more about our experience at the Gaylord Texan ICE! and tips for making your visit enjoyable over on Life.Family.Joy. We also share details about the snow tubing fun! There are 12 lanes covered in snow that you can ride down on an inflatable inner tube. So much fun.
Where to Eat at Gaylord Texan
We had dinner at the Riverwalk Cantina and loved it. It was a buffet instead of ordering from a menu. This made the cost a little more for the kids than your average kid’s meal from a restaurant menu. We paid $20 per adult and $14 for kids. However, I am pretty sure my kids ate $14 worth of desserts!
The food was so good that my husband and I already have a date planned to return just the two of us. On the buffet, there was a full nacho bar with every topping you could image, a fajita station with flank steak, chicken and fish, all the Tex-Mex side dishes you could want including tortilla soup. We all walked away stuffed!
For kids, they had the traditional chicken strips, macaroni and cheese, and other common kid finger-foods.
Then there was the dessert table. Oh, my my. The eggnog parfait!
The cookies were the size of my son’s head. It was worth every penny spent.
This staycation was exactly what our family needed to get a break before the holiday madness. During the holidays we get so caught up in capturing that perfect holiday card photo, buying the best present for each person on your list – that we forget to just be and enjoy.
We all smiled, laughed, walked around taking in the sights, and even relaxing while drinking hot cocoa.
I love that my kids have these memories with their grandparents.
Check out our #TravelTuesday podcast – from Dallas to Disney to hear about all the fun family-friendly Christmas events you should attend.
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