I took my fiance and a couple of our friends and their daughter to see the Trail of Lights last night, and we had a blast. I’ve seen the trail before, but the rest of my companions hadn’t, and our friends were particularly skeptical about the tree because they’d seen a lackluster report about the tree on a local news show. They were won over by the holiday spirit and the twinkly and festive lights. The crowds were thick, but the weather was perfectly cool, and we didn’t mind our leisurely stroll. Our token child, our friends’ one-year-old daughter, was more interested in people watching than admiring the lights, so the crowds were a great thing for her. We even managed to take a few photos, like this one of the entrance.

We entered the trail towards the end because we parked near Lake Austin Boulevard and walked along the Town Lake trail to get there. We found our way in at the Zilker Zephyr station and admired a few displays before taking a break at the Trails End Cafe for hot cocoa and coffee (and so I could take a look at the fire pit). We merged back into the flow of people to walk through the finale display and then up the hill to the tree. I insisted that we needed to see the tree from underneath, and no one was disappointed. I even convinced one of our friends to spin a little, but I think it made her dizzy. We then continued on, towards the official entrance to the trail, which I described as standing-still fireworks. The entrance and the exit are definitely my favorite displays. Make some time to see the trail this year. You won’t be disappointed!