The Best Christmas Light Drives in Dallas and the Park Cities

Highland Park and University Park are two small towns surrounded by Dallas, and every December they put on one of the best residential lighting shows in Texas. Here’s how to see it without spending half the night in traffic.

This guide is part of our Dallas-Fort Worth Christmas lights guide.

Where to Start the Park Cities Christmas Lights Drive

The classic starting point is the corner of Armstrong Parkway and Preston Road in Highland Park, according to VisitDallas. From there, the route almost plans itself.

Armstrong Parkway winds through some of the town’s largest homes. From there, work your way over to Lakeside Drive, where the houses face Turtle Creek and the lights reflect off the water on still nights. The streets on either side of the creek are worth taking slowly, since many of the best displays sit back from the road on deep lots.

From the Lakeside area, head north on Preston Road or Hillcrest Avenue into University Park. The homes get a little smaller and the streets get more walkable, but the lighting doesn’t let up.

A good full loop looks like this:

• Start at Armstrong Parkway and Preston Road. Park at Highland Park Village first if you want to walk part of the route.
• Make your way to Lakeside Drive. Slow down along Turtle Creek and the Lakeside Park area.
• Wind north through Highland Park’s residential streets. Beverly Drive and the blocks around it rarely disappoint.
• Cross Mockingbird into University Park. Explore Preston Place, University Heights, and the streets west of Hillcrest.
• Finish at SMU or Lovers Lane. Drive Bishop Boulevard on campus, or stop for dinner near Lovers Lane or Snider Plaza.

Plan on 60 to 90 minutes for the full loop on a weeknight. Add 30 minutes or more on a Friday or Saturday in mid-December.

Highland Park: Estate Homes and Wrapped Live Oaks

Highland Park’s Christmas lighting stands out for its scale and its trees. Many homes sit on large lots shaded by mature live oaks and pecans, and the best displays light those trees from trunk to canopy instead of stopping at the roofline.

What you’ll see on a typical block:

• Full-facade lighting. Rooflines, windows, columns, and entries are lit as one design.
• Wrapped trunks and branches. Large live oaks wrapped in warm white or solid color are the signature look of the neighborhood.
• Garland and wreaths at scale. Front doors and balconies are often dressed with lit garland sized to the architecture.
• Restraint. Many of the most admired homes use a single color across the property. It reads as elegant rather than busy.

That consistency is part of why the neighborhood draws so many visitors. When most homes on a street are professionally designed, the whole block feels like one display.

“In the Park Cities, we’re not lighting a house, we’re lighting a property,” says Bryan Gibbs, Regional Manager. “Driveways, specimen trees, the entry, it all has to read as one design, so we walk the whole lot before we plan a single strand.”

The town also lights its landmark pecan tree each year in a community ceremony, usually in late November or early December, according to People Newspapers. Check the Town of Highland Park’s website for the 2026 date.

University Park: Preston Place, University Heights, and Idlewild

University Park sits just north of Highland Park and is home to SMU. Its neighborhoods have a different feel, with tree-lined streets, sidewalks on both sides, and a mix of 1930s cottages and newer homes. That makes it one of the best areas in Dallas to park and walk the lights.

Three neighborhoods are worth working into your route:

• Preston Place. A quiet section of University Park with mature trees and homes built from the 1930s to today. Many homes here go all out for the holidays.
• University Heights. Close to campus, with a mix of traditional and newer homes that light up block by block.
• Idlewild. On the west side of University Park, north of Lovers Lane. CultureMap describes it as walkable, with tree-lined streets, sidewalks door to door, and many cottages from the late 1930s and 1940s. Smaller homes mean more houses per block, and that adds up to a lot of lights in a short walk.

While you’re in University Park, two well-known stops are worth a detour:

• The Santa House on Southwestern Boulevard. Hundreds of lit blow-mold decorations fill the front lawn, and the original Big Tex head from the State Fair sits on the roof dressed as Santa, according to CultureMap Dallas (2025).
• Bishop Boulevard at SMU. The campus lights its trees for the season. CultureMap suggests driving toward the fountain and back.

Highland Park Village and Snider Plaza: Where to Park, Eat, and Walk

The easiest way to enjoy the Park Cities lights is to park once and build the night around it. Highland Park Village is the natural home base.

The historic shopping center at Mockingbird Lane and Preston Road is wrapped in about 1.5 million lights, according to CultureMap Dallas (2025). Its Spanish-style buildings and courtyards make it one of the most photographed holiday spots in Dallas. Parking is easier here than on the residential streets, and the restaurants make it easy to turn a lights drive into a full evening.

A few ways to use it:

• Dinner first, lights second. Eat at the Village around 6 p.m., then start the drive at nearby Armstrong Parkway once it’s fully dark.
• Walk the Village, then drive. Families with small kids can see the Village lights on foot, then do a shorter drive through Highland Park.
• Start your carriage ride here. Several carriage operators have run Park Cities tours from the Village area in past seasons.

Snider Plaza in University Park is a smaller, more relaxed option. It has restaurants, ice cream, and coffee within an easy drive of Idlewild and University Heights. Lovers Lane, just south, has more dining choices.

Carriage Rides and Light Tours in the Park Cities

If nobody in your group wants to drive, the Park Cities are one of the few places in Dallas where you can see the lights without a car.

According to VisitDallas, your options include:

• Highland Park carriage tours. Horse-drawn rides through the neighborhood’s lit streets. They’re a long-standing Dallas tradition and popular for date nights and family photos.
• The Christmas Light Bus. A 90-minute private ride through Highland Park and University Park with photo stops. It’s a good option for groups or anyone hosting out-of-town guests.

Carriage rides and bus tours book up quickly for weekends in December, especially the two weekends before Christmas. Reserve as early as you can, and check each operator’s site for 2026 pricing and pickup points.

Walking is also a great option in University Park, where sidewalks run along most streets. Bundle up, park near Snider Plaza or Lovers Lane, and spend an hour on foot in Idlewild or University Heights.

Best Nights, Times, and Traffic Tips for the Park Cities

The Park Cities draw some of the heaviest holiday traffic in Dallas. A little planning makes a big difference.

• Best nights: Monday through Thursday in the first two weeks of December. Lights are typically on by then, and the crowds are lighter.
• Busiest nights: Fridays and Saturdays from mid-December through Christmas, and the nights right after Christmas when families have time off and guests in town.
• Best time: Start after 6:30 p.m., once it’s fully dark. Most displays stay on until 10 or 11 p.m., but some homes turn off earlier on weeknights.

Traffic tips:

• Go one way. Start at Armstrong and Preston and work north. Doubling back adds time.
• Keep moving on busy streets. Pull over only where parking is allowed, and never in front of a driveway.
• Watch for walkers. Sidewalk traffic is heavy in University Park, and families with strollers often cross mid-block.
• Skip the main roads at rush hour. Preston Road and Mockingbird Lane back up from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Arrive after the commute.
• Be a good guest. These are residential streets. Keep music low and respect private property.

What Makes Park Cities Christmas Lighting Different

Drive through Highland Park and then through a newer suburb, and the difference is clear. Most of it comes down to design.

Park Cities homes tend to have three things that shape their lighting:

• Mature trees. Live oaks and pecans that are decades old become the center of the design. Wrapping them well takes lifts, the right product, and a crew that knows how to follow branches without damaging the tree.
• Traditional architecture. Tudor, Georgian, and Spanish-style homes have strong lines, so the lighting traces columns, gables, and windows instead of only the roofline.
• Neighbors who notice. In the Park Cities, a home’s holiday display is part of the street. That pushes homeowners toward clean, cohesive designs that look intentional.

After a Park Cities drive, the question we hear most isn’t how many lights, it’s how did they make the whole property match. Full coverage, roofline to landscape to trees in one consistent color temperature, is what separates a professional install from a DIY one.

This is the kind of work The Perfect Light does every season across the Park Cities. Each design is planned for the home, cut to fit, installed, serviced if anything needs attention, and taken down and stored after the holidays. Learn more about our Dallas Christmas lighting program.

Spot Our Work in the Park Cities

The Perfect Light lights homes across Highland Park and University Park, including in Preston Place, University Heights, and Idlewild. As you drive, look for the details we focus on: clean rooflines with no sagging strands, trees wrapped all the way into the canopy, and one consistent color across the whole property.

We don’t share addresses or homeowner names, so consider it a holiday scavenger hunt.

Want Your Home on the Tour?

If a drive through the Park Cities has you picturing your own home lit up, there’s still time to get on this season’s install calendar. The Perfect Light designs your display, installs it, services it within 48 hours if anything needs attention, and takes it down and stores it after the holidays, all for one all-inclusive price starting at $2,000.

Install dates are limited and fill in order, so the earlier you book, the more dates you’ll have to choose from. We’re installing new displays through December 25, so there’s no hard cutoff this season.