The Trail of Lights doesn’t get going until Dec. 10, but the Zilker Holiday Tree is enough of an icon to warrant a special trip out to Zilker Park. One of Austin’s original moon towers, it stands 155 feet tall and is festooned with 3,309 total multicolored lights, which you can watch turn on for the first time in Sunday’s tree lighting ceremony at 6pm, preceded by a festive performance by the Austin Civic Wind Ensemble at 5:15pm. The whole event is free, including – hallelujah! – parking, but consider carpooling or hopping on CapMetro. The city also hosts free drive-up visitation times on Trail of Lights off-nights; see schedule and more info at austintexas.gov/department/zilker-holiday-tree. – Kimberley Jones
