Category Archives: Christmas

Christmas Wine Train, Grapevine, TX

(Picture Courtesy of Grapevine CVB)

Grapevine, Texas has a vintage train. It is amazing and I’ve wanted to ride it since the first time I found out about it. Although there are trips that run throughout the year from Grapevine to Fort Worth, the town of Grapevine does an amazing job incorporating the train into tons of events all year long. During the holiday season, they have the North Pole Express for families and the Christmas Wine Train for the adults. I had the pleasure of checking out the Christmas Wine Train last week.

The Christmas Wine Train is great for adults. For a girls night, date night, double date or even just to relax, there is a place for everyone! Something that I love about the train is ‘keeping it local’. Each wine train presents a different winery in the area. Su Vino winery was featured on the train that I went on and this upcoming Thursday is D’Vine Winery.

It doesn’t stop there. On the Su Vino train, Main Street Bistro and Bakery had appetizers and desserts. Although, we happened to eat dinner prior to boarding the train, we still tried a few items. One thing is for certain, if you happen to try one of the macaroons you are in trouble. They are beyond delicious!

I hope you got to see my previous post about the decorations in Grapevine this time of year. It’s truly magical. The train is no exception. The inside of the train car is filled with Christmas decor, holiday music is playing throughout the entire trip. You are even visited by Santa and the staff is kind and very friendly. What amazed me the most was how absolutely relaxing the trip was. Honestly, I thought the train would run a little faster but it was the perfect pace. Along our route, we could see homes decorated with lights in the coziness of the train car. I cannot describe how relaxing the trip was, you almost want to snuggle up with a blanket and shut your eyes for a few minutes.

The wine! I tried the Chardonnay and the Toasted Snowman – both delicious in their own way. Do be warned, if you try the Toasted Snowman, it is VERY sweet. It’s dessert within itself. Heather, tried the Almond Sparkling Wine and loved it. I don’t think you can go wrong with any wine that was featured on the train and it also allows you to taste the options for a great last minute holiday gift!

If you happen to be in the Grapevine area, by all means buy your ticket and head on over. The trip is just the right amount of time to unwind after a long day, catch up with your girlfriends or even snuggle up with your love. Treat yourself, it’s one of the best things to do and we all need it every now and again!

Facts:

The Christmas Wine Train boards at 7:30pm and returns at 9:00pm.

Parking is free and convienent, nearby.

Each train features a different winery and winery representative.

You will receive a Christmas Wine Train glass and a ticket for one glass of wine to choose from the selection available. Additional glasses can also be purchased on board.

Tickets can be purchased here.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post, however I did receive free admission to the event in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

Grapevine, TX – Christmas Capitol of Texas

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Have you heard of Grapevine, TX? It’s also known as the Christmas Capital of Texas and it’s definitely one of my favorite places to visit this time of the year. Within 40 days there will be more than 1,400 events. Millions of lights, decorations and even sightings of Santa make this a great place to visit alone, as a couple or even with your family.

Last week, I took a little trip to Grapevine and as usual, the Christmas spirit was all around. The Historic Main Street is absolutely AMAZING! The stores are so unique within itself but during Christmas, it’s really kicked up a notch. Each store takes part. In all honesty, it kind of reminds me of the towns in the Hallmark movies, stunning.

I even made a friend on Main Street!

From antique stores and unique shops, the Vetro glass blowing business to the Palace Arts Center and restaurants and wineries, there is something for everyone. On top of it all, if you are still looking for a unique gift, this is the place you’ll want to visit!

For the kids, be sure to visit the park. Honestly, I was so mezmerized by all the lights on Main Street but if you are with a child(ren) be sure to visit the park. There are different areas set up within a little winter village. It’s a great place to snap some photos of loved ones!

When it started to get a little darker, the lights really illuminated the area! At night its absolutely magical!

Grapevine, a little Christmas village in the heart of the Dallas / Fort Worth area. You really forget that you’re in the middle of the metroplex and feel like you’re in the middle of a Christmas wonderland. Now if only we could get a little snow.

Be sure to check out tomorrow for more on my adventures in Grapevine!

2nd Annual Christkindl Market, Arlington

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The 2nd Annual Christkindl Market is currently going on outside the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. It’s free, entertaining, has great food and quite frankly there isn’t an excuse not to check it out. Did I mention that it’s free?

This is the first Christkindl Market that I’ve been to. My friend, Leah has been to events in Germany around the holidays and said that it’s pretty much the best thing in the world to check out so getting a little slice of it here in Arlington is pretty special.

The market has entertainment (live entertainment on the stage anywhere from carolers to dancers), shops (looking for some merchandise?), food and beverages. Since we had never been, we weren’t sure if the area would be super packed but it turned out to be just right. Once within the market, it turned into your own little world. The tents were evenly spaced, picnic tables were in the middle of the aisles (space was easily available to sit and eat), not too many people, it was just about perfect.

Now for the food and beverages had to be bought using tickets. Tickets could be bought for $1 each (there were no special deals so if you bought 10 tickets, it was $10). Personally, I thought this was good as it didn’t leave you feeling like you spent too much with leftover tickets and you could purchase only as many as you needed (works great if you’re on a budget). Beer was about 6 tickets. Food ranged from 6-9 tickets. Not too bad since this is a special event.

I’m not going to lie, I relied on Leah for suggestions. We tried out the Warsteiner beer (it was great fun for this Canadian trying to figure out how to exactly pronounce Warsteiner). The beer was great! Light and it went perfectly with my bratwurst.

Meal of choice. Jalapeno and cheese bratwurst. I know, I know. The lengths I’ve come with ordering anything with jalapeno but it was DELICIOUS and incredibly filling…

… but this caught my eye when we did our initial walk thru when picking out what we wanted. Crepes. I had to save room. Even if there wasn’t much room left, I had to have one and it was worth every bite! This was a cinnamon and sugar crepe. Leah got the nutella crepe. YUM! One just wasn’t enough. We wanted endless amounts! Humm… where can we pick up a crepe maker? Calorie free, right?

The Christkindl Market was a great event in Arlington. It’s just the right size, perfect amount of people (although I’m sure it’s going to grow) and it goes on for two weeks so there’s plenty of time to check it out at least once (if not twice). It’s free, there’s entertainment (be sure to check out the schedule) and go treat yourself to some German food!

(And to top it all off, pick up your Christmas tree at the Rangers ballpark! It looks just like the places in those Hallmark movies.)