In late 2021, the City of Round Rock said goodbye to Christmas Family Night, explaining that the event "has outgrown Downtown Round Rock." Its replacement went east to the lake at Old Settlers Park. Five holiday seasons later, nearly everything on Round Rock's November and December calendar sits within about a hundred address numbers of 3300 E. Palm Valley Blvd. That land was once the Palm family farm. This month, the Palm family's farmhouse is back on it as well.
The farmhouse went back to the farm
The City of Round Rock says the Palm family built the Palm House in 1873. The family was central to the Swedish immigrant community in the area now called Palm Valley. Later generations gave the house to the Round Rock Chamber, and in 1976 it was moved downtown to serve as the Palm Museum, with Chamber offices added onto the back. The old Palm Farm later became the Old Settlers Association grounds and Old Settlers Park.
For nearly five decades the house stood at 212 E. Main Street. On Dec. 12, 2023, the Historic Preservation Commission approved moving it back to the Old Settlers Association grounds at 3300 E. Palm Valley Blvd. In late January 2024, the city moved the house to the edge of the Main Street lot to get it ready, and scheduled the move itself for late evening to stay out of traffic.
The reason was downtown's own growth. The house's old Main Street lot is set to become a paseo, or walkway, between Prete Plaza and the courtyard of the Round Rock Public Library. That work is part of renovating the 44,000-square-foot Griffith Building, the former library, into the Round Rock Visitors Center, a two-story arts and culture gallery, and the Chamber's new home.
The house now stands within a few feet of where Andrew J. Palm first built it. Community Impact reported that restoration began in March 2026. The work covered structure, porch and accessibility, siding, roof, windows, electrical, HVAC and insulation, with up to $500,000 in hotel occupancy tax funding. The contract wrapped up in September. The Old Settlers Association scheduled a free grand reopening for Saturday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. to noon, with furniture and household items from the years the family lived there put back inside.
Plan ahead if you want to see the inside. The reopening announcement says the house will be open during events on the Old Settlers Association grounds, not on a daily museum schedule. The Old Settlers Association lists the grounds as open daily, with association hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Next door, a mile of lights you see from the car
Just east of the farmhouse, the Dell Diamond parking lot at 3400 E. Palm Valley Blvd hosts The Light Park from Nov. 6 through Jan. 3, 2027. The regular price is $60 per car, and one ticket covers the whole car. The $29.99 presale ended Nov. 5. The show runs rain or shine.
The hours shift as the season goes on:
| Nights | Hours |
|---|---|
| Sunday through Thursday | 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Friday and Saturday | 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Thanksgiving, and Dec. 18–26 | Open until 11 p.m. |
| Dec. 27 through Jan. 3 | Open until 10 p.m. |
The route is about a mile long, driven at roughly 3 mph. The operator's FAQ says weekdays are less crowded and that wait times change from night to night. So a Tuesday in mid-November will almost always be easier than the Saturday before Christmas, when the show stays open late.
The lake festival that took Christmas Family Night's place
The city designed Light Up the Lake as the bigger replacement for Christmas Family Night. In 2021 it ran three days around the lake and festival area at Old Settlers Park, with giant balloons over Bright Lake, a light show, live music and a yule log. It now runs two nights. In 2025 it fell on Dec. 5–6. This year it moves up one day, to Friday, Dec. 4, and Saturday, Dec. 5.
According to the city's event page, the festival starts at 6 p.m. on Dec. 4 and ends at 10 p.m. on Dec. 5. It includes live music on the Lakeview Stage, giant balloons over Bright Lake, holiday light displays, themed areas, visits with Santa, food, crafts and family activities. Three details are worth knowing before you go:
- It's free, and you don't need a ticket. The city warns that anyone online offering Light Up the Lake tickets, or claiming to represent the event, is not affiliated with it. All vendor and sponsor coordination is handled only by Round Rock Parks and Recreation.
- It's a walking event. Paths cover both sidewalks and grass, so strollers and shoes should be ready for both.
- Questions go to Parks and Recreation at 512-218-5540.
That makes three seasonal draws on one stretch of East Palm Valley: a lake festival on the old farm, the farmhouse back where it was built, and a drive-thru light show next door at the ballpark.
Downtown kept the lights and moved the crowds
The Round Rock visitors bureau's 2026 holiday fact sheet lists free Hometown Holiday lights downtown nightly from Dec. 1 through Dec. 31. Last year the city paired those lights with live music Tuesdays through Saturdays, Dec. 2–23.
The move of the crowd-sized events started in the same 2021 season. The Tinplate Trackers model train show, which had drawn thousands of families downtown for years, moved that year to the Tom Foolery Events Center at Kalahari Resorts. Kalahari also holds a Breakfast with Santa that is open to locals as well as resort guests. This year it's Sunday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the buffet served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Downtown is using that room for smaller places. Sweet Irene's Boutique opened Oct. 24 at 110 S. Lampasas St., Unit 4. A new venue called The Fair opened Sept. 25 at 117 and 119 E. Main St. A short drive west, Cafe Du Bliss opened Oct. 22 at 1312 Round Rock Ave. It serves Korean-style coffee, matcha drinks and pastries, which makes it a good warm-up stop before an evening walk under the Main Street lights. On Sendero Springs Drive, Enzo Italian Coffee Shop told Community Impact it plans to open in December at 1021 Sendero Springs Drive, the former Alamo Coffee space.
If you've been following the city's growth corridors, this matches what happened with dining. The big new restaurant concepts went to the frontage road, and the Main Street routines stayed put. The holiday calendar has split the same way, with the large events on the east side and the everyday rituals downtown.
The season, sorted by where it happens
East Palm Valley Blvd
- Palm House Museum, Old Settlers Association grounds, 3300 E. Palm Valley Blvd. Grand reopening set for Nov. 7. After that, the house opens during events on the grounds.
- The Light Park, Dell Diamond parking lot, 3400 E. Palm Valley Blvd. Nov. 6 to Jan. 3, $60 per car.
- Light Up the Lake, Old Settlers Park. Dec. 4–5, free, no tickets.
Elsewhere in town
- Rockin' Around the Holidays Bazaar, Clay Madsen Recreation Center. Saturday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the city's 22nd year hosting it. Admission is free with a canned food item or a box of colorful Band-Aids.
- Breakfast with Santa, Kalahari Resorts. Sunday, Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Hometown Holiday lights, downtown Main Street. Nightly, Dec. 1–31, free.
On a December weekend, a Round Rock family could walk the Main Street lights one night and spend the next on the old Palm farm. There, the lake fills with balloons, the ballpark lot glows next door, and the farmhouse the Palm family built in 1873 stands a few feet from its original spot.
If watching Round Rock grow has you thinking about where you'd like to be when next year's lights go up, Keri Jackson knows how the city's east side and downtown fit together, and she's glad to talk it through over coffee, with no pressure. Let's Connect.
