The Dallas Arboretum says this is the final season of its 12 Days of Christmas gazebos, the walk-through displays it has put up every holiday since 2014. Holiday at the Arboretum runs November 11 to January 3 on the 66-acre garden at White Rock Lake, by day and by night. Thirty-three miles west, the Fort Worth Botanic Garden runs its own walk, Christmas in the Garden, from November 20. Here is what each costs, when to go, and a table near each.
We run Botanical Garden Near Me, a directory of public gardens and arboretums across the United States, and we are a guest here. Top of Dallas asked for the gardens. They supplied the restaurants.
The plan, in order
If you want both gardens, do Dallas by day and Fort Worth by night, or the reverse, but not both in one evening. The Arboretum’s holiday daytime runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Holiday at Night 5 to 10 p.m.; the late Night Owl ticket covers 8:30 to 10 p.m. Fort Worth’s Christmas in the Garden sells timed entries from 5:30 to 8 p.m., and a visit takes 60 to 90 minutes. Buy everything ahead: the Arboretum adds $4 for walk-ups, and Fort Worth says on-site parking is not guaranteed at the door. The Arboretum’s November 10 is a member preview and November 20 is a private event.
Holiday at the Arboretum
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden is at 8525 Garland Road, 66 acres including the 8-acre Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. Holiday at the Arboretum runs November 11, 2026 through January 3, 2027, and this is the final season of the 12 Days of Christmas Gazebos. Daytime admission during the event is $21.95 to $25.95 for adults and $17.95 to $21.95 for children 3 to 12, free for members. Holiday at Night, 5 to 10 p.m., is $35 to $40 for adults and children, $20 to $25 for members. Night Owl, 8:30 to 10 p.m., is $15 and sold online only. On Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the evening runs as Holiday Cheer at $12. Prices vary by date, children under 3 are free, walk-up pricing adds $4, and parking is $15 a vehicle, with the garage at 8720 Garland Road across the street.
Christmas in the Garden, Fort Worth
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden, at 3220 Botanic Garden Boulevard, was established in 1934 and is Texas’s oldest major botanic garden, with 23 specialty gardens including a Japanese garden and a rainforest conservatory. Christmas in the Garden runs November 20 through January 3, with timed entries from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The garden’s own event page had not been updated for 2026 when we checked, so these 2026 details come from the official ticket seller its page links to: adults from $20, children 3 to 12 from $13, under 3 free, Anytime Access $58 with parking, and on-site parking $25. Members get 25 percent off most nights. December 4 and 10 are dog-friendly nights, and December 29 is 21 and over. By day the garden is open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through February.
The full list
Hours, prices and directions for each of these, with the official page for each, are on our side. The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden page on Botanical Garden Near Me lists them, closest first.
Where to eat after
A table for lunch and one for dinner near the Arboretum, and one near the Fort Worth garden, each checked against its hours. They come from Top of Dallas lists: Japanese, date night and Fort Worth. The scores are theirs, not ours.
Sasa Sushi
Insider Score7.4
Japanese · Dallas
Lunch near the Arboretum. About 2 miles away, open from 11 a.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. Creative rolls, fresh nigiri and poke bowls.
Sister Restaurant
Insider Score7.4
New American · Dallas
Dinner before Holiday at Night. About 3 miles from the garden, opening at 4:30 p.m. every day. Pasta, bruschetta and tiramisu, with portions that outpace the price and a patio.
Hatsuyuki Handroll Bar
Insider Score8.0
Sushi · Fort Worth
Near the Fort Worth garden. Under a mile away, dinner from 5 p.m. and closed Mondays. A handroll counter that fills fast; regulars arrive 40 minutes to an hour before the doors open.
Scores are Top of Dallas Insider Scores. Restaurant photographs from Yelp and Tripadvisor.
Sources. Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Holiday at the Arboretum, Visit, Hours and Admission and Parking pages, checked October 23, 2026. Fort Worth Botanic Garden, About, Admission and Hours and Directions pages, and the Christmas in the Garden ticket page on Fever linked from the garden’s site, checked October 23, 2026. Restaurant hours from Top of Dallas records. Top photo: the Dallas Arboretum lawn above White Rock Lake by BullDawg2021, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; other photo credits are under each photo.
Botanical Garden Near Me writes for Botanical Garden Near Me. Botanical Garden Near Me lists public botanical gardens, arboretums and conservatories across the United States, with hours, admission and directions taken from each garden's official site. This piece was written for Top of Dallas.