It’s a place we normally go to during the summer, but Typhoon Texas-555 Katy Fort Bend Road-recently made a transformation from waterpark to Winterfest, complete with light displays, Santa photos, train and pony rides, a petting zoo, an ice-skating rink, live bands, a 4-D Christmas light show and fire pits for roasting s’mores. The wintry venue also serves up holiday fare such as hot chocolate and chocolate-covered apples.

Hours are from 6 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday, and from 6 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $24.95 for adults and $19.95 for children ages 3 to 12. Children ages 2 and younger are free. For information, call 832-426-7071, e-mail info@typhoontexas.com or visit www.typhoontexas.com.

A large, lighted Christmas tree shines from the center of the park.

A petting zoo (tons of cute baby goats!) and pony rides are included with admission.

Two trains regularly circle the park. Its the perfect amount of time to see all the lights with a little one.

Santa and his elves greet and pose for photos.

Texas touches can be seen throughout the park.

Ice skate rentals are $5. The rink is in the back of the park, so be sure to bring cash or purchase a ticket with a credit card at the front ticket booth.

Visitors are encouraged to take photos in the nativity display. The park also includes characters such as The Grinch, Frosty the Snowman, The Abominable Snowman and a treetop Angel, who will all pose for photos.

I’ll admit, at first I was a little skeptical about a 4-D light show. This production, however, erased all my doubt. In it, a little boy flies on a magical rocking horse around the world (an allusion to Santa Claus as a child). The imagery of the various countries he visits is just fantastic. What I thought were particularly cool were the 4-D fish that swim in what is the waterpark’s wave pool during summer months. My son could not be convinced the fish were not real – they were so believable. The show starts at the “30” (ie. 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and so on), so be sure to schedule it in!

Local bands play every weekend.

S’more kits are $5.99 for two s’mores. However, given how many marshmallows and fixings were included, we probably could have just bought one pack for our family of four.