When Schweiger Ranch opens for its Austrian Christmas, most guests arrive from the parking garage at RTD's RidgeGate Parkway Station across South Havana Street. On lights evenings, the ranch gates stay closed, and the closest view is from the East West Trail. The 10th annual Austrian Christmas runs Saturday, December 5, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Holiday Display of Lights runs nightly from November 26 through January 24. This year both happen while the stretch of Havana outside the gate is a work zone, with crews building the connections that will tie the ranch to the station, the creek and a new regional park.
An 1874 Homestead Beside a Light Rail Stop
The Schweiger Ranch Foundation's history dates the ranch to 1874. That year brothers John, Joseph and Jacob Schweiger bought their first parcel from William Eli Ashley, eight years after John emigrated from Austria. The family grew those original 38 acres to nearly 4,000.
What remains today is a compact cluster of buildings. The Foundation's restoration account lists the barn, house, silo, stable, chicken coop, loafing shed and tractor shed. Douglas County gave the property historic landmark status in 2004, and the Foundation formed in 2007 to care for it. The History Colorado property record adds the granary, cistern, historic fencing, corrals and a cattle-loading chute. It also records a State Historical Fund grant awarded in 2014.
The address is 10822 S. Havana St. Directly across the road sits RidgeGate Parkway Station at 10791 S. Havana, a park-and-ride served by the E and R lines. The ranch's biggest day of the year depends on that station.
December 5 Starts in the RTD Garage
The Austrian Christmas page sends general parking to the RTD RidgeGate Station garage, and parking fees are waived for event guests. Here is the route it lays out:
- Enter the RTD garage from its north entrance.
- Walk to the RTD south entrance driveway, where a Lone Tree Community Safety Officer directs foot traffic across Havana. The Foundation asks guests to cross only at designated points.
- If you'd rather not walk, catch the golf cart shuttle. It runs between the RTD south surface lot, the accessible parking area and the main gate.
- Accessible parking is in the Schweiger Ranch lot, just inside the driveway.
The event page also has a parking map and is where the Foundation will post any weather delay or cancellation. With crews working on Havana, check it the morning of December 5.
Gates open at 11 a.m. with no early admission, and everything runs until the event ends at 3 p.m. The Austrian Connections Band plays through the day with periodic breaks. Santa takes breaks too, and his reindeer are on site. Face painting runs all day, and South Suburban Parks & Rec leads kids' crafts. Horse-drawn carriage rides are first come, first served and pause now and then so the horses can rest. If the carriage is your priority, go early.
Admission is free and no registration is required. Dogs are not allowed because of the livestock on site, though licensed service animals are welcome. You can't bring outside alcohol, and any you buy at the event has to stay in the event area.
Who's Selling at the Christkindl Markt
The Foundation describes the market as handcrafted items made for the event. Thirteen vendors are on the 2026 list, and several are the reason people stay past their first cup of cocoa.
| Vendor | What they bring |
|---|---|
| Kogler's Bakery | Austrian pastries, breads and quiches |
| Andy's Kitchen | Pretzels, bratwurst and more |
| Kristen's Cottage Bakery | Gingerbread items |
| Tall Tales Ranch | Coffee, hot cocoa and more |
| Schweiger Ranch | Ornaments, wood smokers, nutcrackers and more |
| Schatzi's Treasure | Ornaments |
| Mountain High Laser | Wood and acrylic ornaments and more |
| Rose Colored Creation | Stained glass art |
| Susan Frank Studio | Stationery, pins, hearts and small ornaments |
| Executive Pen Source | Wood and acrylic pens and pencils |
| Hooligan's Custom Design | Wood signs and more |
| Knifty Little Thing | Knitted and sewn accessories |
| Earth's Energy Jewelry | Jewelry |
The Schweiger Ranch booth sells the Foundation's own ornaments, wood smokers and nutcrackers. That makes it the most direct way to support the place you're standing in. The Foundation is also looking for volunteers ages 18 and up for short shifts, including carriage line manager, Santa's helper, setup and teardown. Parents can volunteer alongside one or two children ages 15 and older.
After November 26, the Trail Gets You Closest
The lights follow different rules. The Holiday Display of Lights starts the evening of November 26 and runs through January 24. The Foundation says that timing follows the Colorado custom of keeping holiday lights up through the end of the National Western Stock Show. On lights evenings the ranch complex is closed, and no one may enter through the gates. Austrian Christmas on December 5 is the daytime exception.
That leaves three ways to see the lights. You can watch from your car in the parking lot, drive slowly along Havana Street, or take what the Foundation calls a winter evening walk on the East West Trail for a closer look.
The City of Lone Tree describes the East/West Regional Trail as a 27-mile multi-use route connecting Lone Tree with Highlands Ranch, Castle Pines and Parker, with access points at Schweiger Ranch and RidgeGate Parkway. Because it is a regional trail, you can reach the lights on foot from well beyond the ranch, and that's where the construction comes in.
The Work Zone Around the Gate
The City's article "Connecting the Dots" describes several public, private and nonprofit projects taking shape at once in the small area where Havana Street, RidgeGate Parkway, Schweiger Ranch and Happy Canyon Creek meet. Their construction limits overlap, so the sponsors and contractors coordinate restoration instead of reworking the same ground at different times. Here is what each one adds near the ranch.
The South Havana Street Bikeway. It runs from Rail Way to Surrey Drive. The work adds dedicated bike facilities, pedestrian improvements, ADA-compliant ramps and a new fully signalized intersection. The City calls it the missing link between RidgeGate Parkway and the Happy Canyon Creek Regional Trail, and it improves access to the RTD station, Schweiger Ranch and Tall Tales Ranch. The project page lists it as under active construction, with completion expected in winter 2026. It warns of lane shifts, delays and short-term sidewalk or bikeway closures, with signed detours as needed and ADA-compliant walking and biking access maintained. If you're walking from the garage on December 5 or driving Havana for the lights, expect cones.
A footbridge over Happy Canyon Creek. On January 27, 2026, Douglas County Commissioners approved a $215,150 contract for a pedestrian bridge. It will connect the South Havana sidewalk near Tall Tales Ranch, across the creek, to the Happy Canyon Creek Regional Trail. The County leads the project with Lone Tree, Tall Tales Ranch, Parker Water and Sanitation District and South Suburban Parks and Recreation.
The creek itself. Mile High Flood District's Happy Canyon Creek stream improvements stabilize the channel and banks and add parts of the regional trail. The City projects completion in the fourth quarter of 2026.
High Note Park. The 80-acre regional park along Happy Canyon Creek traces back to the long-range vision tied to Lone Tree voters' approval of the RidgeGate annexation in 2000. Phase One broke ground April 29, 2026. South Suburban's project page, updated October 12, expects it to open to the public in late summer 2027. The new Happy Canyon Trail will link the East/West Trail, Schweiger Ranch and the park.
What Changes by Next December
Taken together, these projects route walking and biking traffic toward the ranch from three directions. The bikeway leads in from RidgeGate Parkway, the footbridge crosses the creek, and the Happy Canyon Trail comes in from the future park. The City's article notes that Lone Tree's first Comprehensive Plan, written soon after the city incorporated, called for "a network of tree-lined streets and trails connecting attractive community facilities."
This year, plan on the RTD garage, the crossing guard and the shuttle for December 5, and the East West Trail for an evening look at the lights. The Foundation opens the grounds to the public only from June through October and in December, on event days with varying hours. That makes Austrian Christmas the one chance this winter to walk past the barn and the silo instead of seeing them from the trail.
If you're mapping out your season in Lone Tree, or just want to compare notes on how the RidgeGate area is changing, the advisors at Ford Fountain Team are glad to talk it through over coffee, ideally a cocoa from the Christkindl Markt. Schedule a Private Consultation.
