Sunlit limestone and stucco home entrance with a wooden front door, paired windows, concrete steps and a small planted bed.

The Palm House Reopens Nov. 7, and Round Rock's Best November Weekend Is Next Door

October 22, 2026

If you walked past the old library downtown before 2024, you probably passed the Palm House. Where did it go?

The city moved it east in 2024, close to the farm where it was built. On Saturday, Nov. 7, the house reopens to the public at 3300 E. Palm Valley Blvd. That same day, the Día de los Muertos festival fills Old Settlers Park. The night before, The Light Park opens its season in the Dell Diamond parking lot. Downtown Round Rock usually gets the city's big moments. For this one weekend, the main event is a short stretch of East Palm Valley Boulevard, and the house that left downtown sits right in the middle of it.

A two-room house that spent 48 years downtown

Andrew J. Palm built the house in 1873. He lived there with his wife, Carolina Nelson, and their eight children, and his mother, Anna, lived with them until her death in 1878, according to the City of Round Rock. In 1976, the house was moved from the Palm farm to downtown. That's where most longtime residents remember it.

In December 2023, the city's Historic Preservation Commission approved sending it back to the Old Settlers Association grounds, near its original site. The move happened in 2024. The city's relocation announcement also explained the downtown side of the deal: moving the house cleared space for a paseo connecting Prete Plaza and the new library courtyard.

After the move, the house needed real work. Restoration started in March 2026, and the city said it could draw up to $500,000 from the Hotel Occupancy Tax Fund. That money comes from taxes on hotel stays, not from residents' property taxes. The work list covered structural framing, a porch and ADA ramp, siding, windows, the roof, electrical, HVAC and insulation. The city's June update expected the job to wrap in July. Community Impact later reported that it was finished in September.

Inside, the Old Settlers Association will display furniture and household items from the years the Palm family lived there. The house also has company. The city's historic resources page lists log cabins, a historic barn, the Fire House Museum and the Palm Mansion on the same association grounds. That means one morning visit covers more than one building.

Friday night to Saturday night, one road

The weekend works because three separate events chose almost the same address. Round Rock Ballet Folklórico lists the festival's Lakeview Pavilion at 3300 E. Palm Valley Blvd., the same address as the Palm House grounds, and the Dell Diamond lot is at 3400. Here's how it lines up:

Friday, Nov. 6, from 5:30 p.m. The Light Park returns to the Dell Diamond parking lot for its 2026 season, per Go Round Rock. It's a drive-through show of holiday lights set to music on your car radio. One ticket covers the whole vehicle, pets are welcome, and snacks are sold on site. Friday and Saturday hours run 5:30 to 11 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to noon. The Old Settlers Association holds the Palm House grand reopening at 10 a.m., with an open house until noon. Community Impact reports the event is free.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 3 to 10 p.m. The 13th annual Día de los Muertos Procession and Festival takes over Lakeview Pavilion & Stage in Old Settlers Park, with kids' activities and art, craft and food vendors, according to the city's event page.
Saturday, Nov. 7, 5 p.m. Round Rock Ballet Folklórico says the procession steps off at 5. The festival also includes live music, folklórico performances, contests and prizes.
Saturday, Nov. 7, after dark. The Light Park is open until 11 p.m. on Saturdays, so you can leave the festival and see the lights without crossing town.

The city lists Round Rock Ballet Folklórico, the Williamson County Hispanic Heritage Committee, the City of Round Rock and Univision as the festival's organizers. The event pages list more than one address, so set your map to Old Settlers Park and Lakeview Pavilion rather than a street number.

What downtown is doing with the space

The paseo that made room for the move is meant to connect Prete Plaza with the library courtyard, and Prete Plaza is where downtown's fall calendar happens. Downtown gets the Halloween weekend before the east side gets its turn.

Hometown Halloween is Friday, Oct. 30, from 3 to 7 p.m. That's tomorrow if you're reading this the day it posts. Festivities run along East Main Street, with activities in Prete Plaza at 221 E. Main St., per the city.

Music on Main keeps going on Wednesday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. at Prete Plaza, with shows left on Nov. 4, 11 and 18 and Dec. 2 and 9, according to the city's arts and culture page.

Two newer businesses on the same blocks have added reasons to stay downtown after a show. Alcove has gone back to its original name and opened The Fair, an expanded country-western venue at 117 and 119 E. Main St., on Sept. 25, Community Impact reported. Around the corner, Sweet Irene's Boutique scheduled its grand opening for Oct. 24 at 110 S. Lampasas St., Unit 4, with clothing, candles, jewelry and home decor. Its first full week started Oct. 26, according to Community Impact.

Put together, downtown handles the regular weeknight routine and the Halloween block party. Old Settlers Park, with the Palm House back near its farm site, handles the bigger, all-day events.

The rest of the season, sorted by where you'll park

From November into December, most of the bigger dates land at Old Settlers Park, while downtown keeps its Wednesday nights.

Date	Event	Where	Hours
Wed., Nov. 4, 11, 18	Music on Main	Prete Plaza, 221 E. Main St.	7–9 p.m.
Wed., Nov. 11	Veterans Day Celebration	Lakeview Stage and Pavilion, Old Settlers Park	11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 14	Rockin' Around the Holidays Bazaar, free admission	Clay Madsen Recreation Center	9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Nov. 6 to Jan. 3, 2027	The Light Park	Dell Diamond lot, 3400 E. Palm Valley Blvd.	Sun.–Thu. 5:30–10 p.m.; Fri.–Sat. 5:30–11 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 2 and 9	Music on Main	Prete Plaza, 221 E. Main St.	7–9 p.m.
Fri.–Sat., Dec. 4–5	Light Up the Lake	Old Settlers Park	6 p.m. Dec. 4 through 10 p.m. Dec. 5

The city lists the Veterans Day Celebration, the Holiday Bazaar and Light Up the Lake on its own event pages. Light Up the Lake includes live music, a light show, holiday displays and family activities. That gives Old Settlers Park two light shows at the start and end of the season: The Light Park in the Dell Diamond lot from early November, and Light Up the Lake inside the park in early December.

One more address to watch on Palm Valley

Food and drink on this stretch may change before the season ends. Hutto-based Cottonwood Creek Brewery expects to open Cottonwood Creek Taproom at 1201 E. Palm Valley Blvd. in November or December. Its general manager told Community Impact the Round Rock location would brew some beers of its own, with a food truck planned for spring. The space was previously home to 3rd Level Brewing, which closed April 17, 2026, per Community Impact's May roundup. For now, that opening window is a forecast, not a date to plan your weekend around.

If you're thinking about how Round Rock's growth on the east side fits into your own next move, I'm happy to go through it with you. At YES Realty, we'll talk about what's changing near Old Settlers Park and Palm Valley Boulevard and whether it fits your plans, with no pressure. Schedule a free consultation whenever you're ready.