A Trusted Friend in a Complicated World

The 46 Best Christmas Light Shows That Will Totally Wow You

America has no shortage of fun Christmas events, but these amazing light shows take the holiday spirit to a whole other level.

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.

Christmas Light Shows Grid Collage
via tripadvisor.com, via christmasincolor.net, via biltmore.com, Getty Images

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Here’s a fun bit of Christmas trivia you probably don’t know: Christmas light shows began in 1880, in Menlo Park, New Jersey. That’s when and where Thomas Edison first made festive use of his new invention, the light bulb. He strung up the lights outside his laboratory, and commuters heading to and from New York City witnessed the birth of outdoor Christmas light displays.

Today, it’s impossible to imagine Christmas without holiday lights, and some of the best Christmas getaways are worth traveling to from great distances, especially if they’re located in an adorable Christmas town. But chances are, you’re looking for something a little closer to home and you’ve probably Googled “What are the best Christmas lights near me?” After all, piling the kids into the car to see the best lights in the area has become an annual Christmas tradition for many families, especially since it’s an affordable treat that gets you in the spirit of the season.

How we chose the best Christmas light displays

Of course, not every Christmas light display is as amazing as it sounds, which is exactly why you need this list. We sourced recommendations from local experts, sorted through user reviews, and found bona fide award winners—for walk-through and drive-through events at local parks, zoos, arboretums, resorts, riverfronts, and even an underground mine. Trust us: You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll likely find yourself visiting these spots year after year and getting inspired to make your own outdoor Christmas decorations more amazing. Dreaming about celebrating in a warm locale? Combine this holiday activity with a trip to one of these warm-weather Christmas getaways for the ultimate experience (and follow these holiday travel tips to make everything go smoothly). ‘Tis the season!

Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland Light Show
via TripAdvisor.com

Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland

Cost: $27.99 and up

The Gaylord hotels are known for their stunning Christmas light displays—2022’s feature 7.2 million twinkling lights stretching out 295 miles total across all five properties. This year’s theme is So. Much. Christmas and it sees the welcome return of ICE!, life-size ice sculptures carved to recreate all your favorite holiday movies. The Gaylord National Resort & Convention center in National Harbor, Maryland (just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.) is showcasing “ICE! A Christmas Story,” with scenes from the classic Christmas movie. If that’s not enough, you can catch a live Cirque-style performance, walk through a Bavarian-style Christmas village or try indoor tubing among other wintery fun.

Learn More

 Midtown Manhattan, New York City Light Show
via TripAdvisor.com

Midtown Manhattan, New York City

Cost: Free

It’s hard to top the Big Apple when it comes to Christmas lights and—best of all—all those shimmery, sparkly light displays are free. We suggest staying at the Hard Rock Hotel, which is centrally located to Times Square and within easy walking distance to the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes and all the best window shopping on 5th Avenue. The Hard Rock’s Press Play on Your Holiday package includes two tickets to The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Rockettes, two VIP tickets to Top of Rock Observation Deck for a breathtaking vantage point to all those city lights, plus other goodies.

Learn More

People enjoy a tunnel of light at the Lightscape exhibit at Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois
Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois

Cost: $12–$26

The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Holiday Lightscape is an illuminated trail set along a mile-long path of singing trees and the twinkling glow of the Winter Cathedral. This year’s Christmas light display will feature both old favorites from previous years and plenty of new and stunning installations, all of which will likely give you some Christmas decoration ideas for your own home. Just make sure to get your tickets soon because the event completely sold out last year!

Learn More

Leigh Valley Zoo Christmas Light Show
via tripadvisor.com

Leigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania

Cost: $8–$30

With 1.2 million twinkling lights in the shapes of animals, Christmas symbols, and more, the Leigh Valley Zoo’s Winter Light Spectacular will be back this year and better than ever. It will also feature other holiday displays, fire pits, and live performances every night by some well-known princesses like Anna, Elsa, Belle, and Cinderella. Bonus: The zoo is located near Christmas City USA, the little town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, which offers evening tours by certified guides wearing 18th-century-era costumes, so you can make a whole day out of it!

Learn More

New Orleans City Park, New Orleans, Louisiana

Cost: $39.99–$225 (per car, based on size); $5 per bicycle on bike nights

New Orleans goes over the top for just about every event, and Christmas is no different. During your 2.5-mile trek through City Park’s Celebration in the Oaks, you’ll be treated to more than a million twinkling lights on the famous oak trees, as well as other light displays. The drive-through experience lasts approximately 30 to 45 minutes, but the memories will linger far longer in the minds of young kids and the young at heart.

Learn More

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Opens As Holiday Drive-Thru Light Show
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada

Cost: $25–$55

Drive-through Christmas lights don’t get any cooler than this. The Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway give the bright lights of the Vegas Strip a run for their money. This 2.5-mile-long display is adorned with millions of holiday lights and custom displays, including the Neon Forest, with its glowing trees and its mythical guardian, Gumdrop! Just go with it, and trust us—the kids will love it. Speaking of little ones, they will also love making Christmas crafts, so you’ll want to bookmark our list of simple DIYs.

Learn More

Oregon Zoo Lights
via tripadvisor.com

Oregon Zoo, Portland, Oregon

Cost: $40–$65 per vehicle

One of the best zoos in America shines even brighter during the holidays because of the annual ZooLights festivities. This year, it’s a drive-through event, so your whole family can enjoy the brilliantly illuminated tunnels and animated-animal displays safely and while listening to the best Christmas songs on your own playlist.

Learn More

Mega Cavern Lights Under Louisville
via lightsunderlouisville.com

Louisville Mega Cavern, Louisville, Kentucky

Cost: $30 per vehicle

This is a Christmas light show experience unlike any other. Louisville’s Mega Cavern is the world’s only fully underground drive-through Christmas lights display—with three million twinkling lights and 850 displays that are actually beneath the city! The former limestone mine is a popular attraction year-round, but the 30-minute-long Lights Under Louisville experience is something you really don’t want to miss during the holiday season. Get in the spirit even more by seeing which family member can answer the most Christmas riddles correctly on your drive to the caverns.

Learn More

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa Light show
Courtesy Borgata

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, New Jersey

Cost: Free to enter

Amplify the extravagance of the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City for the holidays, and you’ll get more than 150,000 LED lights, 15 holiday-festooned trees, hundreds of poinsettia plants, 12 holiday cocktails—including a Poinsettia martini, Pumpkin-Spiced Espresso Martini, Caramel Brulée cocktail and S’mores Old Fashioned, plus chances to win a 2023 Audi Q8 Prestige 55 TFSI Quattro or a luxurious escape for four to Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas, plus a $4,000 gift card. The festive vibe continues with the Borgata’s legendary casino gaming, concerts, performances, world-class restaurants, spa with heated indoor pool and Beer Garden. Happy holidays? You can bet on it.

Learn More

North Carolina Arboretum Christmas Lights
via tripadvisor.com

North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, North Carolina

Cost: $25–$75 per vehicle

Winter Lights is an artistic delight for revelers who want something more than simply gazing at millions of (admittedly gorgeous) twinkling bulbs. This is a full experience. The walk-through event features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes scattered throughout the stately Arboretum, including an illuminated polar bear and igloo, a giant caterpillar, and colors dancing like Christmas fairies in the canopies of the trees. You might get inspired to create your own miniature versions of these at home, along with these DIY Christmas ornaments.

Learn More

Griswold Lights and Sights, Raleigh, North Carolina

Cost: $30–$35

Some of the largest and most spectacular holiday displays in the country are found in Wake County, North Carolina. This particular two-hour, family-friendly trolley tour—based on Christmas Vacation, one of the funniest Christmas movies of all time—will take you through downtown Raleigh before heading to the ‘burbs to see dozens of hilarious and over-the-top Christmas light displays at local homes. Clark Griswold himself would be impressed!

Learn More

The Enchanted Forest of Light preview at Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge, California
FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty Images

Descanso Gardens, Los Angeles, California

Cost: $30

If you want a different kind of Christmas experience, Descanso Gardens’ Enchanted: Forest of Light is the place you’ll want to be. There is a delightful absence of toy-making elves and red-nosed reindeer here. Instead, this Christmas light show attempts to evoke the magic and imagination of the holidays by bathing the trees, plants, and flowers in dazzling lights. You’ll also find things like “fireflies” zipping through an ancient forest and brightly lit tulips and Sycamore trees dancing in rainbow hues when guests play with a special keyboard. This mental break from the typical red and green Christmas colors is as unique as the Descanso Gardens themselves.

Learn More

Callaway Resort And Gardens Christmas Lights
via tripadvisor.com

Callaway Resort & Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia

Cost: $16.95–$34.95

Callaway’s Fantasy in Lights ranks as one of National Geographic‘s Top 10 Light Displays in the world, and it’s easy to see why. There’s the chance to ride through the dazzling illuminated forest and a Christmas village, and because this is a resort, you can enjoy an overnight stay, a meal, or just a few cups of cocoa. New this past year was the Magical Field of Lights, a scene set on Callaway’s 2,500 acres that is nearly two football fields long and features a Christmas tree over 10 stories tall—the tallest in the South! It just may give you some ideas for your own Christmas tree.

Learn More

Philadelphia Zoo Christmas Lights
via tripadvisor.com

Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cost: $20–$25

America’s first zoo is awash in colorful lights at the LumiNature display. You’ll get to explore 14 illuminated experience zones that will feature, in total, more than a million lights (running on 10 miles of power cord), 500 illuminated flamingos, 200-plus shining penguins, and cascading blue and white meteor light showers. You’ll also be treated to hot cocoa and acts by strolling performers.

Learn More

Silver Dollar City Theme Park Christmas Lights
via tripadvisor.com

Silver Dollar City Theme Park, Branson, Missouri

Cost: $74

This theme park doesn’t mess around when it comes to Christmas. Its Old Time Christmas Festival transforms this Ozark staple with more than 6.5 million lights, a thousand decorated trees, nightly parades, and two musical productions, including the new Broadway-style show Home for Christmas. But the pièce de résistance is a five-story special-effects tree decorated with 350,000 LED lights that are synchronized with Christmas music and make up to 100 color changes per second! Another highlight: The brand-new, $26 million Time Traveler coaster will be decked out with 30 miles of lights for a one-of-a-kind nighttime holiday ride.

Learn More

Bellingrath Gardens Christmas lights
Jim McKinley/Getty Images

Bellingrath Gardens and Home, Theodore, Alabama

Cost: $8–$16

For more than two decades, Bellingrath Gardens and Home has been the best spot in Alabama for Christmas light shows. This year, the Magic Christmas in Lights display will feature more than 1,100 illuminated sets and three million lights spread throughout the impressive grounds of this 65-acre estate. Over the years, it has received tons of accolades, from outlets including the Southeast Tourism Society and USA Today.

Learn More

Boats And Yachts Take Part In The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade
David McNew/Getty Images

Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, Newport Beach, California

Cost: Free parade viewing; $20–$32 for a holiday-lights cruise

Who says Christmas lights are only for trees and houses? Watch beautifully decorated yachts, boats, kayaks, and canoes sail along the harbor in the 113th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade from December 15 through December 19 this year. Or, at any time throughout the holiday season, you can book a 75-minute holiday-lights cruise to see multimillion-dollar estates decked out with thousands of Christmas lights.

Learn More

Goodwin Park Hartford Connecticut Christmas Lights
via tripadvisor.com

Goodwin Park, Hartford, Connecticut

Cost: $16–$20 per vehicle

During the park’s Holiday Light Fantasia, you and your little elves will experience a full-blown winter celebration with larger-than-life scenes depicting Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s Eve. While driving through, keep an eye out for Flurry, an adorable puppy wearing a Santa hat—he is hidden among the lights, so your tiny tots in the backseat can play a little seek-and-find game!

Learn More

Shady Brook Farm Christmas Light Show
via tripadvisor.com

Shady Brook Farm, Yardley, Pennsylvania

Cost: $25 per vehicle

Whether you experience this classic drive-through in your own car or in an open-air, tractor-drawn wagon, you will quickly see why multiple generations return to Shady Brook Farm’s Holiday Light Show every year. With more than three million lights illuminating acres of farmland, you’ll encounter whimsical displays and familiar characters from TV shows, books, and movies—including some of your favorite Christmas cartoons. At the farm, you can also wander down Candy Cane Lane and book a private campfire for making s’mores and getting all toasty on a cold winter night.

Learn More

Longwood Gardens Christmas Display
via tripadvisor.com

Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Cost: $16–$30

This year’s theme? Fire, ice, and everything nice. In the indoor part of the display, you’ll find tall trees in fiery red lights, a “frozen” fountain of succulents, and a veritable winter wonderland. Follow the twinkling lights out into the open air, where there are fire pits and garden pathways, with half-a-million lights to help you kick-start the most wonderful time of the year.

Learn More

Christmas At The Biltmore In Asheville North Carolina
via biltmore.com

The Biltmore, Asheville, North Carolina

Cost: $119–$139

The stately Biltmore Estate in Asheville brings luxe to a whole new level during the holidays. Candlelight Christmas Evenings feature cascading lights, meticulously illuminated trees, pathway luminaries, and the elegant glow of candles and fireplaces, making this already-gorgeous home even more stunning at this time of year. Arguably the most upscale Christmas light show anywhere in the country, it’s definitely a splurge—but one you won’t regret. Translation: You have to do it at least once!

Learn More

The Bronx Zoo Christmas Lights
via tripadvisor.com

The Bronx Zoo, Bronx, New York

Cost: $22.95–$30.95

Immersive light displays, custom-designed illuminated animals, and lively light shows bring a festive flair to the famed Bronx Zoo over the holidays. The main draws are the 260 lanterns representing nearly 70 zoo creatures, including 30 new animal species making their illuminated debut this year. The annual outdoor Christmas party also boasts live entertainment, tasty treats, and classic holiday music. If you’re throwing your own bash this year, check out these Christmas party themes for a truly merry (and memorable) celebration.

Learn More

The Atlanta Botanical Garden
via tripadvisor.com

The Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia

Cost: $19.95–$44.95

With capacity reduced and timed tickets required, this annual treat in Atlanta is expected to sell out for many of the dates this winter, so make sure to reserve your spot as soon as possible. Fans will be delighted to see their old favorites this year, as well as some fabulous new displays. You definitely won’t want to miss the colorful Glowing Grove along the Flower Walk. This display, which debuted at a glass art exhibition last summer, features oversized flowers leading to the stunning Ice Goddess and lighted sculptures.

Learn More

Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois
Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images

The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois

Cost: $7–$17

In its ninth year and still going strong, the Illumination: Tree Lights event at the Morton Arboretum provides an affordable way to enjoy the splendor of the holidays. One of the new things you’ll find this year is the Human+Nature display, with its 150 colorful lanterns. Other than that, you’ll walk along a mile-long paved path bathed in holiday lights as you listen to festive music. Take a break from your stroll to roast marshmallows by the fire or grab a snack at one of the concession tents.

Learn More

Hersheypark Christmas Lights
via tripadvisor.com

Hersheypark, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Cost: $52.95–$54.95

What goes better with Christmas than chocolate? How about five million lights? That’s what decks the halls of Hersheypark’s Candy Lane every year, and the fun doesn’t stop there. NOEL, a family-friendly holiday show, sets more than 250,000 lights dancing to classic holiday tunes, and the iconic Kisses Fountain will be all dressed up in its holiday best. Bonus: All of the rides will be running at night, so if you can keep your eyes open while you’re on the roller coasters, you’ll see the lights of the park from the above! Keep the giggles going on the way home with these funny Christmas jokes for kids.

Learn More

Abq Biopark Botanical Garden Christmas Lights
via cabq.gov

ABQ BioPark Botanical Garden, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Cost: $5–$14.50

What began in 1997 as a fundraiser is now a beloved annual tradition in Albuquerque. Millions of lights and nearly 600 luminescent holiday displays bring sleighs full of Christmas cheer to you and your family as you stroll along New Mexico’s largest walk-through light show. River of Lights made USA Today‘s list of the 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for the Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights in 2020.

Learn More

Living Desert Zoo And Gardens
via livingdesert.org

Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert, California

Cost: $12–$16

Now in its 29th year, WildLights transforms this Palm Desert zoo into a “snowy” wonderland with more than a million twinkling lights. Recognized as one of the Top 5 zoo light shows by USA Today, WildLights is home to a herd of life-size animal lanterns, as well as a famous tunnel of lights that flashes along to holiday tunes. Even the zoo’s G-scale model trains and their 3,300 feet of track will be decked out for the holidays this year!

Learn More

Maine Botanical Gardens christmas light show
Portland Press Herald/Getty Images

Coastal Maine Botanical Garden, Boothbay, Maine

Cost: $30–$40

Usually enjoyed on foot as a walking tour, the Gardens Aglow experience at the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden will light up the Boothbay peninsula as a drive-through Christmas lights event. From the safety, warmth, and comfort of your own car, you will get to enjoy nearly 650,000 energy-efficient LED bulbs. Don’t forget to bring a thermos filled with hot chocolate! If you have the time, take a coastal road trip and hit a few more quaint towns in Maine.

Learn More

Coeur Dalene Resort Idaho Christmas Light Show
via cdaresort.com

Coeur d’Alene Resort, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Cost: $11.50–$26.50

Take one of the resort’s “merry cruise boats” to see a massive floating Christmas tree and 1.5 million bulbs shining and reflected in the water of the lake. The signature experience is the Journey to the North Pole Holiday Lake Cruise with fireworks, and it makes a stop at Santa’s Toy Workshop—that’s where America’s tallest floating Christmas tree towers above, and your kids can peek in on Santa’s elves hard at work in preparation for the big day.

Learn More

Adventureland Park Christmas Light Show
via tripadvisor.com

Adventureland Park, Altoona, Iowa

Cost: $25–$200

Jolly Holiday Lights will remind you what the true spirit of Christmas is all about. Sure, there are fabulous lights and 100-plus holiday displays along the 2.5-mile-long drive through the park, but here’s the really wonderful part: Adventureland donates 100 percent of admission fees to Make-a-Wish Iowa, which helps grant “wishes” to children with critical illnesses. If you love this idea, make sure to check out our list of gifts that give back while you’re doing your holiday shopping.

Learn More

Botanica The Witchita Gardens Light Show
via tripadvisor.com

Botanica: The Witchita Gardens, Witchita, Kansas

Cost: $9–$13

For Kansas residents Googling “the best Christmas lights near me,” there is one result worth paying extra attention to. Illuminations adorns Botanica with more than two million lights that completely transform it into a Christmas wonderland. Kids will particularly love the Children’s Meadow, where 360 poles with 6,000 lights move in sync to holiday music. There’s also a new display in Koch Carousel Gardens, with three dozen dazzling beams dancing in the sky around a 25-foot-tall Christmas tree.

Learn More

christmas lights in residential neighborhood of dyker heights brooklyn new york
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, New York

Cost: Free

New Yorkers aren’t particularly subtle, and when it comes to Christmas, that’s a particularly good thing. While you’re experiencing the magic of the city in December, hop over the bridge to Dyker Heights, a residential Brooklyn neighborhood that goes all out for the holidays…and that’s putting it mildly. Residents deck their homes and front yards with innumerable Christmas lights and over-the-top displays, transforming the area into a true winter wonderland that you can explore free of charge. The exact place you’ll want to be? Between 11th and 13th Avenues, from 83rd to 86th Streets (and between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.). If you live relatively nearby, visiting may become one of your regular Christmas Eve traditions!

Learn More

Huckleberry Railroad Flint Michigan
via tripadvisor.com

Huckleberry Railroad, Flint, Michigan

Cost: $10 per vehicle, or $22–$24 for the train and village

Sure, the Tom Hanks–voiced animated movie is great, but this is the real Polar Express! Or, at least your kids might think so when they get all aboard this train. Michigan’s Huckleberry Railroad takes you on a holiday-themed ride, passing by Christmas light displays. Not quite ready to be in close quarters with a bunch of strangers? This year, visitors can also take in the sights safely, from the comfort of their own cars.

Learn More

Candelight Stroll At Strawberry Banke Museum
via strawberrybanke.org

Strawberry Banke Museum, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Cost: $10–$20

The Candlelight Stroll at Strawberry Banke deftly manages to roll up 350 years of seasonal and holiday traditions and set them against the stunning backdrop of the area’s historic houses. The Candlelight Stroll Under the Stars takes you on a walking tour past the gorgeously decorated buildings, hundreds of candle lanterns, candlelit pathways, and actors in vintage garb, recreating Christmases of yore. This year’s event is expected to sell out, so definitely buy your tickets sooner rather than later.

Learn More

Bright Nights At Forest Park Springfield Massachusetts
via brightnights.org

Forest Park, Springfield, Massachusetts

Cost: $23 per vehicle

Named one of the Top 100 Attractions in North America by the American Bus Association, listed on People.com as one of the Top Ten Holiday Happenings in America, and featured in the New York Times, Massachusetts’ drive-through Bright Nights has been making the holiday season brighter for New England residents and tourists alike since 1995. This year, you’ll once again see glowing Christmas light displays like Seuss Land, a bright and proud American flag, and the woodlands in wintertime, as well as illuminated scenes celebrating Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.

Learn More

Storybook Land Christmas
via storybrookland.com

Storybook Land, Egg Harbor, New Jersey

Cost: $26.95–$29.95

This New Jersey amusement park is a paradise for children every single day of the year, but during the Christmas season, even more magic is afoot. Santa Claus himself lights the park every night, bringing to life thousands of bright, colorful lights that can be enjoyed while riding the rides in this kiddie wonderland.

Learn More

Tanglewood Park Christmas Light Show
via tripadvisor.com

Tanglewood Park, Clemmons, North Carolina

Cost: $20–$23 per vehicle

Every November and December, this beautiful countryside park in Clemmons, North Carolina, is flooded with more than a million colorful holiday lights. You can choose to explore the park in your own car, or you can opt for a ride in a tractor-pulled wagon or a horse-drawn carriage. Fun!

Learn More

Historic Clifton Mill Christmas Lights
via tripadvisor.com

Historic Clifton Mill, Clifton, Ohio

Cost: $10

More than four million bulbs shine on the mill, gorge, riverbank, bridges, and nearby trees at the Historic Clifton Mill, but the highlight of this naturalistic Christmas light show is the 100-foot “waterfall” of light. Amazingly, just the single flip of a single switch transforms this idyllic scene into a beautifully illuminated winter wonderland that also includes a miniature Christmas village, a Santa Claus museum, and plenty of Christmas music. Of course, you’ll be taking lots of pictures here and at your other holiday events, which means you’ll need some clever Christmas captions. (We’ve got more than 100 for you to choose from!)

Learn More

Rhema Bible School Christmas Lights
via rhemalights.org

Rhema Bible School, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Cost: Free

The sprawling Rhema Lights display has been dazzling kids of all ages in Oklahoma since the mid-1980s. Two million lights decorate Rhema Bible School each year during the holidays, with walk-through tunnels, an illuminated nativity scene, and a Christmas tree forest with a 22-foot tree and five-foot star. Despite its location, this unique Christmas light show is visited by more than 200,000 people annually. While this experience is 100 percent free, carriage rides are also available for $10 per person (or $50 for a private ride) if you and your little ones don’t want to walk.

Learn More

Riversford Park Christmas Lights
via uvfestivaloflights.com

Riversford Park, Roseberg, Oregon

Cost: $10 per vehicle

The Umpqua Valley’s Festival of Lights is a hit with kids because they love seeing animated characters from Frozen, the world’s largest nutcracker (who has his own social media presence—seriously, he is @KingNutcracker), and animated cheetahs, similar to their live cousins at Oregon’s Wildlife Safari. The drive-through experience features 500,000 lights and 90 animated light displays. Even better? All the proceeds from your visit go toward Rotary Club scholarships. You’ll make Christmas memories, have a blast, and do good all at the same time, which is what the holiday season is about.

Learn More

Brookgreen Gardens Christmas Lights
via tripadvisor.com

Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, South Carolina

Cost: $12–$30

Brookgreen Gardens is beautiful all year long, but it really shines during the Nights of a Thousand Candles event, which starts right after Thanksgiving and lasts till right after the new year. Although candlelight doesn’t create the literal or figurative buzz of electric lights (though there are some of those, too), the warm, soft glow of more than 2,800 hand-lit candles will cause sparks in the eyes, hearts, and minds of visitors of all ages. Walk the garden’s pathways with a warm cup of cider, cocoa, or wine while enjoying the old-fashioned sounds of Christmas carols, and you’ll soon see why Travel + Leisure named this elegantly low-key celebration the Best Christmas Lights in South Carolina.

Learn More

Zilker Park Trail of Lights Christmas Lights
Kimberly Brotherman/Getty Images

Zilker Park, Austin, Texas

Cost: $35–$65

Equal parts carnival and Christmas light show, the Austin Trail of Lights is a long-running Texas holiday tradition. For its 57th year, and for the second year in a row, guests will enjoy the lights from the comfort of their own vehicles, with tickets being timed to keep the magic alive and everyone safe. More than two million lights create the 70 displays, lighted tunnels, and 90 lighted trees in this beautiful downtown park. We guess even the holiday magic is bigger in Texas!

Learn More

Menominee Park Oshkosh Wisconsin
via oshkoshcol.org

Menominee Park, Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Cost: $10 per vehicle

With half a million lights and a soaring 100-foot-tall Christmas tree, Wisconsin’s Oshkosh Celebration of Lights in Menominee Park is a stand-out in the Midwest. The merry event also collects non-perishable food and personal items for charity, so you can experience the true meaning of the season while gawking at all the pretty lights!

Learn More

Oglebay Resort Festival Of Lights
via oglebay.com

Oglebay Resort, Wheeling, West Virginia

Cost: $25 per vehicle

One of the longest-running Christmas light show traditions in the country, Oglebay’s Winter Festival of Lights has been pleasing West Virginia residents and tourists alike since 1985. For this event, you’ll drive through light tunnels, and see Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and other Peanuts characters, as well as an awesome illuminated depiction of the 12 Days of Christmas. All in all, there are more than a million LED lights over 300 acres on this six-mile drive, and you can even stay overnight (and meet Santa!) and make a whole festive weekend out of it.

Learn More

Christmas In Color Christmas Light Show
via christmasincolor.net

Christmas in Color, Various Locations

Cost: $25–$31

There are more than a handful of Christmas in Color locations across the country, meaning you are probably within a short drive from a spectacular lights extravaganza this holiday season. From Utah to Florida, and Minnesota to California, this drive-through takes things to a whole new level with light tunnels, dancing snowflakes, and synchronized music-and-light displays that make brilliant use of more than 1.5 million LED bulbs. Plus, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

Learn More

The Lights Of Christmas Stanwood Washington
via tripadvisor.com

The Lights of Christmas, Stanwood, Washington

Cost: $25–$55 per vehicle

Located an easy one-hour drive from Seattle, the Lights of Christmas in Stanwood is the largest Christmas lights display in the whole of the Pacific Northwest, making it the perfect holiday day trip whether you live in Oregon, Washington, or British Columbia. This is bright and brilliant drive-through boasts more than a million lights spread across 15 acres—and all enjoyed from the safety and comfort of your own vehicle. For a different kind of festive home, check out these gingerbread house ideas even novices can make.

Learn More

Jeff Bogle
Jeff is a freelance writer who specializes in travel, cars and parenting. In addition to contributing to numerous publications, including the Washington Post, Esquire, Travel + Leisure and Fodor’s, he has written two parenting books. An award-winning photographer, he lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife, cats and an adorable dog named Ollie.