Each one is a winter wonderland.
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While there's a practically endless list of things to love about the holiday season—the time with family, the gifts, the beautiful tackiness of the decorations—one of our favorite activities is driving around and admiring the twinkling outdoor Christmas lights set up at our local spots. Whether we're meandering through neighborhoods that have fully decked the halls or visiting an entire Christmas-themed town to soak in some of that holiday cheer, the sparkling bulbs make those moments unforgettable. Everyone deserves to get their fill of these bright decorations that go up only once a year, so we've compiled a list of the best Christmas light displays across the United States (and hopefully near you!).
The magical experience of being surrounded by colorful string lights is the perfect chance for some family-friendly fun. It might be frigid outside depending on where you live, but the decorations and Christmas spirit make the outing so worth it. Sometimes the light shows around the states are so grand that you should hop in your car and drive an hour or so to see them. While small Midwestern towns like Santa Claus, Indiana, definitely put on an enchanting event, everyone should get to see their closest big city—be it Chicago, New York, or Honolulu—lit up by a whole world of Christmas lights at least once.
We'll let you decide for yourself what city or region has the absolute best Christmas light displays. Just scroll through our list to discover 32 American towns with some of the best Christmas lights we've seen.
Theodore, Alabama, might not be on your radar, but this tradition definitely should be. Each year, Bellingrath Gardens holds a stunning light show called Magic Christmas in Lights. (2023 is the 28th anniversary of the festive event.) Three full-time employees work year-round to create the dazzling displays spread across 65 acres. The tour takes about an hour, but there's food and drink available for purchase so you can spend the entire night basking in the lights. Not to mention, Santa makes a nightly appearance through December 23.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Glendale Glitters is putting on a two-day event featuring unique, never-before-seen displays. This event is rather short-lived, but it's not lacking in quality. The extravagant light display, set up in front of the Glendale Civic Center. illuminates the entire downtown and brings vendors, music, and a visit from Santa Claus himself. If you're around Phoenix, you should definitely stop by.
After you take a dip in the natural hot springs, visit Garvan Woodland Gardens for the annual Holiday Lights show. From November 18 to December 31, you'll be able to enter the gardens with a prepurchased ticket and take in the whimsical, festive surroundings. Food and drink will be available for purchase from the adorably named Chipmunk Cafe, so sip on that hot chocolate and enjoy the show!
If you're looking for a low-key Christmas light display and you're in or near the City of Angels, you're in luck. Though many cities have their own phenomenal residential light displays, the one on "Candy Cane Lane" in the Woodland Hills neighborhood has its own Trip Advisor page. This free experience is easy to drive or walk through and is the perfect date night activity.
For something a bit more structured, the Los Angeles Zoo offers an L.A. Zoo Lights experience featuring "holiday-themed Winter Wildlands, the Dazzling Desertscape, magnificent scenes of native California wildlife, and much more." With treats to purchase and alcoholic beverages if you're over 21, this fun event is one you'll keep coming back to year after year.
Just outside L.A., the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa offers a breathtaking public light display called the Festival of Lights. If you're leaving the city, make sure to drive by and experience this event that's been held since 1992.
The Blossoms of Light event held at the Denver Botanic Gardens knows it's all that and a bag of chips—why else would it have a specific section in its FAQ about popping the question to your special someone there? This magnificent light show makes efforts to be sustainable, using only LED lights. You'll feel as if you've stepped into another, colorfully illuminated world as you wander through this dazzling display.
From November 23 to December 31, experience a magical mile-long display of twinkling lights for the third year in a row at Magic of Lights in Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Without ever leaving your car, you can weave through the holiday festival and take in all that good, festive cheer.
This historic city is beautiful in its own right, but the annual Night of Lights in the downtown will absolutely take your breath away. Experience this festival from November 18 to January 28, and admire the Spanish Colonial architecture draped with string lights for roughly 20 blocks of the historic district.
A true winter wonderland, Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens runs from November 17 to January 1. At this holiday event, you'll be able to step into the Callaway Christmas Village—seven miles of 10 million twinkling lights you can taken in by car, on foot, or via the resort's Jolly Trolley. This shimmering forest offers rich hot chocolate, seasonal gifts, and oversize ornaments perfect for pictures too.
Starting on December 2, the city of Honolulu sets up the Honolulu City Lights event, kicking off the monthlong experience with a tree lighting ceremony led by the mayor and a light parade. This annual festival is run by a nonprofit organization called Friends of Honolulu City Lights to perpetuate joy and holiday cheer for the citizens of the city.
The general vibe of Chicago at the holidays is impeccable, but there's just something about the holiday lights along Navy Pier that will really put you in a festive mood. The annual Light Up the Lake festival takes place from November 24 to December 31 and brings a vibrant outdoor light display and local artisan market to the lakefront.
The Lincoln Park Zoo is another fun event to look out for in the area, boasting the annual ZooLights event. With new photo ops, exciting displays, and interactive features, you'll feel like a little kid again.
That's not all the Windy City has to offer. Don't miss the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Parade for an extra helping of lights and the Christkindlmarket for an European-style market.
As if the name alone weren't enough to convince you that this town doesn't play around when it comes to Christmas, the 1.2-mile-long drive-through light event definitely will. The Santa Claus Land of Lights event takes place at the Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph resort (yes, Lake Rudolph), and it tells the story of the famous red-nosed reindeer in brilliant LEDs.
From November 17 to January 7, you can experience the Jolly Holiday Lights event started by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Iowa. Support for this magical light show goes toward making dreams come true for Iowa's children—and you can even get a personalized email from Santa Claus himself to give your children more to look forward to.
The state of Louisiana takes Christmas seriously, so much so that it has created an entire holiday tour that goes from town to town called the Holiday Trail of Lights. Running along I-20 and I-49, it winds through eight festive cities in Northern Louisiana. You can shop for holiday antiques and go on a safari zoo tour. However, the town of Natchitoches has a beautiful Festival of Lights that shouldn't be missed. A total of 350,000 Christmas lights illuminate the downtown, and fireworks fill the night sky every Saturday from November 18 to December 30.
The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens are beautiful all year, but its Gardens Aglow festival is a holiday celebration unlike any other. Throughout its 14 acres, more than 750,000 LED lights illuminate the greenery and flowers. Now in its ninth years, the event is getting new designs and becoming more sustainable.
We've found your next evening activity: Winter City Lights, an experience like no other. The biggest Christmas light display in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metro area, this event has more than one million twinkling lights over an 18-acre outdoor area. From a 1.5-mile winter wonderland trail to a 52-foot tall Christmas tree to a canopy of star-like lights, this show has so much to see that you can spend hours here. After you've gotten your fill of festive lights, check out the other holiday activities in the area.
The wonderful Christmas light display that used to take place on Arthur Street in Danvers, Massachusetts, has moved! Now in the neighboring town of Topsfield, the grand light display starts November 24. Claiming to have more than double the number of lights this year as in years past, Orchard Lane event surrounds you with 100,000 twinkling bulbs.
The city and surrounding area of Detroit is bound to have some stunning light shows, it'll be difficult to choose which one to stop by! Well, we're here to help with that. Make sure to keep room on your Christmas lights roster for the Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo event to walk through about 500 festive displays with millions of glistening LED lights. There are so many experiences to behold, but make sure to stop by the Underwater Trail, the Field of Light, and the Wild Lights lodge to warm up and enjoy some seasonal treats.
On the shores of Lake Superior, Bentleyville USA is more than just a holiday light event—it's an extravaganza. This walk-through light show decorates Bayfront Festival Park with more than 5 million Christmas lights. As if that weren't enough, everyone who visits gets free treats courtesy of the vendors and sponsors. Celebrate the show's 20th anniversary with popcorn, hot chocolate, and a visit with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.
Branson's crown jewel is Silver Dollar City, an 1880s theme park that attracts visitors year-round. It's especially shiny when it transforms into a bright Christmas wonderland. With more than 6.5 million lights, a special effects Christmas tree, and a nightly parade starring Rudolph the Reindeer, it’s easy to see why this theme park is such a holiday hit.
More than 40 blocks of downtown Omaha get illuminated by twinkling lights during the holiday season, making it a prime destination for getting into the festive spirit. The Omaha Holiday Lights Festival includes lights, a concert, a skating rink, and fireworks on New Year's Eve. Guests also have the opportunity to donate nonperishable items to local food banks.
Kate McGregor is the former Digital Editor at House Beautiful, where she wrote countless stories on home renovation costs, design inspiration, and plant care. After years of experience writing commerce and search-optimized content for brands like Domino, Real Simple, and Architectural Digest’s Clever, Kate developed a passion for uncovering the personal stories that often inspire people’s spaces. She previously worked as the Assistant Market Editor at ELLE Decor where she identified top products and brands in the industry and interviewed emerging designers on their thoughts on the latest interior design trends. Kate holds a bachelor’s degree from Belmont University. When not researching the specificities of begonia plant care, you can find Kate scouring vintage markets for the ideal wrought-iron chair, knitting yet another cardigan, or reading historical nonfiction.
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