Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nevada – hosts glittering lights, a 2.5 mil circuit that gives car-bound visitors the opportunity to see more than 500 animated displays . The display is on view through January 6th and carload tickets run between $20 and $30. (Crash helmets are not needed)
- Nights of Lights in St. Augustine, Florida – palm trees get their share of holiday glory with every building, tree and lamppost draped n white lights. Walking through the display is one option, but visitors can also ride an electric tour bus, carriage, trolley, boat or charter yacht. The Ripley’s Red Train ride offers Magic Viewing 3-D glasses that turn the white lights into reindeer and snowmen, bringing the North Pole to the northeast coast of Florida.
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. turns the nation’s capital into a sparkling free event perfect for families. The solar-powered Speedwell Conservation Carousel features custom-carved figures of 58 species of animals. A National Zoo Choo Choo and a gingerbread throne offer the perfect selfie opportunity at the Gingerbread Village at Elephant Outpost. This display is on view through January 1st.
- Brooklyn, New York – Of course everyone tends to think of Rockefeller Center, and the beautifully decorated store windows along 5th Avenue, but it you have time, check out Dyker Heights in Boorklyn. The entire neighborhood goes crazy with decorations. You can park your car and walk along the street.
- Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles is an enchanted forest of light evoking the imagination of the holidays by bathing the trees, plants and flowers in dazzling light displays. Fireflies fly through the ancient forest, a sea of tulips go light bright and Sycamore trees are painted in rainbow hues when guests play with a special keyboard. The displays are all kid friendly and interactive with guests creating their own light art at Lightwave Lake. General admission is $30 and the display is on view until January 6th. If you are in the area, take a drive along the Woodland Hills area which is referred to as Candy Cane Lane that have beautiful residential displays.
- Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri hosts “An Old Time Christmas Festival”. There are more than 6.5 million lights, over 1000 decorated trees, nightly parades and two musical productions. A major highlight is the 5-story special effects tree with 350,000 LED lights synchronized with Christmas music, making up to 100 light changes per second. The park has a brand new Time Traveler Coaster decked out with 30 miles of lights. The festival runs through December 30th and one day tickets start at $54 for kids.
- Denver Botanic Gardens in Denver Colorado offers a half-mile path through the garden’s 24 acres of Christmas lights in a Rocky Mountain setting.
- Macy’s at City Center in Philadelphia has had a light display since 1965. There is a Magic Christmas Tree with more than 100,000 LEDS arranged behind a four-story velvet curtain that tell a story with reindeer, toy soldiers and ballerinas. At the end of the show, the 287 ton Wanamaker Organ plays O’Tannenbaum. Visitors can also view “A Christmas Carol”, where 100 figurines in authentic period dress recreate Scrooge’s adventures.
- Zilker Park in Austin, Texas offers Austin’s Trail of Lights, light show for more than 50 years. The 2.1 mile walking circuit features more than 50 light displays and 800 lighted trees. The Zilker Tree is 156 feet tall and touted as the tallest man-made tree in the world. On view from December 10 through December 23rd, you’ll find food trucks and live performances throughout the event.Weeknights are free with a $3 general admission on weekends.
- Christmas on Ice in North Pole, Alaska have residents of Fairbanks embracing the Christmas spirit with a six week Ice Festival that combines Christmas lights with a contest for intricately carved ice sculptures. They offer outdoor activities for the kids including ice slides and massive ice bowl twirlers where kids can sit and be spun until the colorful lights become a nauseating blur. The event goes through January 8th and admission is $9 for adults and $6 for kids 6 – 12. Amateurs are welcome to take part.
- Chicago, Illinois offers plenty of options for Christmas lights. popular ones include the Christkindlmarket at Wonderfest & the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival parade & celebration. The best display is at the Lincoln Park Zoo which has over 2.5 million lights.
If you love the holidays, we invite you to browse our most popular posts this time of year: Airports Spreading Holiday Cheer, Holiday Traditions to Start, Christmas Meals Around the World, Christmas Traditions You Can Start with Teenagers, What Your Favorite Christmas Cookies Says About You & New Years Lucky Foods!
