If there was a year to try to fully enjoy the magic of the holiday season, 2020 is it. Communities across the country have risen to the occasion and there are more Christmas light displays viewable from the comfort and safety of your vehicle than ever before. So grab a travel mug of cocoa, buckle up, and take a drive through one of these beautiful light displays across America.
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The annual Fantasy of Lights is now in its 26th year, and has been offering a drive-thru lights display before it became a covid-safe activity. Cars can tour the holiday scenery in Lighthouse Point Park for a $10 fee through Dec. 31.
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The Daytona International Speedway is transformed into a festive display of holiday scenes and characters through Jan. 2. For $25 admission, cars can visit any evening during the week, or pay $30 to include an in-vehicle holiday photo.
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It's predictable that the town of Santa Claus would go all out for the Christmas season. What's more surprising is just how unique its largest display, Land of Lights, truly is — a drive-thru outdoor tunnel of LED lights telling the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer across 1.2 miles. Admission is $15 per car.
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Sherwood is hosting the Enchanted Forest Trail of Lights, a mile-long, drive-thru light display running Nov. 20-Dec. 30. Admission is free, though donations for future displays are accepted. And everyone who comes gets a candy cane.
The annual Winter Wonderfest's Light Spectacular is held at Hudson Fields from 5 to 10 p.m. through the end of the year. This year, there's a 1-mile trail of lights and an interactive scavenger hunt. Admission $20-$25, depending on the night.
While all events that might attract crowds are canceled, the Honolulu City Lights holiday display will continue as a drive-thru event. Residents can still climb in the car to see Shaka Santa, a 50-foot Christmas tree, a fully decorated Honolulu Hale, and displays and lighted trees along King Street. The wreath contest and visits with Santa will be shared online.
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Keokuk hosts a "City of Christmas" attraction in Rand Park that runs through Dec. 26 and features a village devoted to religious and non-religious aspects of the holiday. Keokuk has put on this festival for three decades.
Housed in a former limestone mine, the Louisville Mega Cavern is a unique attraction any time of year, but especially for Lights Under Louisville, the world's only fully underground drive-thru light show, featuring 3 million lights and 850 displays. Tickets are $30 per car admission.
Bring a toy or nonperishable food to donate before seeing the 12-story-tall, light-animated Christmas tree at Duluth's Bentleyville Tour of Lights. For the drive-the event, more than 5 million lights are strung across the 20-acre Bayfront Festival Park. Tickets are $10 per car and can only be bought at the gate. Children 10 and under will receive a free knit winter hat.
Far from the Strip but no less flashy, Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a drive-thru display with 2.5 miles of "millions and millions of twinkling lights" as well as custom light displays Nov. 23 to Jan. 10. Tickets start at $25 per carload.
The Trail of Lights sees Austin's Zilker Park neighborhood erect the nation's largest man-made Christmas tree, along with 2 million lights and 41 unique displays. This year the trail will be a drive-thru event, with timed-entry passes costing $30 and up. A little extra will add the cost of the 2020 Austin Fun Run registration to your ticket.
The New Hampshire Motor Speedway gets a holiday makeover Nov. 26-Jan. 3. A drive-thru light display stretches 2.5 miles and features the 130-foot long Tunnel of Lights, 520 displays, and 80 different scenes. Admission is $25 per car or bus up to 15 people.
Holiday Lights in Lindenwood Park has over 75 light displays and has been a hometown hit for the last 20 years. This year the event, which cars can drive through for $8 per vehicle, is Nov. 26-Dec. 31.
The drive-thru Hershey Sweet Lights spectacular runs from now until New Year's Day at Hersheypark, where visitors can see nearly 600 animated light displays — illuminated by around 4 million lights — as they drive through miles of wooded trails. Ticket prices vary, depending on how many days you plan to attend.
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For $25 per vehicle containing up to eight people, visitors can drive the mile-long, snow-strewn Christmas Carnival of Lights at Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Caledonia. After passing more than 2 million lights illuminating the forested setting, the route ends at a workshop where children can see Santa, adults can peruse the gift shop, and both can sip hot beverages.
More than 300 acres and 6 miles of the Oglebay resort in Wheeling light up with 90 unique displays in December for the Winter Festival of Lights, now one of the nation's largest and most visited holiday shows. Tickets for this drive-thru experience are $25 per vehicle, which includes four 3D glasses to enhance the ride.
From Nov. 30-Dec. 23 and Dec. 26-30, check out WonderLAnd, a Woodland Hills "holiday drive-thru adventure" put on by the folks who organize the popular Haunt’Oween. Expect millions of lights, themed decorations, elaborate sets, hologram installations, and more — all from the safety of your car. Entry fee is $70 per car.
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The Marshfield Holiday Light Show bills itself as "the only drive-through holiday light spectacular on the South Shore." In 2020, it will feature dozens of themed displays over a more than 1-mile route. It's open on select nights through Dec. 30 and tickets can be purchased online or at entry.
From Dec. 1 through January 2021, visitors can experience Lights of Enchantment, a drive-thru holiday lights experience featuring more than 350 displays and over a million lights. Admission is $20 per car.
Billed as "The Largest Christmas Festival in the Pacific Northwest," The Lights of Christmas is about an hour north of Seattle and takes place on select days from Nov. 27-Dec. 30. The drive-thru event this year features more than 1 million lights and the chance to wave to Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Admission is $20-$25 per car.
A 2-mile drive through Holiday Light Fantasia at Goodwin Park in Hartford uses more than 1 million lights and displays to celebrate cross-cultural festivities, with sections devoted to Hanukkah, New Year's, and Three Kings Day, along with Christmas. Unlike most other displays on the list, this one charges for entrance: $15 per car. Proceeds benefit the local Channel 3 Kids Camp.
For a spectacular lights display, visit the Holiday of Lights at Bluefield City Park. More than 1.2 million lights decorate more than 100 acres of the park and a 1.5-mile driving path. Admission to the Holiday of Lights is free, but the park will accept cash donations for operational costs and canned goods for the Bluefield Union Mission.
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