Trip Ideas Holiday Travel The Best Christmas Light Displays in Every State By Maya Kachroo-Levine Maya Kachroo-Levine Instagram Maya Kachroo-Levine is the luxury and experiences editor at Travel + Leisure digital. She has previously edited at Departures, Expedia, Good, Medium, and The Balance, and written for LA Weekly, Time, The Atlantic, Marie Claire, and Refinery29, among others. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 2, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Getty Images Whether you live in Texas, Oregon, or North Pole, Alaska, it just wouldn't be Christmastime without twinkling lights. Bulbs blinking red and green or classic white have become a part of our identity, a symbol of prosperity, holiday cheer, and end-of-the-year celebration. Christmas lights actually have a history that dates all the way back to the pagan rituals of northern Europe. The custom of the Yule Log, a bonfire of sorts, was first recorded in the 12th century, and is thought to have served as a representation of hope that the sun would once again shine brightly, ending the darkness of December. The winter light traditions have come a long way since the 12th century, from early Yule Logs to candles on the German Christmas tree — perhaps the most flammable Christmas light iteration — to the LED displays we have today. While travelers fly halfway around the world to see the European Christmas lights illuminating holiday markets, we have some exquisite displays right here in the U.S. Whether you prefer a sophisticated tea light-lined spectacle or a drive-through LED extravaganza, here are the best Christmas lights in every state. More holiday travel 01 of 50 Alabama © RosaBetancourt 0 people images / Alamy Stock Photo For more than two decades, Bellingrath Gardens and Home has been the place to see holiday lights in Alabama, and their display lives up to the reputation with more than 1,100 set pieces and 3 million lights spread throughout the 65-acre estate. The Bellingrath Gardens' Magic Christmas in Lights display, now a 26-year-strong tradition, runs from the day after Thanksgiving to January 5 and is closed on Christmas and New Year's Day. 02 of 50 Alaska Christmas in Ice In the town of North Pole, going all out on Christmas decorations is a given. Stop by Santa Claus House where "It's Christmas every day!" for photos with the world's largest Santa, his whole reindeer team, and the big man himself. 03 of 50 Arizona © National Geographic Image Collection / Alamy Stock Photo No pines or spruces in your state? Simply make do with what you have à la Arizona's Tumbleweed Tree. A tradition more than 50 years running in Chandler, Arizona, the community centerpiece is, quite literally, a pile of nearly 1,000 tumbleweeds formed into a tree shape, sprayed with white paint, dusted with 65 pounds of glitter, and adorned with 1,200 lights. It's truly a sight to be seen. 04 of 50 Arkansas Courtesy of Garvan Woodland Gardens Garvan Woodland Gardens is both an architectural and botanical phenomenon, seeing as the gardens in Hot Springs, Arkansas are affiliated with the University of Arkansas' School of Architecture + Design. The garden's annual Wonderland event takes place daily from mid-November to New Year's Eve and features holiday-themed art installations, plenty of lights, and nine creatively themed "worlds" within the garden. 05 of 50 California Courtesy of Dana Point Harbor When you're on the water, it doesn't get any better than a boat parade of lights. And the Southern California boat (or, let's be real, yacht) displays are pretty exceptional. The Dana Point Harbor Boat Parade of Lights is a Southern California favorite, as is the King Harbor Yacht Club parade in Redondo Beach. 06 of 50 Colorado telluride.net Colorado is known for another unusual "tree" tradition, the lighting of the ski tree. Every December, the Telluride, Colorado community gathers to light their 17-foot-tall ski tree, which is made from recycled skis and sits in the center of town. Prefer a more traditional display? Check out the Denver Botanic Gardens for their annual Blossoms of Light event. 07 of 50 Connecticut Holiday Light Fantasia Hartford, Connecticut's Holiday Light Fantasia is a full-blown winter celebration with larger-than-life scenes depicting Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year's Eve. Drive through the animated displays in Goodwin Park, and keep an eye out for Flurry, a puppy donning a Santa hat, hidden amongst the lights. 08 of 50 Delaware Courtesy of VisitDelaware.com In Delaware, the name DuPont holds some serious weight, and that goes double when it comes to Christmas decorations. Many of the best displays in the state can be found in DuPont mansions. One of the best: Yuletide at Winterthur, featuring a Christmas tree decorated with more than 60 varieties of dried flowers. 09 of 50 Florida Getty Images Disney World might be called "The Most Magical Place On Earth" all year-round, but it certainly kicks the pixie dust up a notch during the holidays. Hotels and theme parks are decked out in holiday decor, and guests will find tasty seasonal snacks and festive entertainment that can only be enjoyed during the most wonderful time of the year. 10 of 50 Georgia Joey Ivansco/Courtesy of Atlanta Botanical Garden For the best Christmas lights display in Georgia, look no further than the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Their two-month Garden Lights, Holiday Nights exhibition illuminates the plant and flower-filled outdoor space. Don't miss a visit to the Skylights Lounge in the Skyline Garden. 11 of 50 Hawaii Kent Nishimura/Getty Images If you're on the island of Oahu, the best light display takes place during the month of December in Honolulu. Each year, downtown Honolulu becomes aglow with dazzling lights and Hawaii-themed holiday displays at the Honolulu City Lights, an event guaranteed to get even holiday Scrooges into the celebratory spirit. 12 of 50 Idaho Joel Riner Setting itself apart from the other displays in the state, Idaho's Coeur d'Alene Resort features lights on the sparkling Lake Coeur d'Alene. Take one of the resort's "merry cruise boats" to see the site's massive floating Christmas tree and the 1.5 million bulbs reflected in the water. 13 of 50 Illinois © Todd Bannor / Alamy Stock Photo Go wild this holiday with a visit to the Lincoln Park Zoo's ZooLights in Chicago. An annual Windy City tradition, the zoo features a 40-foot tall Christmas tree, 30 lit animal silhouettes, and family-friendly activities like train rides and a s'more station. 14 of 50 Indiana Courtesy of Spencer County Visitors Bureau As you might expect from a town named Santa Claus, this community in Indiana really goes all out for Christmas. The main event is a three-weekend-long Santa Claus Christmas Celebration that includes the story of Rudolph told in brilliant LED lights. The holiday story is told over a 1.2-mile drive near — wait for it — Lake Rudolph Campground & RV Resort. 15 of 50 Iowa Jolly Holiday Lights Iowa's Jolly Holiday Lights reign supreme in the Hawkeye State. Featuring a 2.5 mile-ride through more than 100 light displays, a trip to Jolly Holiday Lights is also a gift to charity as 100 percent of admissions fees are donated to Make-A-Wish Iowa. 16 of 50 Kansas Wichita Illuminations The honor of best Christmas lights in Kansas undoubtedly belongs to Illuminations at Botanica. Each year, more than 2 million lights completely overhaul the gardens into a Christmas-themed show. 17 of 50 Kentucky Lights Under Louisville Kentucky's lights shine the brightest quite literally underground. At Lights Under Louisville, the Louisville Mega Cavern (a former limestone mine) is transformed into a 30-minute Christmas-themed car ride lit by more than 4 million points of light. 18 of 50 Louisiana Celebration in the Oaks It just isn't Christmas in New Orleans until the lights at Celebration in the Oaks flip their switch. Every year, thousands of visitors pour into City Park to see the hundreds of thousands of lights twinkling throughout the oak groves. 19 of 50 Maine Courtesy of Coastal Maine Botanical Garden Gardens Aglow at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is more than your typical Christmas light experience, it's a magical, glowing forest lit by nearly 60 miles worth of lights. Gardens Aglow is open from mid-November to January 1, giving visitors the chance to see nature come to life through hundreds of thousands of lights. 20 of 50 Maryland © Vespasian / Alamy Stock Photo Christmas descends on Annapolis in a haze of beautiful lights lining the Chesapeake Bay. The SPCA annually hosts Lights on the Bay at Sandy Point State Park, from mid-November to January 2. Pile the whole brood into your vehicle (entry is $20 per car) and drive through the stunning displays that light up Sandy Point each holiday season. 21 of 50 Massachusetts Bright Nights Massachusetts' Bright Nights at Forest Park, a collaboration between the City of Springfield and Spirit of Springfield, a private non-profit organization, has been bringing light to Forest Park for over 25 years. Can't make it out this year? Check out the site's live webcam, or the virtual tour of glowing displays. 22 of 50 Michigan © Michael Snell / Alamy Stock Photo A real-life Polar Express, Michigan's Huckleberry Railroad takes guests on a holiday-themed ride, passing by Christmas lights, and ending at the Crossroads Village. This year, visitors can take in the sights from the comfort of their cars during the Crossroads Holiday Magic Drive Thru. It runs annually from the day after Thanksgiving to December 30. 23 of 50 Minnesota Bentleyville Minnesota's best holiday display is in Bentleyville — the Bentleyville "Tour of Lights" features 5 million lights spread over 20 acres. If you can make it for opening night in November, you'll catch Santa skydiving down to the event. 24 of 50 Mississippi Courtesy of Canton Tourism In Canton, Mississippi, the Canton Christmas Festival lights up the holiday season year after year. The festival typically begins the weekend after Thanksgiving and runs through the month of December. 25 of 50 Missouri © Ilene MacDonald / Alamy Stock Photo Branson, Missouri's Silver Dollar City is regularly hailed as one of the best Christmas destinations in the country, a title well-deserved considering the park features over 6.5 million lights. Plan your visit to Silver Dollar City's An Old Time Christmas, where every nook and cranny is illuminated by those six million lights, and don't miss the nightly Christmas In Midtown Light Spectacular, a nightly parade where good ol' Rudolph makes an appearance. An Old Time Christmas runs from early November to the end of December each year. 26 of 50 Montana Stephen Simpson/Getty Images Here's a fun fact: Bozeman, Montana is known around the state for having the best Christmas lights. From Shadow Glen Drive to West Babcock Street to Powder Ridge Avenue, there are a handful of must-visit Bozeman streets where you'll find some of the best Christmas lights in the state. Tune into the local radio station (XL Country 100.7) where they'll guide you to the city's best lights. 27 of 50 Nebraska Holiday Lights Festival The tagline for the Omaha Holiday Lights Festival is "see downtown dazzle," and with over 40 blocks of bulbs, it certainly lives up to that promise. While the event's main location, Gene Leahy Mall, is under construction, get your fill of twinkly lights at Old Market or the North and South Omaha lighting displays. 28 of 50 Nevada © ShotsFiredPhotos.com Kick your Christmas up a notch at Glittering Lights at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 2.5-mile course featuring over three million lights and 400 animated displays. But lead-foots, take a breath before you floor it —the event isn't on the racing track, so speed limits are still enforced. 29 of 50 New Hampshire Courtesy of Portsmouth Few things beat Christmas in New England, from the idyllic snow-capped homes to the surplus of hot cider. In New Hampshire, find the coziest, hygge-esque holiday cheer in Portsmouth at Strawbery Banke Museum. The museum's after-dark celebration is right at the heart of Portsmouth's famed "Vintage Christmas in Portsmouth" and takes place on select days in December. 30 of 50 New Jersey Courtesy of Storybook Land For some of the best Christmas lights in New Jersey, head to Egg Harbor Township to experience the magic of Storybook Land. Here, Santa lights the park nightly, bringing to life over one million lights that instantly spread cheer across the Garden State. 31 of 50 New Mexico © ZUMA Press Inc / Alamy Stock Photo There are a few neighborhoods New Mexicans trek to see during the holidays, like Cabezon, a neighborhood outside Rio Rancho that goes all out with light displays, and Sandia Heights, in Albuquerque, where the upscale houses are lavishly decorated for the season. But one of the best light displays is in Old Town Albuquerque, where the historic storefronts and buildings are decked out with holiday spirit. At the Old Town Holiday Stroll in early December you'll feel like you're ambling through a southwestern Christmas postcard. 32 of 50 New York © Randy Duchaine / Alamy Stock Photo Move over Rockefeller, the real highlight of New York's Christmas spirit is out in Dyker Heights. Homeowners in the Brooklyn neighborhood are said to have an unspoken competition, continuing to up the ante annually with over-the-top lights, professionally-created displays, and inflatable lawn ornaments. 33 of 50 North Carolina Tanglewood Park The Tanglewood Park Festival of Lights is extremely popular, and with good reason. The beautiful North Carolina countryside park is filled with over a million lights, which visitors can explore by car, tractor-pulled hayride, or horse-drawn carriage. While you're in the area for the festival between mid-November and January 1, stop by Wake Forest University to see the stunning traditional Moravian star lit above Wait Chapel. 34 of 50 North Dakota Courtesy of Williston CVB Every December, Spring Lake Park sparkles with thousands of twinkling lights, all a part of the annual Holiday Lights Drive. Guests to the park can enjoy themed nights and even catch one of the ice carving demos scheduled throughout the season. 35 of 50 Ohio Flickr At Ohio's famed Clifton Mill, over 4 million lights illuminate the building, the gorge, and nearby trees, but the real highlight is a 100-foot "waterfall" of twinkling lights. After experiencing the Legendary Lights of Clifton Mill, which are illuminated from the day after Thanksgiving to December 30, peek inside Santa's Workshop, where you might find the big guy checking his list. 36 of 50 Oklahoma Jeremy Charles Three million lights decorate Rhema Bible School during the holidays, with walk-through tunnels, an illuminated Nativity scene, and a Christmas tree forest delighting the more than 500,000 visitors they expect each year. 37 of 50 Oregon Peacock Lane The Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights is a hit among Disney-loving kids (and adults with a soft spot for Frozen). The display of 500,000 lights and 90 animated displays features Frozen characters. The drive-through exhibition costs just $10 per car with all proceeds going to worthy local organizations. 38 of 50 Pennsylvania Getty Images Koziar's Christmas Village in Bernville is a cozy annual tradition that comes to life in early November and continues through January 1. When the event started in 1948, it featured William and Grace Koziar's gorgeous decorated "Christmas House," but over the years, the Koziars have expanded, decorating nearby barns, walkways, and trees to create an entire Christmas Village. 39 of 50 Rhode Island Courtesy of Newport Mansions Preservation Society For many, the more Christmas lights the better. But a holiday trip to the Newport Mansions offers up a refined and subtle approach to the holiday magic. The event features 28 themed Christmas trees, including an impressive, 15-foot poinsettia tree made up of 150 poinsettia plants. 40 of 50 South Carolina Getty Images Candles might not burn as bright as LED lights, but that doesn't mean Brookgreen Gardens' Nights of a Thousand Candles are any less magical. Grab a warm apple cider and stroll through the grounds, which are illuminated by more than 2,800 hand-lit candles (in addition to thousands of sparkling lights). 41 of 50 South Dakota Capital Pierre A winter wonderland awaits in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. For the 18th year, 23-miles of light strings, 250 decorated trees, and multiple animated light features will put the holiday loving city of Sioux Falls on the map. The event runs from mid-November to early January, and the best spot to take it all in is from the five-story viewing tower, which gives guests a 360-degree view of the spectacle. 42 of 50 Tennessee © J. Carlee Adams / Alamy Stock Photo Home to the original Country Christmas, Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Resort has evolved from a simple light display to a veritable winter wonderland. At the holiday-light-laden resort you'll experience more than 17 hours of holiday themed activities, shows, and events — and of course, a visit with Santa. 43 of 50 Texas EUGENE BROTHERMANROUND The Austin Trail of Lights is more carnival than Christmas light display. At the drive-through event, you'll see more than 2 million lights and 60 displays in the beautiful Zilker Park. 44 of 50 Utah Christmas In Color While the concept of a drive-through display is nothing new, Utah's Christmas in Color is taking the idea to a whole new level with light tunnels, giant candy canes, and synchronized music-and-light sequences featuring more than 1 million holiday lights. Drive through from mid-November to early January. 45 of 50 Vermont Wassail Weekend Large-scale displays are few and far between in Vermont, but Woodstock's Wassail Weekend, a holiday celebration that borrows tradition from the 19th century, features seasonally-inspired a capella performances, luminaries, and plenty of activities. Don't look now, but there are the chestnuts roasting on an open fire and Jack Frost nipping at your nose. 46 of 50 Virginia Flickr Sure, Virginia has plenty of pristine houses decorated with all-white strands, but Richmond's famed Tacky Lights Tour is just so much more fun. For years, the Richmond Times-Dispatch has published a list of the best tacky lights in town. Cruise by all the tacky light hotspots in your own car, or book a Tacky Lights Tour via bus or even limousine. 47 of 50 Washington The Lights of Christmas With over a million lights spread across 15 acres, The Lights of Christmas in Stanwood is a drive-through event that features dazzling light displays, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and plenty of yummy snacks for the drive. 48 of 50 West Virginia Oglebay Oglebay's Winter Festival of Lights is one of the country's largest displays, with more than a million LED lights stretching across 300 acres at Wheeling Park. From early November to early January, cruise the full scene (which includes light tunnels and 90 lighted attractions) from the comfort of your car. 49 of 50 Wisconsin Wisconsin Tourism With half a million lights, carriage rides, and Santa's workshop, the Oshkosh Celebration of Lights is one of the hottest tickets in town. Even better, the event donates to the Salvation Army and other nonprofit organizations that support local families in need. The Menominee Park celebration runs from the day after Thanksgiving until early January. 50 of 50 Wyoming Dennis Macdonald Upgrade your Christmas light tour experience with a trolley ride on the Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley during the annual Holiday Light Tour. From early December to early January, grab a ticket and hop on board to see some of the best light displays in Wyoming. Updated by Evie Carrick Evie Carrick Instagram Evie Carrick is a writer and editor who’s lived in five countries and visited well over 50. She now splits her time between Colorado and Paris, ensuring she doesn't have to live without skiing or L'As du Fallafel. learn more Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit