The Christmas Lights Road Trip Through Ohio That Will Take You To 9 Magical Displays
Piling into the car with family to drive around and look at Christmas lights is an Ohio family pastime. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of geographically close holiday light displays to create the most magical Christmas lights road trip in Ohio for you and your family to enjoy this holiday season. We think this road trip is the perfect way to embrace the Christmas season in Ohio. Fill up your hot chocolate mugs, crank up the tunes, and get ready to road trip to the best Christmas light displays in Ohio!
The total trip only takes about six hours of drive time round-trip, so you can take the trip within 3 days and 3 nights. (We recommended staying overnight in the Columbus area one night, the Cincinnati area the next night and the Dayton area the last night.) We’ve included a link to the Google Map trip itinerary.
1. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Wildlights (Columbus)
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Wildlights is a popular destination for families during the holiday season. Beginning circa mid-November and typically lasting until just after the new year, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a magical winter wonderland. Holiday lights and decorations add a festive flair to the already energetic and family-friendly campus.
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, 4850 W Powell Rd, Powell, OH 43065, USA
For nearly two decades, visitors have flocked to this fantastical holiday display. This drive-thru holiday light display in Ohio also features pictures with Santa, free hot chocolate and cookies and gift shops. It is open from circa mid-November until around the New Year.
Alum Creek, Ohio, USA
3. The Christmas Ranch (Morrow)
April Dray/Only In Your State
Are you craving an old-fashioned holiday experience? This popular family-friendly attraction features a million dancing Christmas lights synchronized to holiday music, Christmas shops, pictures with Santa, wagon and train rides and hot food and drinks. The Christmas Ranch is typically open the day after Thanksgiving until circa the day before Christmas Eve, sometimes operating through New Year's Eve. The Christmas Ranch is located at 3205 S Waynesville Rd., Morrow, OH, 45152. This is an event you won't want to miss!
Christmas Ranch, 3205 S Waynesville Rd, Morrow, OH 45152, USA
Over the top and enchanting, this annual tradition is one folks in Cincy cherish. Open nightly from mid-November until around December 31, this family favorite drive-thru light display in Ohio features more than a mile of dazzling lights.
Sharon Woods, 11450 Lebanon Rd, Sharonville, OH 45241, USA
5. PNC Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo (Cincinnati)
The PNC Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is a WILD winter wonderland! It typically runs from the middle of November to on or around New Year's Day.
Two miles of gorgeous wintertime splendor? Count us in! Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park transforms into a winter wonderland during Journey Borealis, an epic drive-thru light display in Ohio that takes place from late November to early January each year.
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Rd, Hamilton, OH 45013, USA
Things are feeling extra jolly in Middletown! Light Up Middletown is typically open from Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve or so, and it features a drive-thru light display. (Donations are encouraged.) View the lights every night from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., regardless of weather (including holidays). It is located at 500 Tytus Ave., Middletown, OH, 45042.
Light Up Middletown, 500 Tytus Ave, Middletown, OH 45042, USA
Want to feel extra cozy despite the nippiness of the winter season? This half-mile wonderland of holiday lights, displays and festival activities in Countryside Park is a popular holiday family fun attraction.
Countryside Park, Washington Township, OH 45459, USA
Last but not least is one of the most spectacular holiday events in the entire state. The Legendary Lights of Clifton Mill are featured nightly (weather permitting) starting around the day after Thanksgiving until circa December 31. (On Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year's Eve the display closes at 8 p.m.) Clifton Mill is located at 75 Water St., Clifton, OH, 45316.
Historic Clifton Mill, 75 Water St, Clifton, OH 45316, USA
What do you think of this Christmas Lights Road Trip in Ohio? Would you take it? Are there any candidates for the best Christmas light displays in Ohio you’d add to the road trip? Share your thoughts with us!
Address: Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum, 1763 Hamilton Cleves Rd, Hamilton, OH 45013, USA
Address: Light Up Middletown, 500 Tytus Ave, Middletown, OH 45042, USA
Address: Countryside Park, Washington Township, OH 45459, USA
Address: Historic Clifton Mill, 75 Water St, Clifton, OH 45316, USA
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The OIYS Visitor Center
Christmas Lights Road Trip In Ohio
October 17, 2019
Nikki Rhoades
What city has the best Christmas lights in Ohio?
If you are in search of the best light display in Ohio, you’ll surely be disappointed. Why? Because, as this road trip demonstrates, there are so many in the state that narrowing down the search to just one over-the-top display is solely a matter of preference. However, everyone knows that bigger is better when it comes to holiday displays. The biggest light display in Ohio is likely the Legendary Lights of Clifton Mill, which features over 4 million dazzling lights each and every holiday season. It’s no wonder this has become a cherished annual tradition!
What is the one best light display in Ohio?
While there are many things to do at Christmas in Ohio, one of the more enchanting displays can be found at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens. This gorgeous destination in Akron is one of many winter wonderlands in Ohio, but it’s understandably striking all year round. As you approach residential areas with tightly knit communities, as you will see in areas like Greater Cleveland, you’ll also find a number of stunning residential and community light displays.
What else can I do around the holidays in Ohio?
Aside from a trip to the best light displays in Ohio, you will be pleasantly surprised to find that The Buckeye State has much to offer each holiday season. Community events including guest appearances by Santa are absolutely the norm in our splendid state, so oftentimes the best thing to do is to ask your friends and neighbors for holiday event suggestions! However, if there’s one special attraction you simply must check out, it’s Castle Noel. Though this Christmas movie museum operates year-round, it is endlessly magical in the holiday season and attracts visitors from all over the nation.
Address: Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, 4850 W Powell Rd, Powell, OH 43065, USA
Address: Butch Bando's Fantasy Of Lights, 3311 S Old State Rd, Delaware, OH 43015, USA
Address: 3205 S Waynesville Rd, Morrow, OH 45152, USA
Address: Sharon Woods, 11450 Lebanon Rd, Sharonville, OH 45241, USA
April is the Ohio staff writer for Only in Your State. She is an Ohio native with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. With more than 10 years of writing experience and a background in news reporting for Ohio newspapers, she's published pieces in multiple print and online publications. When she's not on deadline or chasing after her toddler, she's hunting for hidden gems in Ohio or getting lost in a good book.
