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In Search of Spectacular Holiday Light Displays—Part 2

You’d have to be a real Grinch not to enjoy seeing thousands of twinkling lights illuminate a cold dark winter’s night. Heck, half my neighborhood is already awash in holiday wattage. I’m not kidding. There’s even one house a few streets down that has two inflatable snowmen in the yard and the cutest display of mini-Christmas tree lights bordering its walkway, but on the front porch sits five pumpkins a haystack and two corn stalks.

If you don’t feel like going all out to string lights around your own home then pack up the kids and hit the highway. Hundreds of cities across the nation are getting into the holiday spirit by festooning its streets with dazzling light displays.

Take a look:

LOUISIANA

Lutcher, Gramercy and Reserve, Louisiana are hot holiday destinations, especially on Christmas Eve. That’s when more than 100 bonfires are built along the banks of the Mississippi to guide the way for “Papa Noel.” It’s an old Cajun tradition, which attracts thousands to the area each year. Gray Line offers a six-hour trip to see the event, departing 3 p.m. from New Orleans, including tour of the Destrehan Plantation and dinner. The cost is $73 for adults, $48 for children.

SALT LAKE CITY

In Salt Lake City, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gets the city into the holiday spirit when it lights up trees in its downtown Temple Square at dark on the day after Thanksgiving at 5:30 p.m.

IOWA

In addition to the headline-grabbing homeowners who deck their halls with mind boggling light displays in central Iowa, the city of Des Moines also illuminates its downtown area with a spectacular showcase of holiday related decorations.

WEST VIRGINIA

Oglebay Resort & Conference Center in Wheeling is once again hosting its annual Christmas light show that draws thousands annually. The display features tens of thousands of twinkling lights that blink in synch to your favorite Christmas tunes. The show started November 8th and lasts through January 6th.

Related Articles:

Traveling the Country in Search of Spectacular Holiday Light Displays

Family Travel—Taking a Trip to View Amazing Holiday Light Displays

New York’s Most Popular Seasonal Activities

Why People Are Traveling To Iowa To View Christmas Lights

Chicago’s Festive Edible Treats (Or Where You Can Get Rudolph On A Bun)

Holiday Decorating Tips: Your Home and Yard

Christmas In Chicago

This entry was posted in Seasonal Travel and tagged , , , , by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.