Visit a Christmas Lights Festival This Winter Vacation

These days, neighborhoods try to outdo each other with timed music and light shows, each one more exciting than the last. While some of these shows may take your breath away, others go for quantity over quality - which can mean some unfortunate results! If you just want to see the best of the best, take a look at these light displays around the country. More elaborate than what you could see at a single home or neighborhood, all of these are worth a visit to brighten up your Christmas vacation. Many of them are also festivals that will remind you of the Christmas season's true cheer and joy!

Make a proper vacation of it and set aside some time to see the lights, experience the rest of the festival or park, and relax. If you want a special Christmas treat, rent a holiday vacation house near any of these locations and celebrate the holidays with your own chimney for Santa and all the comforts you enjoy at home.

Silver Dollar City

Branson, MO
Nov. 1 - Dec. 30

Celebrate "an Old-Time Christmas" in Branson, Missouri and be touched by a little holiday magic. Millions of individual lights cover the town, from the city square and its five-story Christmas tree to the Gifts of Christmas Holiday Light Parade that brings colorful floats through the city twice a night - an event you won't want to miss! Enjoy Christmas-themed plays, visits with St. Nick, and sumptuously festive feasts. Plus, while you're running around enjoying the special holiday offerings, you'll still have access to the regular rides and activities of the Silver Dollar City theme park, decidedly fun for kids (and the young at heart) with plenty of energy to spare.

Fantasy of Lights

Pine Mountain, GA
Nov. 14 - Dec. 30

Held in the Callaway Gardens of Pine Mountain, the unique Fantasy of Lights offers so much more than just trees and houses. This display stands out because of its focus on larger-than-life themed scenes rather than just individual decorations. Some of these scenes are even animated, and all of them feature seasonal music to put you in a festive mood. Perfect for all ages, the Fantasy of Lights festival is a great opportunity for your family to kick back and relax on a casual drive through the bright scenes. After you've finished your tour, stop by Christmas Village to visit the Land of the Nutcrackers, Ornament Forest, Toyland, and more. Then go home to a cozy Pine Mountain rental house and take time to relax.

Smoky Mountain Winterfest

Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville, TN
Nov. 6 - Feb. 28

A Trolley Tour of Lights around Pigeon Forge or Gatlingburg (or both) is the best way to take in this magnificent holiday display. With over five million individual lights, the display promises a s pectacle you won't soon forget! Make it in time for the opening and get started with the Gatlinburg annual Chili Cook-Off, or check out the Winterfest Kickoff at Patriot Park in Pigeon Forge. Sevierville's Kickoff is celebrated with dancing, hayrides, and live music - an exciting time for the whole family. No matter what days you come to visit, you'll have plenty to do, especially if you can time your visit to overlap with some of the special events; the Wilderness Wildlife Week is as fun as it is educational, and your family might enjoy other events like the Storytelling Festival, too. Book a vacation rental in Pigeon Forge or another town in the area and you'll be perfectly situated to take a tour of the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park later on your vacation.

Holiday Trail of Lights

Natchitoches, LA; Shreveport-Bossier, LA; Marshall, TX; Kilgore, TX; Jefferson, TX
Nov. 22 - Jan. 6

Take a scenic tour of six cities in two states, an impressive holiday endeavor that can fill several days with entertainment and festive sights. Each city boasts its own array of scheduled events, along with a breathtaking display of lights to be seen at every stop along the way. Whether you want to catch a Christmas-themed play or walk along a live retelling of the Christmas story, this long festival gives you plenty to see and do in addition to the magical light displays every night at dusk. Since this part of the country is steeped in southern history and culture, enjoy a taste of southern hospitality from town to town, where you'll always find holiday cheer and welcoming faces. Stay in Louisiana and Texas holiday vacation rentals along the way and you'll have a truly comfortable, homey stay the whole trip.

Winterfest of Lights

Ocean City, MD
Nov. 20 - Jan. 1

Ocean City is a great vacation destination year-round, but it puts on extra-special charm for the holiday season. See the Avenue of Trees on Baltimore Ave., then visit the heated Winterfest Village and take a train ride around the sights. Thousands and thousands of lights around town form hundreds of displays, many of them uniquely following the seaside city's reputation and theme: surfing Santas, fish, mermaids, and more. The festival centers around Northside Park, which combines the traditional gigantic Christmas tree with a more Ocean City-specific enormous sand sculpture. Drive through the Christmas Tree Forest, view the famous 30-foot "lighthouse" display created out of lights, and if you happen to visit the week before Christmas, you can even check out Santa at his workshop. Rent an Ocean City vacation condo for a day or a week and take in all the sights and sounds of Ocean City at Christmastime.

If you've never stayed in a vacation rental before, learn a few things about Christmas vacation rentals before you get started!

Photo by David Schuttler, Judy Baxter, and Eric Lynch.