Winter Wonderland at Tilles Park, Ladue

Location: 9551 Litzsinger Rd., Ladue, MO 63124

Website: https://www.winterwonderlandstl.com/

Winter Wonderland is a drive-through light display. They lost the parking lot so they no longer offer the walk-through or the carriage rides. It is open every year from the end of November through New Year. Current fees are $20 per carload. They are open from 5- 9 p.m. daily. You can purchase those tickets online through Metrotix or pay cash when you go. 

Every year during the holiday season, Tilles Park is transformed into a Winter Wonderland with more than a million twinkling lights and various holiday scenes, including a special holiday wreath, a toy factory, holiday bells, a bubbling stream, a tunnel of lights, and of course, Santa and his reindeer, making it one of the most popular Christmas light displays in the St. Louis area.

A great website to find over-the-top residential displays set to music is Holiday Light Hopping.

Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo, St. Louis City

Location: 1 Government Dr., St.  Louis, MO 63110

Website: https://www.stlzoo.org/events/calendarofevents/wildlights


This is a seasonal light exhibit at the zoo at night. It's $15-$18 per person for everyone over age 2 (members pay less than nonmembers). The parking lots are open and free for this event but if they are full you'll have to park on the street. The zoo closes daily at 4pm and this begins at 5. There are no animals on display except the Insectarium and the Penguin and Puffin Cove.  We were hoping to see the grizzly bears and the polar bear but their enclosures were dark. Here's what you get to do:

• Light Displays: Delight in over 1 million twinkling lights and whimsical animal-themed displays across Zoo grounds.
• Fire Pits: Gather around one of our fire pits to warm your paws and roast your own s’mores, available for purchase.
• Weekend Live Entertainment: Enjoy holiday carolers and other strolling live performances on weekend nights.
• Festive food and special holiday beverages will be available for purchase.
• Find that perfect present at one of our gift shops, which will offer a 10 percent discount on any purchase during event hours.
• Kids can make a craft to take home and write a letter to Santa at the Woodland Workshop.

Animal mascots hang around every year and you can collect their cards. 

Watching the 4D movie

So many cute photo ops!

Light Displays

We're dialing up the dazzle with bright and shiny light displays and themed areas.
Highlights

• Meet Me in St. Louie — 15-ft. arch, fleur-dis-lis*, 17-ft. steamboat silhouette*
• Holly Jolly Hangout — 40-ft. walk-through tree*, music and light show
• Wild Wonderland — Holiday maze, glowing leopards*, 18-ft. giraffe and baby
• Cozy Cove — Walk-through ornament, snowflakes Frosted Forest

Peppermint Pathway
Toy Town
Twinkling Tunnel
Butterfly Grove
Arctic Alley
Gingerbread Lane
Woodland Workshop
Northern Lights

Rudolph characters!

The photos at the beginning of the post were from 2018 and the ones at the end were from 2022. They really upped their decor game! The 4D movie of Rudolph looked cute but my kids didn't want to sit through it. We did dinner with Santa this year and Wild Lights was included with it. I really recommend it. the food was great and it was all you-can eat. The animal mascots that came around to the table were super cute and fun (hippo, reindeer, polar bear, frosty, and regular bear).