Holiday Night Lights, Wentzville

 

Location: 2577 W. Meyer Rd., Wentzville, MO 63385

Website: https://www.wentzvillemo.gov/programs_and_activities/holiday_night_lights.php

The annual Wentzville Holiday Night Lights display at Rotary Park opens on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Enjoy a one-mile light display that features large illuminated commercial scenes and 2 tunnels of twinkling lights. This holiday display is a great way to experience the magic and joy of the season close to home. It is open 5:30-9:30 p.m. nightly.  It is $10 per vehicle holding up to six passengers and $1 per additional person after the sixth. On Saturdays, guests can enjoy a visit with Santa inside the Kolb Building. You may purchase your tickets at the Drive-Thru or prior to your visit.

The 12 days of Christmas scene was very long and set far back from the road so it was hard to photograph. 

This light display is different than most of the others in that it's just lighted scenes and no strands hanging from trees like at Santa's Magical Kingdom or Tilles Winter Wonderland. It took about 20 minutes to go through and there was very little traffic. One downside is that it's far out in Wentzville but on the plus side it's the cheapest of all the light displays at only $10 per car. 

Santa's Magical Kingdom, Eureka

Location: 5300 Fox Creek Road, Eureka, MO 63069

Dates/Hours: See website, mid-November thru early January

Cost: $35 per car

Website: http://www.santasmagicalkingdom.com

I think my husband describes Santa's Magical Kingdom best, "It looks like someone started decorating for Christmas in the mid-60s and never stopped."And that is exactly what brings us back year after year. During the warmer months, Santa's Magical Kingdom is home to Jellystone Park Campground, but after the summer travelers leave, it's transformed into a unique holiday drive-through attraction. You can see the lights from Hwy 44, and once you enter the park, you'll see elves climbing trees to their clubhouses (little tikes playhouses!), Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear, light tunnels, light waterfalls, falling elves, dinosaurs, dolphins, and the gateway arch.

Cheesiness aside, don't bother setting your radio to the park's Christmas station, it's mostly a commercial for their general store and Santa stop located in the park.

Every year there is a Tilles Winter Wonderland vs. Santa's Magical Kingdom debate. I hear people slamming this place saying it just looks like people threw lights in the trees and how stupid it is. My feeling is that this is for the kids, and they don't judge like that. There are so many different scenes and areas of this park. It does cost more than Tilles but it's a lot bigger and there's more to look at. It is a totally different style. Tilles is considered "classier" by most but again kids don't judge like that. They want fun stuff to look at and this place definitely provides that. You can't go wrong either way honestly.  They're both festive and full of millions of lights.