10 regional winter light displays worth the drive from Wichita
A 40-foot-tall inflatable leg lamp, a “Will you marry me?” light display and the world’s tallest live-cut Christmas tree with thousands of ornaments and lights to cover all 141 feet. Our region has millions of lights covering thousands of acres and spreading holiday cheer this winter.
From small towns to metropolises, you’ll find drive-through and walk-through experiences set up in city parks, theme parks, gardens, museums, historic homes, campuses and downtown districts. A few are even free.
Here are 10 winter light displays worth the drive, listed from closest to farthest from Wichita.
Winfield, Kansas
50 miles southeast of Wichita
Isle of Lights in Winfield is open nightly through Dec. 30. It’s the 28th year of closing Island Park to pedestrians and creating a 1-mile drive-through experience. Among the LED light displays synchronized to music are Santa’s toy factory, Mrs. Claus’ bakery and a large animated tree. Admission is free, donations accepted. Details are at http://www.isleoflights.org/.
Abilene, Kansas
90 miles north of Wichita
Time your visit to Abilene to tour the historic Seelye Mansion in its holiday setting (including nearly 700 nutcrackers throughout the house) during the day and then after dusk follow Christmas Tree Lane through the town known as a Chisholm Trail railhead and the home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. The 1905 mansion offers continuous guided holiday tours daily through mid-January; find hours and ticket information at www.seelyemansion.org. Follow the decorated residences along N. Buckeye Ave. to NW 3rd St. for the light tour; a map is linked at https://abilenekansas.org/blog/2021/10/25/2021-holiday-guide.
Enid, Oklahoma
110 miles south of Wichita
As a passion project of an Enid family, downtown Enid has what organizers claim to be the world’s tallest live-cut Christmas tree on display. Be sure to check the weather and tree status before traveling to see The One Enid, though. The top section of the giant Douglass fir snapped off on Dec. 5 during high winds. When the tree was repaired it grew a few inches and is now nearly 141 feet tall and flanked by a forest of 12 smaller trees. It is decorated with 10,000 ornaments, more than 25,000 lights and a 5-foot tall LED star atop.
They plan to have the tree on display through Jan. 6; visit www.theoneenid.com to see a schedule of free events around the tree in downtown Enid including live music and film screenings.
Dodge City, Kansas
150 miles west of Wichita
See the lights while staying warm inside a historic trolley car during one of the Holiday Light Tours offered by the Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau. There are 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and 8 to 9 p.m. tours Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Christmas Day. You can buy tickets with cash at the time of the tour or in advance at the Dodge City Visitor Information Center, 400 W. Wyatt Earp Blvd. Space is limited.
Oklahoma City metro
160 miles south of Wichita
Pick an Oklahoma City downtown district and you’ll find festive lighting and events, from 600,000 LED lights draped over buildings in Automobile Alley to the Bricktown Canal Lights display and an all-new light show illuminating Union Station within the 70-acre urban Scissortail Park. See a full schedule at https://downtownindecember.com.
Outside the downtown area, the Oklahoma City Zoo (www.okczoo.org) has a new Safari Lights event through Jan. 9 with drive through and walking options showcasing 60 wildlife themed light sculptures. Holiday in the Park at the Frontier City amusement park has a light show, rides, holiday performances and activities, weekends and select days through Jan. 2. Get ticket details at sixflags.com/frontiercity/events/holiday-in-the-park.
Yukon, Oklahoma
170 miles south of Wichita
Christmas in the Park is considered the largest drive-through light display in Oklahoma, with 5 million twinkling lights and more than 500 lighted displays covering 100 acres across three inter-connected city parks. Drivers follow a 3-mile path while walkers follow a 2.2-mile trail. There’s a 30-foot digital Christmas tree presenting a light show, animations and dancing lights synched to holiday tunes and a “Will you marry me?” display that serves as the backdrop to a handful of proposals each year. The event is free and open from 6 to 11 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31. See a full schedule of activities at www.yukonok.gov.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
170 miles southeast of Wichita
The Philbrook Festival at the Philbrook Museum of Art has holiday-themed activities for all ages and both day and night experiences. Festival Days continue through Dec. 31 (Wednesday through Sunday) while Festival Nights has just two remaining dates: Dec. 23-24. From 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. you can explore thousands of lights illuminating 25 acres of gardens, see festive décor throughout the historic buildings and enjoy live music, among other activities. Advance timed-entry tickets are required for Festival Nights; get them at Philbrook.org/Festival.
Other light options in the Tulsa area: Garden of Lights at Tulsa Botanic Garden through Jan. 2 (https://tulsabotanic.org) and the 40th year of Rhema Christmas Lights through Jan. 2, where you can see more than 2 million LED lights in a 50-figure nativity scene, an arched bridge and more on the campus of Rhema Bible Church and Rhema Bible Training College in Broken Arrow. It’s free; find details at www.rhemalights.org.
Kansas City metro
190 miles northeast of Wichita
For an indoor light experience, head to Kansas City’s Union Station for the return of Holiday Reflections. Walk through the Grand Plaza for eight photo stations set among sky-reaching lights, decorated trees and giant, floating mirrored ornaments. It’s open through Dec. 27 except Christmas; see https://unionstation.org/holidays for ticket info.
Drive through Winter Magic (wintermagickc.com) at Swope Park, with 12 themed areas including a 300-foot animated light tunnel. It’s open through Jan. 2, as is a new sister site in Wyandotte County Park called Holiday Light and Magic (https://holidaylightandmagic.com/).
Also at Wyandotte County Park is Knights of Lights (https://www.kcrenfest.com/2021-knights-of-lights/), a walk-through light show put on by the Kansas City Renaissance Festival on select nights through Dec. 31.
The above are all ticketed events; a great free option in the KC metro area is Holiday Lights on Farmstead Lane at Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead (www.opkansas.org/events/holiday-lights-on-farmstead-lane/) in Overland Park. Sit in your car in the parking lot for this nearly 40-minute light show with animation, lighting effects, patterns and messages synchronized to holiday and movie music. It runs through Jan. 7.
Chickasha, Oklahoma
200 miles southwest of Wichita
The 29th annual Chickasha Festival of Light runs 6 to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday through Dec. 31 in Chickasha’s Shannon Springs Park. It’s free (donations accepted) to walk and drive through to see the 3.5 million lights, 172-foot-tall tree, animated displays and a computer animated light show synchronized to holiday tunes. There are activities with a fee, too: ice skating or taking a ride on the carousel, Ferris wheel or horse-drawn carriages. Learn about parking and shuttle options at https://chickashafestivaloflight.org/.
While in Chickasha, ask for directions to find the 40-foot-tall inflatable leg lamp you might recognize from “A Christmas Story. It’s not on display every day because the leg is “fragile.”
Bentonville, Arkansas
240 miles southeast of Wichita
The North Forest Lights at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville are not a holiday light show but now is a great time to see the collection of five outdoor installations featuring light and music. You have until Jan. 2 to see the third and final year of this popular digital art exhibit designed for Crystal Bridges through a collaboration with Montreal-based Moment Factory. While North Forest Lights is going away, a spokesperson for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art said to expect new activations of the forest in the future. Plan on at least an hour to walk the 1.5-mile experience available Wednesday through Sunday evenings except Christmas Eve. Tickets are timed and they do sell out; find pricing and availability at https://crystalbridges.org/.