Sure you can drive around your town and see some beautiful holiday lights and you can even visit some neighborhoods that could pass for professional displays! But if your family is looking to kick up your holiday light viewing into a truly memorable holiday experience this year, we’ve got the Top 5 Most Extreme Holiday Light Shows in and around Houston!
Lone Star Lights
Lone Star Lights at Carolina Creek is about an hour drive, but with a 17-acre park and 8 separate thematic areas, the journey is worth it! The area boasts over 1 million lights, an arctic zipline, sledding, an immersive and moving walk-through Bethlehem with live animals and more. In addition to the park there are vendors, food and even a dinner theatre. With so many options, Lone star lights earns a spot in the Top 5 Most Extreme Holiday Lights Near Houston!
Where: 5 Anticipation Drive, Huntsville, TX 77320
When: Nov 25–27, Dec 2–4, 9–11, 15–22
Tickets: Adult, $32
Kids age 3-16, $22
Children 2 and under are free
Zoo Lights
Zoo Lights at the Houston Zoo has been a local favorite for years and just keeps getting bigger! In addition to annual favorites like the Polar Bear display and Santa’s Workshop, this year the Zoo will have even more life-sized animal lanterns, a holiday light tunnel illuminated and in interactive dance floor at the Children’s Zoo plaza! The dance floor lights up of course!
Where: The Houston Zoo of course!
When: November 18 – January 8, closed Dec 7, 24 & 25
Tickets: range from $21.20 – $26.45 depending on day of the week
Adult and Children tickets are the same price.
Children 2 and under are free
Be advised- tickets are NOT sold at the gate, they must be purchased online.
There is a 20% off discount for military, first responders, and educators.
Magical Winter Lights
Magical Winter Lights isn’t just a light show- it’s a multi-cultural celebration of Houston, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in America. Yes, there are carnival rides and lantern parks, but this year you can also visit Circus Espana! This new attraction “transports guests to a 1920s winter’s tale in a faraway place where a magical clock that strikes once a year awakens a frozen town and brings sensational acts to life.” There’s an additional cost of $10 to attend Circus Espana. but it’s a must-see that your family will remember for years.
Where: 2525 FM 565, Baytown, TX 77523
When: November 18, 2022 – January 7, 2023. CLOSED January 2 – 4
Tickets: Adults age 13 and up, $25
Family 4 pack, $88 Senior Citizens and kids age 3-12, $17
The Houston Botanic Garden’s Lightscape
Lightscape’s signature attraction is the walk-through towering arch tunnel, sparkling with 100,000 lights but there are so many other displays along it’s 1-mile path. The walk is self-guided and several displays are interactive so visitors can stay at each part of the illuminated walk for as long or as short as they like.
Tickets are sold as timed tickets, so you’ll choose a time to attend to prevent overcrowding. You can purchase tickets at the gate but there’s a $4 additional charge to do so. FlexPasses are also available for $63 for those who may want to visit more than once
Where: Botanic Garden, One Botanic Lane Houston, TX
When: November 18, 2022 – January 1
closed on Nov. 21-22, 24, 28-30 ; Dec. 1, 5-7, 12-13, 25
Tickets: Adults age 13 and up, $31
Kids age 3-12, $21 ages 2 and under are free
Galaxy Lights at the Space Center Houston
Calling it a “light display” doesn’t do this event justice! First off, Space Center Houston recommends setting aside 90 minutes to enjoy this immersive out of this world experience and promises the most technologically advanced show in Texas. Besides cascading light displays where you can glide through the stars and the new Deep Space Backyard display, you can get your photo taken with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 decked out for the holidays!
Where: Space Center Houston, 1601 E NASA Pkwy, Houston, TX 77058
When: November 12 – January 1, closed Nov 24, Dec 8, 24 & 25
Tickets: all tickets for non-members, $19.95
ages 3 and under are free
This blog post comes from North Houston Moms’ blog contributor, Denise Iacona Stern of Let Mommy Sleep
Let Mommy Sleep proudly provides night nurses & nannies to brand new families in the Houston area.