5 Ohio Christmas Light Displays Ohioans Say Are Worth the Drive

Clifton Mill’s Christmas lights come back on Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving.

Other Ohio displays open sooner, so you don’t have to wait for the holiday to see lights.

Here are the Christmas light displays Ohioans say are worth the drive.

1. Cincinnati Zoo

The Cincinnati Zoo, at 3400 Vine Street, runs its 44th annual Festival of Lights from Nov. 19 through Jan. 3, 2027.

You’ll pass 65 animal lanterns around the grounds, plus a Wild Lights Show on Swan Lake.

Your family can search for Fiona fairy statues in Fiona’s Fairyland.

In Santa’s Village, you can visit Santa and get photos starting at 4 p.m. daily through Dec. 23.

The festival is included with your zoo admission.

North Polar Express train and carousel rides start daily at 2:30 p.m., with additional charges.

You can see animals inside multiple heated indoor buildings and roast s’mores at the zoo’s stations.

The zoo says animals usually head indoors around 5 p.m. or sooner, so it tells you to come early.

Adults in full character costumes, such as Santa suits or Grinch costumes, may not be admitted.

2. Columbus Zoo

Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo started in 1988 with 150,000 white lights and three reindeer, according to a library column in The Columbus Dispatch.

Wildlights runs from Nov. 20 to Jan. 3, 2027, at 4850 W. Powell Road in Powell.

Today the show has millions of lights and animated musical light shows, the zoo says.

Two animated Holiday Magic light shows play at Conservation Lake and the Entry Village.

Starlight Safari is a 2026 addition with seven large animal sculptures, one for each region of the zoo.

You can ride the 12 Days of Wildlights train and the 1914 historic carousel for free.

In Asia Quest, Bricktopia is a display built from toy bricks.

The Dino Island Yule Tide Boat Ride is free through Dec. 31.

Santa waits in Polar Frontier.

Photos with Santa end after Dec. 23.

Admission to Wildlights is included with your regular zoo admission or Columbus Zoo membership.

Arriving before 4 p.m. gives you a chance to see some animals, like the gorillas and orangutans.

Skip flashlights and phone lights in animal habitats, since they can interfere with the animals’ nighttime activities.

3. Butch Bando’s Fantasy of Lights

Butch Bando’s Fantasy of Lights starts its 2026 season on Nov. 20 and runs into early January.

It’s a drive-through show.

You can watch the holiday lights from your car at the Alum Creek State Park Campgrounds, 3311 South Old State Road in Delaware.

Destination Delaware County’s 2023 feature described more than 170 displays, tunnels and a 500-foot light wall along a three-mile route that took about 30 minutes to drive.

1808Delaware reported in 2025 that the show was entering its 26th year and that the Bando family adds new displays every year.

4. Day Air Ballpark

Day Air Ballpark, in Dayton's Water Street District, hosts the holiday light display Deck the Diamond from Nov. 13 through Jan. 2, 2027.

From Dec. 2, the event runs nightly until 9 p.m., except Christmas Day.

The Dayton Dragons baseball team says this second-year show has more than 1.5 million holiday lights.

A synchronized music and light show plays every ten minutes, with the stadium lights timed to the holiday music.

The ballpark also has a 44-foot-tall Christmas tree.

You can roast s'mores at fire pits around the ballpark.

Children can meet Santa and take photos with him.

Tickets cost $13.50 for the general public, with no added fees.

Your ticket is undated, so you can use it on any public date.

The North Pole Express train, the Merry Market and all food and drinks cost extra.

5. Clifton Mill

Clifton Mill sits in Greene County, about 30 miles east of Dayton, and its Christmas lights come back on Nov. 27, 2026, the day after Thanksgiving.

The mill says one switch turns on more than 5 million lights across the gorge, the riverbanks, trees and bridges.

Every hour, on the hour, all the lights go out.

A synchronized lights and music show then features the old covered bridge.

You can also see a 20-foot tree with 7,000 lights and a 100-foot waterfall of twinkling lights.

Until the night before Christmas Eve, you can peek into Santa's Workshop and see a live Santa at work.

The display runs nightly through Dec. 30, with gates opening at 5 p.m. and lights on at 6 p.m.

The mill charges $15 for everyone age 4 and older, and children under 4 pay nothing.

Parking is free, too.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas, the mill closes at 8 p.m.

WonderLight's Christmas

WonderLight's Christmas is a drive-through Christmas light show at the Hartford Fairgrounds, 14028 Fairgrounds Road in Hartford.

The 2026 season runs from Nov. 13 through Jan. 3, 2027, with nightly hours of 5:30 to 10 p.m., including holidays.

WonderLight's says the show has more than 1 million lights synchronized to music.

The show features dancing Christmas trees, stars, candy canes and tunnels of light.

At the entrance, you'll be asked to turn off your headlights and tune your radio to 89.9 FM for the music.

Tickets cost $35 per car for up to eight passengers.