After years of meaning to visit the drive-thru Christmas light show at National Trail Raceway, I finally did it this week. I loaded up my parents and an aunt to go check out this much hyped holiday event about 30 minutes north of Lancaster on Tuesday.
The bad news is that I learned after buying the ticket that it’s a new operator and the lights aren’t nearly as good this year. The good news is that we had nothing to compare it to and had a great time anyway.
I’m not a fan of crowds so we chose to visit on a non-peak day and to book an early time slot in the 5:30-6:30 hour when it wouldn’t be too busy. Consequently, there were just a handful of other cars and I didn’t even have anyone behind me until the very end.
If you go, it’s $20 for a carload Monday through Thursday and $30 Friday through Sunday. They have some snacks for sale like cookies and hot chocolate and their event radio station plays an excellent variety of new and old Christmas music.
I was driving so the pictures are poor but you can get the gist. If you go, you must buy your ticket online here.
Do you have a favorite place to see Christmas lights? I would love to hear about it! Here’s something I wrote about Gallipolis in Lights last year. I’m looking forward to heading that way again soon!
Make the Journey Fun 
Looks beautiful!! When we lived in Austin, there was a pretty beautiful light display in downtown that had a bit of a wait but was so worth it. I have to find out what’s around here for this year!
Yes! Go forth and find some pretty lights!
Beautiful! 🙂 I haven’t found a good public light display here in Indiana yet, but in LA, we always loved going to the LA Zoo Lights 🙂
Are you near a zoo or botanical gardens? Most have some kind of lights. I’m scheming to do the Franklin Park Conservatory lights in Columbus this year.
There is a large display like this at Michigan International Speedway, but I have not actually been there. I did go to the tree lighting at the Capitol in Lansing, and for the 2nd year in a row, there is a house nearby with a synchronized light & music show.
Not lights, but the last two weekends I have gone out and filmed a couple of steam powered holiday trains, and hope to get to a third before the end of the year.
I’ll have to venture toward Michigan some December. It seems like there are several towns and things to see around the holidays.
The trains would be interesting to see too! Are they passing through your area or do you go to a train station to see them?
The trains are out & back excursions by a couple of different organizations. Each is about an hour away from me in opposite directions.
The Little River RR only goes a few miles out of the town of Coldwater, while the North Pole Express travels through several towns and is about 25 miles each way.
https://littleriverrailroad.com/
https://www.michigansteamtrain.com/tickets-reservations/north-pole-express
One of my videos from a few years ago.
Thanks for sharing all of this. I especially love your video. You’re lucky to live so close to both of these.