WORTH THE DRIVE: Enchanting holiday displays and more in Indianapolis

Credit: Visit Indy

Credit: Visit Indy

This weekend, Indianapolis, Indiana, only a short drive from Dayton, will offer an impressive roster of holiday displays and celebrations. These celebrations encompass the most popular destinations in Indianapolis ranging from the Indianapolis Zoo to Newfields and the Indiana State Museum.

🎄❄Christmas at the Zoo

Credit: Visit Indy

Credit: Visit Indy

Location: 1200 West Washington St., Indianapolis

Hours: Nov. 20 through Dec. 30 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weeknights and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Cost and tickets: Free for members and included in the price of admission, which is $15.75 for adults, $11.75 for children between the ages of 2-12 and $13.75 for seniors.

Details: Beginning Nov. 20, the Indianapolis Zoo will host its popular holiday lights event (which was the first holiday lights event at a zoo in the United States back in 1967). Along with breathtaking displays, the Indianapolis Zoo’s Santa’s Village features visits with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus through Dec. 23, a chance to visit Santa’s sleigh and reindeer, up-close and personal visits with penguins, holiday-themed cocktails and an opportunity to hunt for hidden mistletoe throughout the zoo.

🎄❄Winterlights at Newfields

Credit: Visit Indy

Credit: Visit Indy

Location: Newfields, 4000 N Michigan Rd, Indianapolis

Hours: Nov. 22 through Jan. 2, 2022, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily

Cost and tickets: $25 per adult and $17 per child between the ages of six and 17. Children five years of age and younger can get in for free. Tickets must be purchased in advance and can be found by visiting Newfields’ website.

Details: The holiday experience at Newfields, an art museum in Indianapolis, features 1.5 million lights that frame the museum’s campus and contribute to a lights show on the famed Lilly House Lawn. Snacks and beverages will also be available to enjoy.

🎄❄Circle of Lights on Monument Circle

Credit: Visit Indy

Credit: Visit Indy

Location: 1 Monument Circle, Indianapolis

Hours: Lighting event takes place on Friday, Nov. 26 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Cost: Free

More info: Website

Details: Each year, more than 100,000 people gather to see the 242-foot-tall Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis dressed up for the season. The event also features live entertainment, visits with Santa Claus and more. The impressive lights display will remain at Indianapolis’ Monument Circle through the New Year.

🎄❄Celebration Crossing at the Indiana State Museum

Location: Indiana State Museum, 650 W. Washington St., Indianapolis

Hours: Nov. 26 through Jan. 2, 2022. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost and tickets: $11 per adult, $10 per senior and $8 per child

More info: Website

Details: The Indiana State Museum celebrates the holidays with a number of special offerings and events, including the arrival of Santa Claus by helicopter on the museum’s front lawn at 11 a.m. on Nov. 26, the Snowfall Express Train, and visits with Santa in Santa’s Front Yard and Reindeer Barn.

🎄❄Christmas Nights of Lights

Credit: Visit Indy

Credit: Visit Indy

Location: Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1698 E. 42nd St., Indianapolis

Hours: Open nightly from Nov. 12 through Jan. 2, 2022.

Cost and tickets: $30 per car (up to 8 passengers and must ride together in a single vehicle), $50 per group of 9-15 passengers and $75 per group of 16 or more passengers.

More info: Website

Details: This drive-through, 35-minute interactive experience boasts more than a million lights across dozens of holiday displays. The dazzling display of holiday lights is more than two miles long and is synchronized to traditional and new holiday music that is played through a driver’s car stereo. While driving through “Christmas Nights of Lights,” guests will find displays of shooting stars, floating snowflakes, dancing candy canes and lollipops, large Christmas trees and tunnels of light.

Head to Visit Indy’s website for more information about holiday happenings in Indianapolis.

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