Indiana’s Christmas Lights Are Worth a Road Trip This Year

“It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...”

Okay, so not really. The sun is shining brightly, and the high today will be in the 70s. But I can't believe some of you haven't already started Christmas shopping. I also wouldn't be a bit surprised if you've started planning Christmas road trips.

If that's you, I have an excellent suggestion. (And you may already have beaten me to it.)

Actually, I have MULTIPLE suggestions for you, and they're all wrapped up in a convenient holiday lights touring guide from Visit Indiana. The guide breaks down the Hoosier State into regions, starting with northern attractions in places like Michigan City and South Bend before working its way south to our neck of the woods.

Start Your Holiday Season in the Tri-State

So let's start here in the Tri-State, where Ritzy's Fantasy of Lights at Evansville's Garvin Park has been a beloved, can't-miss tradition since 1994. The holiday extravaganza also doubles as a fundraiser for the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center, a role it's filled for more than three decades.

Hmm, I think I may have just checked off one of your holiday season weekends. Do the Ritzy's Fantasy of Lights Tour on a Friday or Saturday, and then the next night, you can check out the Santa Claus Land of Lights in Santa Claus, Indiana. If you've never been, let me break it down. There are nearly 150,000 LED lights that illuminate the Lake Rudolph Campground with the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It's been a massive hit since its 2009 debut.

Turn It Into a Northern Indiana Road Trip

If you're willing to travel a little farther north, there's another drive-through display that might be worth putting on your Christmas list. Shipshewana's Lights of Joy features more than two million LED Christmas lights along a route nearly two miles long. The attraction opens November 10 and runs through December 31, although it will be closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. You can even tune your car radio to the Christmas music broadcast as you make your way through the displays.

With many of these displays opening in November, you have plenty of time to plan a holiday-lights road trip. And if you're feeling ambitious, you could even turn it into a weekend getaway.

Of course, there are plenty of displays in and around Indianapolis and farther north toward Fort Wayne. In fact, looking at the map in the Visit Indiana guide, you could stick to Interstate 69 and visit several attractions along the way.

Fort Wayne Has Three Ways to See the Lights

Fort Wayne is particularly appealing because it offers three separate holiday light experiences. Blue Jacket's Fantasy of Lights features a three-mile drive-through display at Franke Park, while Wild Lights at the Fort Wayne Zoo offers nearly one million lights. At Parkview Field, visitors can walk through more than one million lights and displays choreographed to holiday music.

There's even a Fort Wayne LightFest ticket that bundles all three attractions at a discount compared with buying tickets separately. Blue Jacket's Fantasy of Lights opens November 16, while the other two experiences begin earlier in November.

If Indianapolis is more your speed, Winterlights at Newfields is another impressive option. The annual event returns November 20 and runs through January 3, 2027. This year marks its 10th anniversary, and Newfields says the display will feature more than three million individual lights across nearly 52 acres of gardens. The historic Lilly House provides a beautiful backdrop for the illuminated landscape.

See Millions of Lights in Michigan City

Now, if you really want to see a spectacular number of Christmas lights, consider making the trip to Michigan City in northern Indiana. Its free Festival of Lights at Washington Park features more than five million twinkling lights across 30 acres. The display runs December 5 through January 10, 2027, and the season kicks off with a parade on Franklin Street, a tree-lighting ceremony and visits from Santa Claus.

The Visit Indiana guide features displays and events that begin in early November, so there's plenty of time to plan a trip and see how many of these holiday lights you can fit into your Christmas season.