Winter in St. Louis is such a special time! It is truly magical. Here is a list of our family favorites over the years, plus some new ones!
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Jingle St. Louis
This new addition to the holiday celebration in St. Louis is going to be epic! From ice skating to snow tubing on real snow to a sing-along piano bar to Santa Claus, there is something for everyone.
Website: https://www.jingleholiday.com/stl
Dates: November 22- December 31
Where: CarShield Field, O’Fallon, MO
Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden
This is one of our favorite walk throughs! This has over 2 million lights throughout the gardens. I think our favorite section is the Central Axis across from the Climatron where the trees are synchronized to music! The unique display along the Tower Grove house is amazing too.
Get your photo with Santa Claus on Mondays & Tuesdays from November 18- December 10 from 5-9pm (included with Garden Glow admission). New this year, Ana and Elsa will be here on select Thursday evenings!
Website: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/events-classes/signature-events/garden-glow
Dates: November 16- January 4 (member preview is November 15)
The Weirdly Wonderful Holidays at the City Museum
The Weirdly Wonderful Holidays in included with general admission and there are lots of lights, visits with Santa (4th floor, outside of Art City) and story time with Mrs. Claus (4th floor, Sullivan Gallery). There will be Holiday Karaoke (3rd floor) and special eats and drinks too!
Website: https://citymuseum.org/event/ww-holidays/
Dates: November 29-December 24
Winterfest through Gateway Arch Park
Free festival at Kiener Plaza featuring live music, reindeer and ice skating (charge for ice skating rental). There are s’mores stations and igloos for rent, all underneath 100,000 twinkling lights. There are events throughout the six weeks, such as hockey, princess and superhero visits and a family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration.
Website: https://www.archpark.org/events/winterfest
Dates: November 23- December 31
STL Brewery Lights at Anheuser Busch
General Admission tickets include brewery tours, light show, Clydesdale parade and more! More than 1 million lights! Guests over 21 years old can have a complimentary beer and there is free park on a first come, first served basis. Ages 5 and under enter for free!
Website: https://www.budweisertours.com/brewerylights#id=brewery-lights-2024-st-louis
Dates: November 22- December 30
Polar Express at Union Station STL
This is just magical! Take a train ride to the North pole and get to meet Santa! The train ride has lights along the way too! This year is the 20th anniversary of Polar Express. There are different train car tiers and there are multiple sensory-friendly experiences on select nights.
Website: https://www.stlpolarexpressride.com/the-polar-express-train-ride-
Dates: November 15- December 30
Wild Lights at the Zoo
Walk through the Zoo and take in over 1 million lights with festive menus and Zoo attractions!
Included with admission: Penguin and puffin coast, Sea Lion Tunnel, 4D Theater (showing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”), take-home craft for kids and parking!
Website: https://stlzoo.org/events/wild-lights
Dates: November 29- December 29
Candy Cane Lane
Every November, the 6500 Murdoch Avenue block becomes Candy Cane Lane! Buy some Ted Drewes one block away and walk (or drive) along the lights. I just love watching this neighborhood transform!
Grant’s Farm Holiday Lights
Walk through light displays, drive through holiday lights and reserve a fire pit for s’mores. Take a tram ride to see even more lights and listen to Christmas carolers! They also have Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus on select days. We haven’t done this yet, but I’ve heard great things.
Website: https://grantsfarm.com/holiday-lights/
Dates: November 23- December 30
Christmas in St. Louis at the WWT Raceway
Huge synchronized LED light show with over one million lights! You get to actually ride throughout the race track too, which is so cool!! Open nightly, including holidays.
Website: https://www.wonderlightschristmas.com/st-louis
Dates: November 15- January 5
Christmas Traditions in Historic Main Street St. Charles
Walk along Main Street St. Charles and see historic characters dressed up singing and acting. The shops are all decorated and my kids love collecting the character cards! This year marks 50 seasons of the Christmas traditions!!
Website: https://www.discoverstcharles.com/events/christmas-traditions/
Dates: November 29- December 24 (select dates and times)
Free Mini Train Ride
Located at 4008 Healy Ct, St. Louis!
Kids under 100lbs are welcome to take train rides in this front yard on one of the two trains. My kids love this!!
The Magic House
We love visiting the Magic House year round, but especially at Christmas. We love the Breakfast with Santa event, as well as storytime with Mrs. Claus. The holiday decorations are so fun to look at while taking in all the fun exhibits.
Website: https://www.magichouse.org/events-programs/breakfast-with-santa/
Dates: Breakfast with Santa is Dec 8, 15, 22
The Fabulous Fox Theatre
Is there any place better than the Fox during the Christmas season?!
Website: https://www.fabulousfox.com/events
Here are some upcoming holiday shows and great family-friendly options:
Straight No Chaser: December 19
A Magical Cirque Christmas: December 20
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: December 21
Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet: December 22
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical: December 27-29
Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland is a staple here in St. Louis! Located at Tilles Park, this has been a tradition since 1987. Open nightly from 5-9pm and only drive-through (closed on December 24).
Website:https://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/winter-wonderland-vehicle-pass
Dates: November 27- December 30
I wish you and your family such a wonderful holiday!!
Happy exploring!
