ZooLights at the National Zoo

Perfect for the entire family to enjoy, ZooLights at the National Zoo in Washington DC offers a breath-taking display of holiday lights and decorations. Come see fantastic light displays of your favorite Zoo animals including elephants, giant pandas, Komodo dragons, octopus, and sea lions. Each week the National Zoo will highlight animal houses with special interactive activities for the whole family to enjoy.

ZooLights also features ice sculptures, family photo opts with costume Zoo characters, storytellers, and Christmas carolers. The National Zoo will keep open numerous exhibits during the evening including the Kids Farm, Great Ape House, Reptile Discover Center, and the Small Mammal House. ZooLights is a FREE event for families living in the Washington DC area.

The Mormon Temple Festival of Lights

The Mormon Temple Festival of Lights is free and open to all people during the Christmas season. The church is lit up every night from dusk to 10:00pm with over 450,000 flashing Christmas lights. There is a live nativity scene outside and an indoor exhibit of different international nativity scenes as well as showing of various Christmas films.

The nativity scene is open from 6:00pm - 9:00pm with live, local musical concerts that begin at 7:00pm and 8:00pm and are performed in their state-of-the-art theater. The festival of lights runs from December 3rd through the end of the year.

Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens

With close to one million colorful holiday lights, the Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens is one of the biggest holiday displays in the Washington DC area. Walk through the gardens with easy and be amazed at the giant sunflowers, blooming spring flowers, snowflakes, rain showers and more. There are also moving displays of light such as the famous 11 foot tall giraffe that itself has over 9,000 holiday lights.

The Garden of Lights is open starting November 25th from 5:30pm to 9:00pm on weekdays with the last car admitted at 8:30pm and weekends from 5:30pm to 10:00pm with the last car admitted at 9:30pm. During the week the cost is $20 per car and on weekends it is $25 per car.

Winter Lights at Seneca Creek

Winter Lights at Seneca Creek in Gaithersburg, Maryland offers over 350 illuminated displays. Pack the family in the car and enjoy the scenic a 3.5-mile drive through the park as it is filled with holiday lights and decorations. Visit the North Pole and other Christmas themed areas from the comfort of your car and be amazed at the multiple arrays of displays and scenes as they light up the night.

This holiday event raises money for many local charities and cost $12 per car Tuesday through Thursday and $15 per car Friday through Sunday. The Winter Scene at Seneca Creek is open from 6:00pm-10pm and runs December 3rd to January 1st.

Alexandria Boat Parade of Lights

The Alexandria Boat Parade of Lights is an annual event located in Olde Town Alexandria and features over 50 boats decorated with tons of holiday lights along the Potomac River. The powerboats and sailboats compete in different creative categories all hoping to be crown the "Best in Show". Come see these boats light up the sky from the Alexandria marina and also experience a visit from Santa. The John Glenn, DC's fireboat, will also be on display shooting water from a canon nearly 70 feet in the air.

This is a great family event that occurs Saturday, December 3rd from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and Sunday, December 4th from 5:00pm to 7:30pm. On Saturday Santa will be arriving by boat at 4:15pm. Afterwards, stop by the Torpedo Factory and see local artists and their works.

Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland at Adventure Park USA

Adventure Park USA offers its own holiday lights tour at the Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland. This drive through light display, which opened in 2010, is filled with thousands of animated Christmas lights and is set to music. They even offer discounted tour bus rates and the chance to meet Santa at the end of the tour. Guests also will be available to enjoy indoor entertainment such as laser tag, climbing walls arcades and much more!

The Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland at Adventure Park USA is open all week starting at 6:00pm and cost $25 per car.

Bull Run Festival of Lights

The Bull Run Festival of Lights is held every year to celebrate the holiday season at Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, Virginia. The annual event offers a spectacular view of holiday decorations (over 40,000 animated lights were used last year) from the comfort of your car and has been attracting thousands of visitors for more than a decade. There is also a village to visit after the ride that offers family's entertainment in the form of amusement rides and an ice-skating rink.

The festival is open from 5:30pm to 9:30pm (10:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays) from November 23rd to January 8th. Monday through Thursday the cost is $15 per car and Friday through Sunday the cost is $20 per car.

Also See,
Symphony of Lights in Columbia
Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade
Watkins Regional Park Festival of Lights
Lights on the Bay at Sandy Point State Park