Looking for the perfect Christmas outing for the whole family – grandparents included?! Just look down I-75 to Middletown, and it’s all there!! We got the chance to check out their drive-thru Christmas lights on opening weekend and then explore ALL they have to offer for all ages… including being treated to their fresh made mini donuts (the best!) and big cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows. This was our first time there, and we definitely want to incorporate this into our annual holiday traditions. You can’t believe the value you get (we didn’t even do everything our night there), but we’ve tried to capture the winter magic for you in our 25 reasons to visit Christmas Glow at Land of Illusion!
1. Meet Santa! 🎅 Santa’s in his workshop, ready to make each visit special for your family. Don’t miss the magic!
Your little ones will get the chance to meet Santa and get pictures taken! You do have to purchase the photos (very reasonable) and no personal photos are allowed, but they also have a couple Santa statues around that are great photo spots as well – and cost you nothing extra!
2. Fresh Baked Donuts! 🍩 Warm, gooey donuts from Mrs. Claus’ Snack Shack – perfect for a sweet holiday treat!
These are as fresh as donuts can get! You can watch them be made right in front of you and then choose your gooey or powdery toppings before indulging in the most delectably warm treat. I didn’t even get pictures of the girls with their first serving of donuts – they were finished with them and back in line behind us before we and the grandparents even got ours! They wasted no time buying another set of 6 mini donuts each… and devouring those almost as quickly. I’d say they were a hit. We all loved them and highly recommend you get some when you go.
3. 35ft Christmas Tree 🌲 Capture the season with a picture-perfect moment in front of their massive Christmas tree!
There are Christmas characters walking (or dancing) all around, and you can even pose with them in front of the gigantic lit evergreen tree. I found the Grinch and asked if his heart was big enough that night to take a picture with me. Luckily, a cute baby grew it at least 3 times as large right as I was walking up to him – and I got my picture!
4. 3.8 Million Lights 💡 Drive through a wonderland of 8 magical scenes, from Candyland to Toyland, honoring our military heroes.
Driving through the lights takes about 15-20 minutes, and every minute is filled with Christmas magic! When we first got there, we were treated to mints and a flyer with everything to look forward to in the Christmas village. They also told us which radio station to tune into to make the experience even more immersive. We also had to turn off our headlights, which makes sense, but trying to figure out how to turn my automatic lights off gave everyone a good chuckle at my expense! We loved going through the light tunnels, the enchanted forest area, and seeing some of the areas we remembered from the Scream Park when we came back during spooky season. There wasn’t a single thing not to enjoy. We embedded our Reel at the end of this review so you can see some highlights of our drive!
5. Kids Rides 🚂 Let your little ones hop on their very own Polar Express train ride, or maybe they’ll get to ride Rudolph!
We didn’t have any little ones with us, but the train ride is perfect for the younger kids. If you’ve been there for the haunted houses and mazes before, you’ve probably seen their mechanical bull ride. For the Christmas Glow, they dress the bull as a reindeer to ride! They’ve got the area all enclosed, so you can stay warm. It was a lot of fun watching the older kids get thrown off and laughing away.
6. Petting Zoo 🐄 Feed and pet adorable Highland cows, Pygmy goats, and more at their holiday petting zoo!
There is so much to do in the Christmas village, we still didn’t get to every single thing our night there. The very last thing we made sure to do before we left, though, was Land of Illusion’s Petting Zoo! There were so many animals in there, and you can go pet them for free. You can pay to feed them as well, if you want – we do highly recommend that! The girls and I were so excited about the Highland cows. We’d never seen them in person before, and it felt like we were in a movie.
7. The Grinch & Bluey 💚 Meet the Grinch every Friday through Sunday, and don’t forget to see Bluey Monday through Thursday!
We were there on Saturday night, so we got to meet the Grinch (as mentioned before!), but if you have little ones that are huge Bluey fans, the earlier part of the week would be the perfect timing for you.
8. Warm Fire & Hot Cocoa ☕ Cozy up by a warm fire with a cup of hot cocoa – holiday spirit at its finest!
The huge fire pit was amazing around Halloween when it got chilly at the end of an October night. Just the walk from the warm car into the Christmas village in 30 degree weather had us running straight to that roaring fire. My dad and stepmom were able to find a seat together around the edge of it while the girls and I went to get hot chocolate for all of us. It really began to feel a lot like Christmas then! After we were warmed up inside and out, we were ready to explore everything Christmas Glow had to offer!!
9. The Rudolph Game 🎯 How many Rudolphs can you spot on your drive-thru holiday lights adventure? It’s fun for the whole family!
I’m sure we missed some of them, but another favorite part of our drive-thru lights adventure was seeing the reindeer that looked like they were flying over us as we drove under them. Counting the Rudolphs will make the Christmas Drive-Thru experience even more fun if you have littles with you!
10. Personalized Ornaments 🏷️ Make your visit even more memorable with personalized ornaments for your tree!
We didn’t get a chance to do this ourselves, but our family loves making things together and getting personalized gifts. We’re definitely getting these ornaments when we are back next time!
11. Elf’s Lounge 🍹 For adults, their festive holiday drinks in the Elf’s Lounge will keep you in good spirits (21+ only)!
This is such a great thing for the parents and grandparents that want to enjoy an adult beverage during their night out! They’ve got a full bar in there to keep your spirits light.
12. Local School Carolers 🎶 Enjoy live caroling performances by local schools every Saturday, spreading Christmas cheer!
Carolers are always so much fun during the holidays, and hearing local kids singing Christmas songs make it even more special.
13. Sweet Treats 🍬 Fudge, Buckeyes, and all the classic holiday sweets are waiting at the Sweet Shack!
I love me some Buckeyes, so I was of course excited about these, but there are holiday treats for everyone’s taste if you aren’t already on a sugar overload from those mini donuts and hot cocoa already!!!
14. VR Ride Adventure 🎢 Help Dash the Elf save Christmas in their wild VR ride adventure!
Another ride they have available is the VR ride, which is always a really fun experience. Best of all, everything at Land of Illusion is super affordable. They really want families to be able to come together and enjoy as much as they can without breaking the bank (we all know how much money we’re about to drop on these kids’ presents in a few weeks!!!).
15. The Polar ROAR! 🐻 Grab a photo with our friendly polar bears – the perfect photo op for your holiday scrapbook!
I absolutely made sure to get my picture with the gigantic polar bear by the restrooms! One of its hands is out for you to sit on. My “other daughter” sat on it for the girls’ picture and then my daughter ran up to plop down on the other hand… only to realize it wasn’t out on the other side, so she just slid down the polar bear and onto the ground. Even more laughs for the night!
16. Travel the World 🌍 See how other cultures celebrate Christmas in this drive-thru world tour – no passport required!
Another awesome thing we loved during the drive-thru lights was that they had a whole section dedicated to landmarks from major cities all over the world. From the Colosseum to the Eiffel Tower to the Statue of Liberty and more, it was an incredible mini world tour.
17. Singing Penguins & Reindeer 🐧 Jam along to your favorite holiday hits with their singing penguins and reindeer!
Not only are you greeted by a talking reindeer when you enter the Christmas village, you also get to hear a quartet of singing penguins and another of singing reindeer inside the village! With the simple push of a huge button, they come to life and start harmonizing away. It’s adorable.
18. Jingle Bell Bites Food Court 🍕 Grab a slice of Cassano’s pizza or other tasty bites while you enjoy the festivities!
Another thing I absolutely love about Land of Illusion in general is that they have food available there on site all night until they close. Again, it’s all very affordably priced. Depending on what part of Greater Dayton you’re in, you can have a little bit of a drive to get there and may not have had time to get dinner before heading down. This is the perfect solution to your family’s hunger needs during the evening!
19. Unique Gift Shop 🎁 Need holiday gifts? Check out the coolest and most unique items in their one-of-a-kind Christmas shop!
The gift shop on your way out has been transformed for the holidays and you can get great and unique gifts like hand-blown ornaments with Land of Illusion Christmas Glow delicately painted on them and so much more.
20. Live Characters 📸 Meet Rudolph, Comet, the Gingerbread Man, and more! Perfect for kids and holiday photos.
Not only are they great for getting holiday photos, but you may even get to dance with one of them while you’re there! Rudolph came dancing all the way up to us by the tree, and we shimmied right along with him. All the characters are delightful!
21. Build-a-Bear 🧸 Let your little ones create their very own holiday keepsake at their Build-Your-Own-Bear station!
The girls were very pleased to hear there was a station set up by Santa’s workshop where people could build their own bear (or other stuffed animal!). They both really wanted more clothes for their Build-a-Bears at home, and I was amazed by how great the pricing was for everything! I bought them each matching pajama sets for their bears at home, and they were geeked.
22. Cleanest Restrooms in the Nation 🚽 Yes, they’re something to brag about! Their clean, warm restrooms are a must-see (trust us).
I bragged about their restrooms in my blog post about the Scream Park, because they really are just that good!
23. Affordable Prices 💸 Tickets start at just $12 per person – a great value for an unforgettable Christmas village experience!
My dad thought the pricing just included the drive-thru lights, so he was surprised when I parked in the lot after that part was over. He asked what we were doing, and I told him there was a whole Christmas village (with donuts and hot cocoa) to enjoy! It’s an amazing value for an entire night of family fun.
24. Fresh Roasted Nuts 🥜 Stop by for glazed pecans and cashews – the perfect warm and tasty snack!
My dad and I both love pecans and cashews and we would have gotten some if we weren’t already so full already from the rest of the snacks and treats that are available all throughout the village!
25. Family Time ❤️ This is what it’s all about – bringing families closer together, making memories, and cherishing the season.
We hadn’t done drive-thru Christmas lights with our daughter in a couple years and the last time the grandparents did one with her was when she was a year old. They were so happy to make new memories with her as a teenager by going through another one together all these years later. We did feel so close to each other, we made many wonderful memories, and we cherished every magical moment of the start of the season. Get your tickets and make memories with your own family during the holidays! They’re open November 27th – December 30th except Christmas day!!
Starting December 5th, they are open seven days a week 6-10pm! It’s $12/person Sunday through Thursday, and it’s $15/person on Friday and Saturday nights.
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