Cincinnati Holiday Attractions - A New Section

This holiday season, our family made it a mission to experience as many Cincinnati-area holiday attractions as we could. From drive-through light displays to walk-through villages, from train rides to zoo lights, we packed December with festive outings.

I’ve created a new section on this site dedicated to these reviews: Cincinnati Holidays.

What We Covered

We visited 13 different attractions this season, each with its own character:

The Standouts:

• The Christmas Ranch - My favorite of the season. A 100-acre Christmas village with incredible train displays, shops, and over a million lights.
• PNC Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo - The nation’s #1 zoo lights display for eight consecutive years, and it shows.
• Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park Lights - Art meets holiday lights in a stunning drive-through experience.

Great Value Options:

• Light Up Middletown - Donation-based, 100 acres of lights. Incredible value.
• Cincinnati Art Museum - CAM Nights - Completely free BLINK-partnered projection show.

Classic Experiences:

• LM&M Railroad North Pole Express - A magical train ride with Santa, elves, and all the Polar Express touches.
• Holiday Junction at Cincinnati Museum Center - 79 years of Cincinnati tradition with the Duke Energy Holiday Trains.

And More:

• Cincinnati’s Nights of Lights
• Kings Island WinterFest
• Krohn Conservatory
• Land of Illusion Christmas Glow
• Newport Aquarium - Scuba Santa
• Heritage Village Train Days

I also put together a list of ones we missed for next year’s planning.

Why Document This?

Every year we try to figure out which holiday events are worth the time and money, and every year we find ourselves searching for the same information. These reviews are as much for our future selves as they are for anyone else planning their Cincinnati holiday season.

Each review includes practical details like cost, dates, and what to expect, along with honest assessments of value. Some attractions are worth full price; others are best with a membership; a few are skippable unless you have a specific reason to go.

Check out the full collection at Cincinnati Holidays, and feel free to reach out if there’s something we should add to next year’s list.