Christmastime is perfect for reconnecting with family and for getting out to enjoy all the festivities that accompany the season. During the holidays, there is no shortage of Christmas lights in West Virginia - or America, for that matter – but some light displays are too captivating to miss. One such display can be found at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling.
For more than three decades, the Oglebay Winter Festival of Lights has been enchanting visitors with its massive light display.
It features 89 attractions powered by more than one million lights, and an equal number of visitors to match. The display trail is so long that you must drive through it to see everything; the grounds are more than 300 acres, and the road leading through them is more than six miles.
You can travel through rainbow and snowflake-themed tunnels, view displays of dinosaurs, Charlie Brown characters, Cinderella, the Polyhedron Star and Willard the Snowman. New in 2017 is the Christmas Chameleon display, which changes colors like the actual chameleons in the Oglebay Good Zoo.
But the entire display does not need to be viewed from a car.
You can step out at the Hilltop region of the park and follow illuminated pathways featuring the Gardens of Light, nativity scenes and the Christmas Tree Garden. There are even some exclusive retail shops you can visit.
Do you want to conclude your evening with a light show? Well, for a few extra bucks, you can watch the Light & Music Extravaganza on the Good Zoo outdoor patio and see more than 35,000 lights choreographed to holiday music.
And if you happen to arrive at the resort before dark, the zoo has more than 50 species to view and offers Santa’s Reindeer Training School, where you can encounter actual reindeer and their keepers for a 30 minute group visit.
Other features of the resort include holiday-themed train and wagon rides for kids, straw mazes, a Christmas shop, trolley tours, breakfast with Santa, several dining options and overnight packages.
Oglebay Resort is located at 465 Lodge Drive in Wheeling. For more information, you can visit the Oglebay website here.
What light themed attractions do you enjoy during the holidays? Feel free to comment below and let us know.
Can't get enough of the holidays? Take a look at this Christmas lights road trip.
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