Do you ever visit Christmas light displays in Oregon? I have lived here almost all of my life and only recently have discovered the amazing Christmas light displays that this great state has to offer. This was never an activity that we did as a family when I was growing up and my husband had a similar upbringing. We want to do things a little differently for our children. Each year we make it a point to travel to nearby light displays armed with hot cocoa in hand and Christmas music blaring in the car.
Best Christmas Light Displays in Oregon
We live in the Willamette Valley and we tend to stick within an hour’s drive of where we live, but even in such a small area, we have found so many wonderful light displays.
Pastega Christmas Light Display – For years this display was located at the Pepsi Co Building in Corvallis, but has recently moved to the Benton County Fairgrounds in Corvallis. It features thousands of lights and 130+ plywood displays.
Zoo Lights – With over a million lights, Zoo Lights is easily Oregon’s most popular light display. They also offer over 200 animated displays and a scavenger hunt.
Christmas in the Garden – The Oregon Garden in Silverton is beautifully decorated with over 400,000 lights. You can ice skate with your family, take a picture with Santa, warm up by the fire pits or enjoy hot cocoa while you walk through the garden.
The Lighted Boat Parade – This event in Newport is a unique play on a Christmas Light Displays. The bay is filled with brightly lit and decorated boats.
Portland International Raceway Winter Wonderland – During the holiday season, PIR is transformed into the largest light display in the Northwest. This drive through display features over 250 displays placed along the 2 mile raceway.
Starfest Holiday Light Celebration – This event at Eagle Crest Resort in Central Oregon is a mile long light display that features animated displays that you can walk through, view from your car or you can ride a horse-drawn carriage.
Peacock Lane – This neighborhood in Portland has been one of the most popular places to view Christmas lights since the 1920s. A four block stretch of this SE Portland street is full of Tudor English style houses that are decorated for the holiday. If you prefer to avoid being stuck in a traffic jam, it is highly recommended that you either ride public transportation or you take carriage rides through the neighborhood.
Queen Anne Victorian Mansion – This famous mansion outside of Portland is decorated with over 2 million lights, which makes it the brightest house in the area which can be seen from miles away. There are also 10 beautifully decorated trees and a gift shop with Christmas treats. The entire 5500 sq foot mansion, including the inside rooms, is decorated.
If you are hoping to catch a great Christmas Tree lighting display, chances are, you can find one (or more) in every city. There are though, some Tree Lighting Ceremonies that are more popular than others:
Pioneer Courthouse Square – This tree lighting ceremony with holiday singalong and more is the most popular tree lighting ceremony in Oregon.
Oregon State Capitol – This tree lighting ceremony is done in the capitol building and features music from a local high school choir.
Do you have any awesome Christmas light displays in Oregon that you recommend? I didn’t really touch on any in the Southern Oregon area and would love to add some to my list!
Leave a Reply