From small-town streets to underground passages, Kentucky finds some unexpected places to celebrate the season.
You can drive through Christmas lights in Louisville for half an hour without ever seeing the sky.
The route runs through a former limestone mine, where Lights Under Louisville fills the underground space with more than 7 million points of light, by the organizers’ count. It’s a light display in an unlikely setting, and a good place to begin a Kentucky holiday trip.
Aboveground, Christmas in Newport gets you through doors that usually stay closed to visitors. For one December weekend, East Row homeowners open their Victorian houses for a tour. Visitors can explore rooms with stained glass and original woodwork and see how people live in houses they might otherwise admire from the sidewalk.
These nine celebrations offer different ways to explore the state during the holidays.
1. Lights Under Louisville
Lights Under Louisville’s underground setting lets visitors drive through holiday displays even during daylight hours. It features more than 900 displays and claims to be the only underground Christmas light show in the world.
The route uses part of Louisville Mega Cavern, a roughly 100-acre complex that extends beneath portions of the Louisville Zoo and the Watterson Expressway. Miners excavated the site from the early 1930s into the early 1970s. The light display uses part of that much larger underground complex.
Where: 1841 Taylor Ave., Louisville, in north-central Kentucky
When: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Nov. 13 to Jan. 2. Opening night hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thanksgiving and Christmas hours are 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Admission: Tickets for standard vehicles start at $42.99. Purchase tickets online before arriving.
2. East Row Victorian Christmas Tour
In Northern Kentucky, East Row’s Victorian Christmas Tour & Tea explores Queen Ann and Italianate homes decked out for the holidays. Visitors follow a self-guided walking route through seven homes in the historic district. East Row brings together two historic neighborhoods, Mansion Hill and Gateway, where wealthy merchants and business owners settled in the late 1800s.
The tour helps fund historic preservation and grants to Newport charities. This year’s event features an expanded vintage Christmas market with handmade ornaments, antique baubles, and colorful tree toppers.
Where: East Row Historic District, Newport, in northern Kentucky
When: Noon to 6 p.m. Dec. 5 and 6.
Admission: $22 in advance through Dec. 4, or $25 at the door. Tickets cover either or both days. The $40 tea service tickets are sold separately. Tour homes are not wheelchair accessible.
3. Holidays at the Trace
Bourbon isn’t the only reason to visit Buffalo Trace Distillery in December. The historic Frankfort landmark gets dressed up for the holidays with thousands of twinkling lights, a 35-foot Christmas tree, and plenty of reasons to linger.
The main attraction is Spirited Nights, a free evening celebration that invites visitors to explore the decorated grounds on foot. Families can sing Christmas carols around the towering tree, visit Santa, listen to holiday stories, and warm up with hot chocolate and cookies. Adults 21 and older can add a $25 package of seasonal cocktails featuring Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream. Spirited Nights are free, but reservations are required.
Visitors who prefer to stay in their cars can enjoy the lights along the distillery’s entrance and exit roads. The drive-through display runs on the same evenings as Spirited Nights.
Where: 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, in central Kentucky.
When: Dec. 3-6, 10-13, 17-22, and 26-27. Spirited Nights reservations are available from 5:30 to 8 p.m., with festivities ending at 9:30 p.m.
Admission: Free. Spirited Nights requires reservations, which open in early November. The optional cocktail package costs $25 per person, ages 21 and older.
4. Midway European Christmas Market
Midway grew around a railroad halfway between Lexington and Frankfort. Its Midway European Christmas Market brings shoppers to an open-air courtyard on Friday evenings.
Organizers plan 15 vendor spaces for artisan goods, food, boutique finds, and holiday greenery. The plans also include music and live Christmas trees. Build in time to explore the town before the market opens.
Where: 126 E. Main Street, Midway, in central Kentucky
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays, Nov. 13 through Dec. 18, weather permitting.
5. Illuminated Evenings at Shaker Village
At Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, near Harrodsburg, musicians perform inside an 1820 meeting house during Illuminated Evenings. The Shakers founded the community here in 1805. Members of the Christian religious group lived and worked together, leaving a legacy of craftsmanship.
On three Saturdays in December, visitors can see the village by candlelight and ride a decorated hay wagon through the grounds. Shaker holiday music and carol sing-alongs begin at 5 and 6 p.m. The outdoor Christmas tree lighting follows at 6:30 p.m. Between activities, visitors can roast marshmallows at fire pits and warm up with complimentary hot chocolate or spiced cider.
Where: 3501 Lexington Road, Harrodsburg, in central Kentucky
When: 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 5, 12, and 19
Admission: $10 for ages 3 and older when purchased before Dec. 1, and $12 at the door. Members receive free admission with reservations.
6. Christmas at Mustard Seed Hill
A former military school campus in Millersburg now hosts Christmas at Mustard Seed Hill, with a light display and a gingerbread competition offering more than $10,000 in prizes. Visitors can see the gingerbread creations and browse a market with gifts from more than 60 Kentucky craftspeople.
Visitors can reserve a private campfire, order a s’mores basket, or book a horse-drawn carriage ride. A heated tent offers a place to eat food truck fare and catch live performances. The holiday calendar also includes a supper club, afternoon tea, and workshops in wreath making and cupcake decorating.
Where: 1122 Main St., Millersburg, in the Bluegrass region
When: 5 to 9 p.m., select nights, Nov. 27 to Dec. 23
Admission: $17 general admission, $15 for seniors and veterans, and $1 for children 7 and younger. Campfires, carriage rides, and special events cost extra. Book ahead.
7. Cave Sing at Mammoth Cave
In 1883, residents near Mammoth Cave carried a 10-foot pine tree underground for a Christmas celebration. They decorated it with ribbons and popcorn, then used lanterns and candles to light the cave. Carols filled the passages, according to the National Park Service’s account of the gathering. The tree stayed behind long after the holiday ended.
The modern Cave Sing began in 1980, reviving the tradition of making music underground. Musical groups perform in large cave chambers, and visitors join in carols. This year’s gathering marks the 47th annual event, giving travelers a chance to experience Mammoth Cave as a concert venue and lend their voices to the performance.
Where: Mammoth Cave National Park, 1 Mammoth Cave Parkway, in south-central Kentucky
When: Dec. 6. Check the website for performance times.
8. Patti’s Festival of Lights
Patti’s 1880’s Settlement is a family restaurant that opened in 1977 and grew into a community attraction with shops, gardens, and even a wedding chapel, mini golf course, and gem mine spread across more than 6 acres. Its history includes some unlikely transactions. According to the business’s account, the owners once acquired a cabin for a gift shop in exchange for two pork chop dinners.
During the Patti’s Festival of Lights, visitors can walk the gardens beneath a display that Grand Rivers tourism officials describe as millions of lights. The gardens are free to explore. For dinner, reserve a table before making the drive. Patti’s cautions that it cannot always accommodate walk-ins.
Where: 1793 J.H. O’Bryan Ave., Grand Rivers, in western Kentucky
When: The opening ceremony is 7 p.m. on Nov. 6
Admission: Gardens are free. Meals cost extra. The restaurant closes Thanksgiving and Dec. 24-26
9. Winter Wonderland of Lights Festival
At Ashland’s Winter Wonderland of Lights Festival, a miniature train gives visitors another way to see the holiday lights in Central Park. The displays extend into downtown Ashland.
The festival began in 1988. Businesses and residents still help fund the celebration, while city workers install and store the decorations. Volunteers spend hours in a warehouse stringing lights and checking bulbs before the displays reach the park.
Where: Central Park, 1898 Central Ave., Ashland, northeastern Kentucky
When: Dusk to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16 through Jan. 4
Admission: Lights are free. Train rides cost $4 and run on Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 20 through Dec. 20.
