Dazzling light shows are putting the spotlight on the holiday season, turning several of the region's well-known attractions into winter wonderlands.
The beads of glistening light are casting all sorts of glows to amp up the merry mood as cold weather moves in and a new year approaches.
Chicago, a city named among the best places to spend Christmas in the world, and its neighboring suburbs are home to a flurry of displays. From ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo to Lightscape at the Chicago Botanic Garden, here are twinkling light shows that will spruce up the season in the area.
Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum
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The Morton Arboretum runs an annual spectacle of colorful displays in the suburb of Lisle called "Illumination." Guests can tune into seasonal music, sit by a fire, roast marshmallows and take a snack or beverage to-go while checking out various light installations.
The U.S. News and World Report ranked the 23 best Christmas lights displays in the U.S., and the Lisle display was cited as one of the go-to shows for the Midwest.
From Nov. 19 through Jan. 7, the Morton Arboretum will spotlight holiday festivities through its annual Illumination light show. More than 50 acres of the arboretum's trees will be decked out with collaborative displays of color, light and sound.
This year's display has a number of a new features for guests, including a "re-imagined" finale that will take place in the arboretum's new Grand Garden.
Additional highlights for the upcoming show include changes to the Meadow Lake Magic exhibit, which will include 15-feet tall mirrored towers. Shadow Play will also join the collection as a new interactive exhibit that will let visitors play with colorful lights.
Tickets for Illumination can be found here, though the event often sells out quickly.
The light show will be open each evening from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m., with the last entry at 8:30 p.m. Due to the holidays, the exhibit will be closed Dec. 5, 12, 24 and 25.
ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo
ZooLights, one of Chicago’s most colorful holiday staples, is set to return to the spotlight at Lincoln Park Zoo.
The longtime tradition kickstarts its 28th running with an array of attractions scattered throughout the zoo's grounds. A 65-foot Ferris wheel, an expansive light tunnel and re-envisioned light shows are some of the event's highlights, according to the zoo.
Visitors can head to a meet-and-greet with Santa, catch live ice carvings, tune in to carolers, munch on treats, experience a holiday-themed pop-up bar and roam around for more festivities.
ZooLights will run from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Dec. 2-14, 16-23, 26-31 and Jan. 1. Of the dates, tickets to the show will be free Dec. 12, 19 and 26.
ZooLights will run from 4:30 to 10 p.m. through the end of the year. It will remain available from 4:30 to 9 p.m. through Jan. 8.
Tickets are available here and cost $5 Tuesdays through Sundays.
Lightscape at Chicago Botanic Garden
The Chicago Botanic Garden takes guests past pine trees draped with strings of lights, candle-lined pathways and a variety of other holiday light formations.
A new exhibit called Starscape features a 130-foot-long tunnel decked with a series of over 700 shimmering handmade acrylic stars.
Lightscape opened for the season Nov. 11 and will run until Jan. 8. Tickets range in price from $14 to $30.
Chicago's Christmas Tree at Millennium Park
A 55-foot-tall Colorado blue spruce tree is the centerpiece of the city this winter.
The tree, which has adorned the front lawn of a Morton Grove home for decades, beat out more than 80 entries when it was selected to be the city's "official" Christmas tree for 2022.
The tree tallies as a long-time Chicago tradition, as this year's will become the city's 109th. Each year, the tree can be seen glistening near the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Washington Street.
The tree will remain lit throughout Jan. 8.
Shine Light Show
Shine Light Show will let visitors catch synchronized holiday displays from the comfort of their cars. The show will feature a glistening tunnel of over one million LED lights paired to holiday music.
The event will run until Jan. 1 at two locations: Northbrook and Schaumburg. Tickets cost $32.99 for weekdays and $42.99 for weekends, holidays and select weekdays. One ticket will be necessary per vehicle.
Light Up the Lake at Navy Pier
Billed as the largest indoor lights experience in the Chicago area, Light Up the Lake will run from Nov. 25 to Jan. 7 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall.
Guests can interact with light displays, ice skate, visit Santa and more. Tickets to the event, which range in price from $17 to $27, also include a ride on Navy Pier's 200-foot Centennial Wheel.
Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo
Billed as the longest-running lights festival in the Chicago area, Holiday Magic is officially back at Brookfield Zoo for the 2022 season.
Zoogoers can set their sights on a bundle of displays, including two-miles worth of colorful lights synchronized to music and a 600-foot-long illuminated tunnel. A 41-foot-tall gleaming Christmas tree will also be propped up.
Alongside the lights, activities will run at the event. A scavenger hunt dubbed the "Game of Gnomes" will send visitors on the lookout for 27 gnomes varying in size and shape across the zoo. From Tropic World to Reptiles and Birds, several indoor and outdoor animal habitats are open to visitors during the light show.
Holiday Magic will be available Nov. 15-27 and 30, as well as Dec. 1-4, 14-18 and 26-31.
Tickets are required for admission. Those looking to park in the zoo's south lot must reserve tickets in advance online.
Admission to Brookfield Zoo costs $24.95 for adults, $17.95 for children ages 3-11 and $19.95 for seniors 65 and over. Parking is $15.
