Best Great Lakes Santa Trains and Holiday Lights - Create Your Own Family Tradition. From Illinois  and Indiana to Wisconsin and Minnesota we have named the best of the season. Seek out the best holiday lights or find a Santa train and climb aboard for the fun.  

 

Here's the scoop. Storybook travel is pure fun and during the winter months traditional “Santa Trains,” make enjoying Christmas even better. At many stations the family holiday tradition has a new twist provided by the heartwarming film version of Chris Van Allsburg’s book, The Polar Express. Just imagine whisking the kids off to the North Pole or melting into a magical kingdom of lights. It can be done in more than a dozen ways and as many places. From animated displays and enchanting costumes to festive singing and holiday treats, the seasonal excursions add a lively dimension while costumed storytellers convey the message of the season. Best of all the rhythm and energy of the train moving down the track is a sure thing - pure fun meant to be shared.

We have assembeled a list of the best holiday lights and train excursions for your review. No two trips will be the same but the  memory making potential is sure to be awesmome. 

Bentleyville Tour of Lights in Duluth, Minnesota – Flying Pterodactyls, Free Popcorn and a Jingle Bus (December). Each holiday season Bayfront Festival Park becomes the base for the magic of Bentleyville with more than three million lights, a giant Christmas, lively entertainment, more than a dozen fire pits and Dinoland guarded by soaring Pterodactyls. To eliminate the hassle of parking, free Jingle Buses transport visitors from points around downtown. Bonus Points:  Children 10 years old or younger who visit with Santa receive a knit Bentleyville hat along with cookies. (Bentleyville Tour of Lights Bayfront Festival Park 700 Railroad Street Duluth, MN 55802 or www.bentleyvilleusa.org)  

 
ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo - 3-D Fun, Musical Lights, and Animal Encounters (selected days in December). There is no better place to celebrate the season in Chicago than at Lincoln Park Zoo wearing 3-D glasses and sharing the magic of the wintery wonderland with your kids. More than two million lights frame the walkways adorning the trees and providing a backdrop for twinkling animals and family activities including visits with Santa Claus and a new Lionel Train Adventure. Bonus Points: Watch ice carving every night and go ice skating with your kids. (2001 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614. (312) 742-2000 or www.lpzoo.org)

North Shore Scenic Railroad Polar Express in Minnesota - Jingle Bells and Stories (Late November into Decemebr). Departing from Fitger’s Brewery Complex, the North Shore Scenic Rail Road “Polar Express” takes a magical winter journey along the lake, arriving at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum, home of an enchanting antique model railroad display and featuring carolers, a live reading of the Polar Express with costumed actors, jingle bells and a visit with Santa. The journey ends with a train ride back to Fitger’s Brewery Complex where a bonfire, warm cocoa and cookies await the passengers. (Lake Superior Railroad Museum. Toll-free 1-800-423-1273 or www.northshorescenicrailroad.org)

National Railroad Museum in Green Bay - Ride the Polar Express (Late November and early December). In any season this is a grand museum worth sharing with our kids but during the holiday season they are geared up to make extra magic. Families are invited to relive the story, the train, and the magic of the beloved holiday tale, the Polar Express with the National Railroad Museum this holiday season. The story will be presented in a dramatic staging and everyone will get to ride the Polar Express to the North Pole to see if they really should believe in Santa. (National Railroad Museum, 2285 South Broadway Green Bay, Wisconsin . (920) 437-7623 or   www.nationalrrmuseum.org)

Whitewater Valley Railroad in Indiana - Ride the Polar Express (November and December). Come aboard and read along with the story as the train makes a magical roundtrip journey to the wintery wonderland of the North Pole. Activities include a Santa meet-and-greet, holiday caroling, hot chocolate and treats. For those who truly believe in the jolly old elf there might even be a special gift waiting at the North Pole. Bonus Points:  Kids are encouraged to wear their pajamas, just like the protagonists of The Polar Express. (Whitewater Valley Scenic Railroad, Connersville Indiana’s Grand Central Station Connersville, Indiana. (765) 825-2054 or www.whitewatervalleyrr.org)

Monticello Railway Museum in Illinois - Ride the Polar Express (Late November and early December) It’s “all abroad” for holiday merriment as the train makes a magical roundtrip journey to the wintery wonderland of the North Pole. Activities include a Santa meet-and-greet, holiday caroling, hot chocolate and treats. For those who truly believe in the jolly old elf there might even be a special gift waiting at the North Pole. Bonus Points: Kids are encouraged to wear their pajamas, just like the protagonists of The Polar Express. (Wabash Depot, Monticello, Illinois. Toll-free 1-877-762-9011 toll-free, (217) 762-9011 or www.mrym.org)

For mor mini holiday adventure ideas checkout the best Santa trains and holiday lights in Ohio. 

About the book, The Polar Express. On Christmas Eve, a boy boards the mysterious train bound for the North Pole. During the story Santa gives the boy a bell from the harness of the reindeer. On the way home, the bell is lost but in the morning the boy finds the bell under the tree. While his mother thinks the bell is broken, he knows it is not but only true believers can hear the sound of the bell. The book received the prestigious Caldecott Award.  More great reads by Van Allsburg. Other delightful stories include Two Bad Ants, Ben’s Dream, and The Wreck of the Zephyr and Jumanji which became a movie starring Robin Williams. More details at www.polarexpress.com and www.chrisvanallsburg.com

Content researched and updated by Family Travel Files with images provided by Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, G. Haupert for Bentleyville in Duluth and North Shore Scenic Railroad in Dulth . Copyright updated 2017.