Light up the holidays

By the weekend, it will truly feel like Christmastime.

Students will be done with classes.

Temperatures will have settled back into the 30s.

All but the last-minute shopping will be complete.

A long weekend — some will have Dec. 24 off work leading into the holiday — makes for the perfect time for a drive to check out Christmas lights.

Over the last two years, we’ve taken a look at the best displays in Portland and Dunkirk. (Check out those stories at the following links — bit.ly/Portlandlights and bit.ly/Dunkirklights.)

For 2018, we’re going out of town. If you’re looking for an extended evening out, maybe a stop for dinner or an afternoon movie followed by a relaxing drive, there are a variety of options to check out expansive Christmas light displays within a 90-mile radius.



Cliffton Mill

It will take some time to get there, as Clifton, Ohio, is located on the east side of Dayton, but the lighting display is worth the trip.

The Legendary Lights of Cliffton Mill is a nominee for USA Today’s best public lights holiday display.

The 3.5-million-light array at Cliffton Mill takes three months to build and lights up the mill, gorge riverbanks, trees and bridges. There is also a 100-foot “waterfall” of lights.

There is also a light show synchronized with Christmas music.

Admission is $10 for those 7 and older.  The display is open through the end of the month.

If visiting Cliffton, make a stop on the way, or the way back, at Carillon Historical Park in Dayton. It features a holiday display that includes Santa’s Toy Shop. There is also caroling.



Christmas Garden

A bit closer to home is Van Wert’s Children’s Christmas Garden.

The display, which was added this year to TourismOhio’s Holiday Lights Trail (Ohio.org/Holidays), features lights in the form of everything from snowmen to polar bears with Christmas music playing to set the spirit. There is also Christmas caroling, free hot chocolate and cookies provided by local Girl Scouts, candy canes and an opportunity to visit Santa Claus.

Van Wert Service Club and Optimist Club of Van Wert team up to put on the display that was originated in Smiley Park by Jim Clay and his family.



Fort Wayne features

Crossing the state line back into Indiana, the Fort Wayne area has a variety of Christmas light offerings.

VisitFortWayne.com highlights its top six in the area, leading off with a drive through downtown to see the window displays at various businesses.

Residential hotspots are 1618 Crooked Creek Parkway & 9314 Monique Drive, 12215 Bufflehead Run, 1211 Willowind Trail, 13525 Plumbago Court and 721 Pelham Drive.

The Bufflehead Run site features a display synchronized with music. The home at Plumbago Court has its own social media sites, and the Pelham Drive property features blow-up figures.



Festive Fishers

Prefer to head southwest? Fishers seems to be the place to go.

The Reynolds Farm Equipment display of Christmas lights at the intersection of Indiana 37 and 126th Street tops the city’s list of sites. It has more than 150 displays, including a 57-foot-tall abominable snowman and lawnmowers decorated to look like reindeer, and averages 3,000 visitors per day.

Fishers also has a variety of residential attractions, including 15 featured by IndyWiththeKids.com. For a list, go to bit.ly/Indylights.

Christmas City

Finally, if staying a bit closer to home is the preference, just take a drive west on Indiana 18 to Marion.

The most popular attraction the city has to offer is its Walkway of Lights along the Mississinewa Riverwalk. It features more than 2.5 million lights over a three-mile stretch.

The lights cover houses and trees, a riverboat and a bridge. And there are even a few large animated dinosaurs.