Looking at Christmas lights is a tradition that I know many of us enjoy with our families. I love a good walk around the Plaza to look at the lights or a visit to the Mayor’s Christmas Tree at Crown Center, but sometimes you just need to put on your holiday jammies, grab a hot chocolate, and drive around with the heat blasting in search of great, homegrown light displays! Here’s a roundup of some of the best neighborhood light displays in Kansas City to check out this holiday season!
Kansas:
- One of the best guides to Christmas lights in Johnson County can be found here. This detailed roundup of the biggest neighborhood light displays in JoCo even has suggested routes to drive to hit up several houses in one night!
- My personal favorite on that site is the Bradshaw Christmas Light Show at 13812 Bradshaw, Overland Park, Kansas 66221. The whole cul de sac is lit up with lights that flash to the Christmas music on 99.9 FM. It is high-tech and mesmerizing.
- Our family always visits the neighborhood just south of 143rd on Caenen Ln. in Overland Park. The light displays and the HUGE houses are so impressive. I love to daydream about living in this neighborhood if I win the lottery.
- If you go to see the lights at Deanna Rose Farmstead make sure you take the short detour up to Christmas Place at 131st Place and Antioch. (Pro tip: turn off your lights while driving through the neighborhood so you get the full effect!)
- Paulie’s Penguin Playground is also a 100% must if you are in Olathe. You do need to get out of your car to experience this one to the fullest. So bundle up and take a walk through the maze of inflatables and take a selfie with PENGUINZILLA.
Missouri:
- Head down to the Brookside neighborhoods between Ward Parkway and Wornall near 69th/70th St to see several streets that go all out with their neighborhood light displays.
- In the Northland, check out the house at the corner of N. Congress and N. Belvedere for an amazing display set to music.
- In Parkville, drive through the Riss Lake and Monticello subdivisions to see some nice light displays.
- In Lee’s Summit, after you visit Christmas in the Park, make sure you drive through the New Longview neighborhood nearby.
- In Independence, make sure you scope out Lights on Liberty Street.
