Open now through January 3^rd, families ride past over 2.5 miles of holiday scenery. Once you arrive at Jones Beach, you can follow the signs to Holiday Light Park. As you pull up to the ticket windows (you can buy your tickets online in advance), you’ll be directed to set your radio to 97.5FM so you can enjoy holiday music throughout the ride.

The moment you pull through the entrance, the show begins. Some fan favorites include 12 Days of Christmas and Santa’s Beach Party. My boys loved the leaping frog and fish, and of course, all of the character displays, such as R2D2 (with Star Wars fever in full effect, I’d be surprised if this isn’t back again), Olaf from Frozen, the Minions and Mater from Cars. Another big hit was the car that morphs into a dino—my youngest son is a dinosaur fanatic! There's also plenty of Santa and his reindeer around, as well as Santa's Marching Band, Nutcrackers and more.

About halfway through the display is the Chrysler Holiday Village. There, you can park your car and enjoy a heated area that offers food and beverages for purchase, as well as photos with Santa (he’ll be there until December 23^rd) for $15 per family. There's also make your own s’mores, holiday music and movies, and an ice skating rink ($8 for 12 and under, $10 for over 12 including skates; $5 for 12 and under, $7 for over 12 if you have your own skates).

Returning this year is the Hay Maze, which takes kids on a special journey through the lights display inside the Holiday Village. During our visit last year, we skipped Santa because our kids had already seen him and taken their photos someplace else (and admittedly, I didn’t want to spend the extra $15!), but the Village itself is worth a visit. On select nights you’ll find local school choirs serenading the crowds, and walking through the light displays is pretty cool, too. You must pay for the entrance fee to the light show in order to get to the Village. Once you’re done there, you get back in your car and resume the tour of the displays.

For both years, I’ve been able to buy a Groupon for a $15 entry fee. Keep your eye out because after the Groupon sold out in record time last year, it was made available again closer to Christmas. The only downside to it is that you have to go on select dates, which are always weeknights (usually Tuesdays and Wednesdays). That can be tough when school is in session, but it does get dark early now, so you wouldn't have to go too late. You can also use the Groupon during the Holiday Break (although Santa will no longer be in the Village).

Of course, you can opt to pay full price and visit on a weekend. From what I’ve heard from friends, it can get super crowded on Fridays and Saturdays. But the one upside is that you might get the chance to go through the display at a slower pace and really get to check out the details. On weeknights when it’s less crowded, you might be hesitant to slow down too often with cars coming up behind you. And keep in mind that you aren't allowed to get out of your car to take photos of the displays at any time, regardless of how crowded it is.

Whenever you decide to go, I’m pretty sure your family will love it. And for more seasonal fun, be sure to check out our Holiday Fun Guide.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS SPECTACULAR at JONES BEACH:

HOURS
Sun-Thurs: Dusk to 10pm
Fri & Sat: Dusk to 11pm
Closed: Dec 14, Dec 31

TICKET PRICES
Weekdays (Mon-Thurs): $20.00 Cars
Weekends (Fri-Sun) and Holidays: $25.00 Cars
Parking will be at the West End 2 Parking – follow signage once inside the park to the Holiday Village.

Photo: Holiday Lights Spectacular