Atlanta knows Christmas lights and how to show up, and show off, for the holidays! Neighborhood Christmas lights in Atlanta mean an all-out explosion of intricate designs, clever themes, and surging electricity bills. Some of these dizzying, dazzling homes can even be seen from overhead flights!

Residential holiday lights include houses that feature a walking tour through their front yards; other houses welcome families to drive by and tune specific radio frequencies to their synchronized Christmas lights; and some houses are a part of an entire neighborhood that creates a collective attraction! In fact, enjoy Christmas lights AND do charitable work —some of the homes mentioned below are part of Cobb EMC's Christmas lights map, where you can visit each home, vote for your favorite, and then the utility company awards the top three winners $500 each as donations to the charities of the winners' choosing. 

We’ve assembled the brightest, most elaborate holiday and Christmas lights in Atlanta to knock your seasonal socks off! 

Every year it seems the Christmas light installations in New York City get more elaborate, making a visit to the top holiday lights displays a must-do seasonal activity.

We've rounded up the best holiday lights displays in NYC. Most of these attractions are in the far-flung stretches of the five boroughs, such as Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, the Rockaways and Howard Beach in Queens, and on Staten Island, but all of these holiday houses are worth the trip.

So, start your own holiday tradition this year by checking out these spectacular Christmas lights when dusk hits. To find more seasonal fun, visit our NYC Kids' Guide to Holiday Fun.

Philly zoos, farms, and public spaces all boast dazzling Christmas lights. But in many neighborhoods, families will find Christmas lights on houses that rival the best professional displays. Entire city blocks, suburban streets, and private homes throughout the region give commercial holiday lights a run for their money, and we've found the best houses to stop by for a fun family outing.

So for a quick post-dinner trip or an extended local tour, read on to find the brightest Christmas lights on houses near you. We've got loads more holiday cheer in our Guide to the Best Christmas Events in Philly, and if you're interested in spreading holiday cheer to others, we've rounded up lots of kid-friendly opportunities to volunteer this holiday season.

When the Christmas lights start going up around Los Angeles, you know the festive holiday season has arrived! Whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, or Kwanzaa, there is a timeless joy in taking a spin around the neighborhood to look at the local holiday light displays. 

Every year, my family makes multiple trips to all the best Christmas lights across Los Angeles. Our kids put on their Christmas jammies, our to-go cups get filled with hot cocoa (or take a quick detour through to Starbucks), and bring along candy canes or Christmas cookies. Pop on a Christmas classics playlist, and you're ready for an evening immersed in (free) holiday lights magic. Including the famous Christmas lights displays like Christmas Tree Lane in Altadena and Candy Cane Lane in El Segundo (we like our Lanes in Los Angeles!), we've rounded up the best holiday lights on houses across the City of Angels that dazzle. 

Can't get enough Christmas lights? Check out our picks for LA's best holiday light shows and drive-through Christmas lights events, which you'll find in our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Activities for Los Angeles Families. 

Trains are a way of life for most New Yorkers, but come Christmastime these holiday train shows in NYC add a little sparkle to New Yorker's favorite form of transportation as little engines and cabooses take center stage during the holiday season.

The New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show is always one of our must-do Christmas events in NYC, with electric model trains whizzing by nearly 200 NYC landmarks made out of acorns, twigs, bark, berries, leaves, and other botanical bits and pieces. My family and I make it a point to go every year—it's truly a quintessential New York holiday experience. There's a reason it's No. 43 on our list of the top 100 things to do with kids in NYC.

But, the big NYBG holiday train show isn't the only holiday train show in town. Read on for more details on all the Christmas train shows the city has to offer this season, including the return of the beloved New York Transit Museum's Holiday Train Show for the first time since 2019. And, for an extra special holiday treat, take the kids on a full-size Christmas train ride with these nearby Polar Express and Santa trains.

Getting bombarded by Black Friday, early Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Cyber Week, etc deals. It’s fantastic that all these sales are taking place, so parents can save money on all the toys and gear we want to get our kids for the holidays.

What’s not so great? Spending time away from your family to scroll through pages and pages of deals, trying to find ones that are really worth it, actual money savers, truly great & useful products. So we did it for you! From Barbie’s Dream House to Nintendo Switch to stunning wooden indoor/outdoor playhouses, we’ve rounded up the best Black Friday deals for kids.

For more holiday ideas, from gifts for all ages to affordable stocking stuffers, we've got a fabulous NEW Gift Guide.

Lincoln Square is a historically-German Chicago neighborhood at the Western stop of the Brown Line. This fun neighborhood is anchored by Giddings Plaza, a pedestrian plaza with a historic-looking fountain just east of Lincoln Avenue between Leland and Lawrence. Its location just off the L and with narrow streets makes it a pedestrian-friendly location with lots of unique shops and restaurants for families to explore.

Many families come to Lincoln Square for its street festivals or for a concert at The Old Town School of Folk Music, which is not actually located in Old Town. But there's plenty to do, see, hear, and eat even after those events are over. Here are some great things to do with kids in the Lincoln Square neighborhood.

If you want to venture to other great Chicago neighborhoods, check out our list of 100 Best Things To Do in Chicago with Kids. 

Step into The Secret World of Elephants courtesy of a brand-new exhibit now open at the American Museum of Natural History.

The sprawling exhibition dedicated to the world's largest land mammal is filled with life-sized models—some surprisingly pint-sized—interactive displays, and touchpoints aimed at teaching the public about these incredible animals and their evolutionary relatives.

Read on for a sneak peek at this exhibition and find more fun museum exhibits to explore with kids in our NYC Kids Guide to Museums and Galleries.