I’m from Buffalo Grove, and growing up, my family always made it a point to go see the Christmas lights in our surrounding neighborhoods! Driving around looking at all the incredibly gorgeous decorated houses was truly my favorite thing to do after a fun Sunday night dinner out with my fam. And I really never stopped doing this, whether I was home on winter break from college to being a married newlywed, this was a tradition that stuck!!

Fast forward a few years and I am still doing it!! And now it’s better than ever because my husband and I take the kids! Seeing the lights through their eyes is basically the best thing ever! As I mentioned in my post about my family’s Hanukkah traditions, for the past few years, we’ve gotten in our PJ’s on a random weeknight, settled ourselves in the car, gone through the Starbucks drive-thru, ordered hot chocolate for the kids {served warm!!}, and then drove around in the pitch black night to see all the houses with the best Christmas lights and decorations on the North Shore. It’s literally SO FUN!

Since a few of you have asked me where to go to see the best lights in the in the North Shore, I figured I just HAD to write a blog post on the topic. Without further ado, check out where to see the best Christmas lights in our area below! Listed in no particular order, my recommendation is to create a good route for your family, depending on where you live or where you’re starting from. This also doesn’t have to be done in one night, split it up into 2 or 3 fun outings!! Ok, here’s my list!

Christmas-lit houses with Lights That sync up to the radio:

These are my absolute favorite kinds of light shows to take the kids too! So fun and magical!

• Christmas on Cleveland in Wilmette, IL.
  Address: 1200 Cleveland Street // Syncs up to channel 101.5 FM on your radio!
• Christmas on Evergreen in Winnetka, IL
  Address: 145 Evergreen Lane // Syncs up to channel 98.9 FM

Neighborhoods with Great Lights:

• LINCOLNWOOD, IL: Between the Edens Expressway and Central Avenue (east to west) and Pratt and Ionia Avenues (north to south), is the neighborhood known for having the most amazing Christmas lights! When I was younger, we drove by every year, and we continue to do so. But, I will say that while it’s still cute, it’s not as grand as it once was. PRO TIP: Type in these cross streets into your Waze or Google Maps app to find the area: Pratt Ave and Laporte Ave in Lincolnwood.
• LIBERTYVILLE, IL.: One of my followers told me about this neighborhood light show on Golf Road and Dymond Road! I did some research and it turns out that all the houses are lined with milk carton luminaries. Apparently it’s GORGEOUS! Adding this to my list of places to visit next year!

Honorable Mentions:

These are not houses or neighborhoods, but nonetheless, they are still breathtakingly gorgeous and fun for the whole family!!

• The Botanic Gardens Lightscape Event in Glencoe, IL.: Take a walk through the garden at night and gasp in the beautiful light displays!! There’s a sparkling tunnel, you can twirl around ribbons of light {which I’m doing in the pic above!!!}, sip on hot chocolate, walk through singing trees, and more! It’s awesome!!!! To see all the fun that my family had at this event, go watch my Instagram highlights showcasing our time there! {click on “Events in the Chi Burbs”}
• Santas Rock ‘N Lights in Grayslake, IL.: I haven’t been but I hear it’s incredible! While this is technically a light show that syncs up to radio music, it’s not an actual house + it’s further away from the North Shore. Thus, why I’m giving it an honorable mention, ha! It’s a drive-thru light show experience where each vehicle needs a ticket. It’s another one that I’m putting on my list for next year!!

In the comments, let me know if you know of anywhere else nearby that’s great. I obviously don’t know where alllll the best Christmas lights are located! The places I listed are just our go-tos or ones that I’ve heard are awesome from other people!!

Please share this post with your local North Shore mom friends using the pink email icon below and PIN it, too! Also, I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram for more good local stuff + all the mom tips! Merry Christmas and Happy holidays!! Xox