The Johnston Brief
When the temperature drops and the calendar hits December, central Iowa lights up. Johnston's neighborhoods put on a show of their own, and two of the metro's biggest light displays are a short drive away. Here's where to go, whether you want to stay in the warm car or bundle up and walk.
Johnston doesn't have one famous light street, but plenty of neighborhoods decorate every December, free to drive past. For the big shows, Jolly Holiday Lights is a drive-through at the Iowa State Fairgrounds (and it supports Make-A-Wish Iowa), about 20 to 25 minutes southeast, and Reiman Gardens in Ames does a ticketed walk-through with more than 150,000 lights, about 35 minutes north.
Johnston doesn't have a single street it's famous for, the way some metro towns do, but plenty of its neighborhoods go all out. A slow evening loop through the subdivisions off NW 62nd Avenue, Merle Hay Road, and the newer developments turns up plenty of over-the-top houses in December. Bring cocoa and make it the whole outing.
If your street or a neighbor's display deserves a shout-out, we round up reader favorites in the Brief each December, so send them our way.
Jolly Holiday Lights transforms the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines into a drive-through of tunnels, arches, and animated scenes, about a 20 to 25 minute drive southeast from Johnston. It's a central Iowa tradition going back more than 20 years, and here's the best part: ticket sales benefit Make-A-Wish Iowa, so your night out helps grant wishes for local kids.
You stay in your car the whole time, which makes it the easy pick with little kids or on a bitter-cold night. It typically opens in late November and runs through early January, in the evenings. Dates, hours, and the per-car price change year to year, so confirm the current season at jollyholiday-lights.com before you go.
If you'd rather stroll than drive, Reiman Gardens in Ames, about 35 minutes north up I-35, runs Winter Wonderscape, a walk-through with more than 150,000 lights strung across its 17 acres of gardens. It's ticketed, it's outdoors, and it's genuinely beautiful. Dress warm, and check current dates and admission before you make the trip.
Lights pair with dinner and something warm. Grab a bite first from our best restaurants list, warm up with a cocoa or coffee, then cruise the neighborhoods on the way home. For more cold-weather ideas, see our winter in Johnston guide and the family-friendly holiday events and trick-or-treat rundown. Doing a real tree this year? The choose-and-cut Christmas tree farms near Johnston are in that guide too.
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Johnston neighborhoods light up through December, so a slow evening drive turns up plenty of decorated homes. For bigger displays, the Jolly Holiday Lights drive-through at the Iowa State Fairgrounds is about 20 to 25 minutes southeast, and the Reiman Gardens Winter Wonderscape walk-through in Ames is about 35 minutes north.
Jolly Holiday Lights turns the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines into a drive-through light display, about a 20 to 25 minute drive from Johnston. It has run for more than 20 years and its ticket sales support Make-A-Wish Iowa. It typically opens in late November and runs through early January, in the evenings. Confirm the current dates, hours, and per-car price at jollyholiday-lights.com.
Yes. Reiman Gardens in Ames, about 35 minutes north, runs Winter Wonderscape, a ticketed walk-through with more than 150,000 lights across its 17 acres of gardens. Bundle up, it is outdoors, and check current dates and admission before you go.
Most displays open around Thanksgiving weekend in late November and run through early January. Neighborhood displays come alive in December. Because dates shift each year, confirm the current-season schedule for any display before you head out.