West Seattle Lights
Each year after Thanksgiving, a simple house in West Seattle becomes anything but simple. Jim Winder, a friend of the homeowners, transforms this neighborhood home into a music-synched extravaganza of Christmas lights. The tradition started in 2009, and Winder has had plenty of time to perfect his display. West Seattle Lights incorporates 32,609 lights, 5,000 feet of extension cords, and 5,000 zip-ties to Christmas-ize the house. You can see a preview above, recorded by the West Seattle Blog.
Note: When you visit, tune into 101.9 FM on your car’s radio for the full audio-visual experience!
3908 S.W. Charlestown in West Seattle
Nov. 23–Dec. 31
Sunday–Thursday: 5–9 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 5–10 p.m.
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, & New Years Eve: 5 p.m.–Midnight
Menashe Family Lights
The Menashe Family decorates their house with hundreds of thousands of lights, a miniature train and Christmas village, candy cane streetlights, and inflatable Holiday characters. Animated animals and visits from Mr. and Mrs. Claus round things out and make this West Seattle home a full Holiday lights experience.
5605 Beach Dr. SW in West Seattle
Check the West Seattle Blog for visiting hours.
Wildlights
Seattle’s beloved zoo + Holiday lights tradition continues! You’ll find indoor snowball fights in the Snowmazium, photos with Santa, and 600,000 lights arranged in all sorts of animal-themed displays. The outdoor animal exhibits are closed during Wildlights hours, but you can still see the animals in select indoor exhibits. Check the zoo’s website for special theme nights, like Super Hero Night (Dec. 2) and Star Wars Night (Dec 12). For moms and dads, there’s a Winter Warm Up with beer, wine, mulled wine and spiced hot cider.
Woodland Park Zoo by Green Lake
Nov. 24– Jan. 1, 5:30–8:30 p.m.
Closed Dec. 24 and 25
Candy Cane Lane
Elaborate Holiday decorations come with the territory when you live on Seattle’s Candy Cane Lane. These 23 houses have attracted Christmas sightseers since 1949. You’ll see finely crafted displays of sleighs, reindeer, blow up figures, mechanical decorations, and, of course—traffic back-ups. This is one you might want to walk through.
N.E. Park Rd in Ravenna
Dec. 3–Jan. 1, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Olympic Manor
Venture north of Ballard to find midcentury architecture, lots of holiday spirit, and huge crowds admiring the annual holiday light display in the Olympic Manor neighborhood. Drive carefully, or park and walk for a colder but more intimate experience.
NW 85th St. and 23rd Ave. NW north of Ballard
Nov. 24–Dec. 31, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Kerry Park Houses
I always love driving by Queen Anne’s picturesque, historic homes any time of year, but around the Holidays, the homeowners make the experience magical. It seems like almost every home puts on a spectacularly sparkly show. You can top off your Christmas sightseeing with a stop at the Kerry Park Viewpoint for a panoramic view of the cityscape, complete with the Christmas tree topping our beloved Space Needle.
Highland Dr. in Queen Anne
24–Dec. 31, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.