10 Things to Do in St Louis at Christmas

Saint Louis loves Christmas as one of the most important holidays. From light displays to magical tours, see what the city has in store for you.

Andressa García

Andressa García

10 min read

10 Things to Do in St Louis at Christmas

St. Louis Lights | Kenny Nguyễn

If you are planning to visit San Luis for the holiday season, first I encourage you to consider my recommendations for the best things to see and do in San Luis this season. Among the must-do activities on your itinerary, you have to include a visit to the city lights, you'll love them.

Other great things to see and do are to attend the Nutcracker performances and also leave time to visit magical places that only operate at Christmas time, such as Santa's Magic Kingdom and even if you have the time to do so, I recommend taking a magical tour of the city.

1. City centre light show

Christmas lights in Glen Carbon| ©Jason Vines
Christmas lights in Glen Carbon| ©Jason Vines

Every neighbourhood in Saint Louis becomes fully illuminated to celebrate Christmas. Especially in the city centre you'll see light shows everywhere you look. You can enjoy the light show both on the opening day and the rest of the nights when the lights are turned on.

The lights take over houses and buildings, in a scene where you can not only enjoy the decorations, but also sometimes they offer a fireworks display during the Christmas lights switch-on. It's a real treat, especially for the kids, but if you're going with your partner, this is the perfect romantic plan.

Some of the most beautiful places to visit at Christmas time are [Candy Cane Lanelink](https|url=https://www.yelp.com/biz/candy-cane-lane-saint-louis, el Condado de St. Charles, ){target="_blank" rel="noopener"}://www.overlandmo.org/::::, Glen Carbon or South St. Louis. You can also visit downtown in the morning on a guided tour.

Details of interest

  • Price: It's priceless to enjoy the Christmas lighting in the city centre, nor is it priceless to take the tour of the town.
  • Location: In the city centre and some surrounding neighbourhoods you can enjoy the Christmas lights.
  • Dates: Generally available between the second week of November and the second week of January.
  • Hours: I recommend visiting this area from early evening, from 17:00 to 23:00.

Book a tour of downtown Saint Louis

2. Christmas Lights at the Missouri Botanical Garden

The Glowing Garden in St. Louis| ©Matthew
The Glowing Garden in St. Louis| ©Matthew

This is one of the best Christmas displays you'll find in the city of St. Louis. This is the Garden Glow, an event quite apart from the regular park admission and activities offered throughout the year. At the Garden Glow you will have to pay admission to enjoy the lights and the show, but it is well worth it.

The Missouri Botanical Garden 's annual exhibit features thousands of LED lights that illuminate the space as well as an extensive display of gardens from around the world, fully illuminated. The interesting thing about this exhibit is that it does not focus on just one area of the park, but rather spreads throughout the entire park.

Interesting details

  • Price: Prices range between 18 and 20 euros per person for people over 13 years of age. For children under that age, admission usually costs between 3 and 10 euros per person.
  • Location: The park is specifically located at 4344 Shaw Blvd in St. Louis in Missouri.
  • Dates: Generally open from the second week of November to the first week of January.
  • Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday between 17:00 and 21:30.

3. St. Louis Christmas Magic Tour

Christmas in St. Louis| ©Gateway Arch Park Foundation
Christmas in St. Louis| ©Gateway Arch Park Foundation

This is a truly magical tour, which takes you all over the city of St. Louis to see all the best decorated places in the city. One of the things you' ll love about this tour is that you'll have the company of a tour guide who won't just focus on showing you some of the most beautiful places at Christmas time.

You will also have the opportunity to learn about some of the most magical Christmas stories, myths and legends of the most beautiful time of the year. Besides, you will taste some of the most traditional flavours in San Luis during the Christmas season. It's a great tour to include among the best things to do in San Luis with kids.

Details of interest

  • Price: You can find a tour like this for around 146 euros per person.
  • Location: Generally the departure point of this tour is coordinated together with the tour leader. And the tour takes place all over the city, trying to cover the most illuminated places.
  • Dates: It is ideal to do it during the month of December, when all the places are illuminated.
  • Time: This tour is usually done at night.

4. San Luis Zoo Christmas Exhibition

Christmas Lights at the St. Louis Zoo| ©Dave Clark
Christmas Lights at the St. Louis Zoo| ©Dave Clark

The Zoo 's exhibit is called the Wild Exhibit and is an all-encompassing Christmas lights and decorations experience. One of the great things about this show is that, as well as offering a high quality light show, it is also free to enter, making it a great option for the whole family.

You can go in the morning to enjoy the animals in areas that resemble their natural habitats. Then, in the evening you can go to enjoy the best Christmas shows and the huge animal figures illuminated with LED lights. These shows are sometimes themed and vary from season to season.

Details of interest

  • Price: Admission is free for all ages. For parking you can pay around 15 euros per car.
  • Location: The zoo is located at One Government Drive in St. Louis.
  • Dates: Generally this light show is active from the second week of November until the last week of December.
  • Hours: The hours for this type of show are from 17:00 to 20:30.

5. Brewery Lights

Brewery| ©Amie Johnson
Brewery| ©Amie Johnson

This is a good tour to do at Christmas in St. Louis, especially at night, because the Anheuser Brewery not only floods the place with Christmas lights typical of the season, but they also offer different tours around the factory, and offer Christmas tastings.

Another detail I should mention is that there is a Christmas express train inside the brewery, where children and adults can take a magical ride to see the Christmas decorations. It is one of the best tours to do at night because you will have the opportunity to get to know how the beer is brewed, and at the same time you will be able to take many pictures of the different decorations.

Interesting details

  • Price: You can pay between 15 and 30 euros for the Christmas tour of the brewery premises.
  • Location: The brewery is located south of Saint Louis in Missouri.
  • Dates: Most tours are available from the second week of November through December 30.
  • Hours: Light tours are available between 17:00 and 22:00 every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

6. Nutcracker performance by the Saint Louis Ballet

Ballet in St. Louis| ©Michael Afonso
Ballet in St. Louis| ©Michael Afonso

One of the most special things to do in St. Louis at Christmas time is undoubtedly going to see performances of The Nutcracker. The Nutcracker is a work that has already become very popular with the public because it is so traditional during the Christmas season. The Saint Louis Ballet gives an excellent performance of Tchaikovsky's original work, so going to one of them is a must-do in the city at Christmas time.

It's a good show for young and old, not so interesting for young children, so I recommend you put it on your list if you're travelling with friends or your partner. If you are travelling with your family that includes children over 7 years old, it is a good opportunity to show them a bit of Christmas magic through this play.

Details of interest

  • Price: The price of tickets to see the show can vary between 35 and 85 euros per person, depending on the place you choose to enjoy the show.
  • Location: Performances of this play are usually presented at the Touhill Performing Arts Centre which is located at One Touhill Circle. They also take place at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center at 210 East Monroe Avenue.
  • Dates: This show is usually available for a full month, from the third week of November through December 23.
  • Times: Show times may vary depending on the venue, but generally occur in the late afternoon and early evening.

7. Belleville Trail of Lights

Lights in Belleville| ©Jason Vines
Lights in Belleville| ©Jason Vines

From puppet shows to carriage rides, this is part of what you can enjoy on the Belleville Light Trail. It's a trail of thousands of lights that tells the story of the birth of Jesus in detail, so it's well worth a visit with children, not only to enjoy the spectacle, but also to learn about the story of Jesus.

Inside the place there is a large display of Christmas trees, and you can't miss the camel rides to make you feel like a real Wise Man. This is one of the most beautiful experiences in Saint Louis at Christmas time because not only will you be able to enjoy the birth of the child, but also the different Christmas traditions.

Interesting details

  • Price: It's free to enter this place, so anyone can enter without paying. But you can make some kind of donation if you want to.
  • Location: This large Christmas display is specifically located at Our Lady of the Snows Shrine, Belleville.
  • Dates: Generally available from the second week of November to the first week of January.
  • Hours: The light path is open from 17:00 to 21:00 each day. It closes for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

8. Winter Celebration at the Museum of Art

Museum of Art| ©Ted Engler
Museum of Art| ©Ted Engler

Every Christmas the Saint Louis Museum of Art puts on great shows to celebrate Christmas culture and traditions. It's one of the best things to do in Saint Louis in winter, especially for tourists in the city, because it's a good opportunity to learn about the origins of many of the Christmas traditions.

Of course, there are also various art exhibitions, musical performances and live workshops that aim to recreate the most important and interesting traditions of Christmas. It lasts a week and is one of the best activities to do at Christmas with children.

Interesting details

  • Price: Admission to this type of workshop is free for all audiences.
  • Location: The museum is located in the Fine Arts Unit, Forest Park, St. Louis.
  • Dates: This activity is available for participation from the second week of November through the first week of January.
  • Hours: Generally these types of workshops are available to the public to run from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Sunday. On Fridays the museum is open from 10:00 to 21:00. It is closed on Mondays.

9. Santa's Magic Kingdom at Jellystone Park

Jellystone Park| ©Campjellystone.com
Jellystone Park| ©Campjellystone.com

Over four million LED lights converge at Jellystone Park, which becomes a magical place where you can also enjoy a host of attractions. It's an incredibly Christmassy experience where you can climb into a train carriage, st roll around the many decorations that fill the park and take souvenirs from Santa's shop.

This is one of the best things to do in St. Louis with kids because they can write a letter to Santa and appreciate a world of fantasy as they travel through the vastness of the park. It is preferable to visit this attraction on weekdays during the month of December, which are the least crowded days of the season.

Details of interest

  • Price: To enter Santa's Magic Kingdom you will have to pay between 30 and 45 euros per car. The price variation depends on the capacity of each car.
  • Location: Santa's Magic Kingdom is set up each year off I-44, just 10 minutes west of I-270, at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Resort.
  • Dates: The traditional park is open from the third week of November through the second week of January.
  • Hours: Generally available from 17:30 to 23:00 on Friday and Saturday. From Sunday to Thursday the opening hours are from 17:30 to 22:30.

10. Winter Wonderland in Tilles Park

Winter Wonderland| ©Winterwonderlandstl.com
Winter Wonderland| ©Winterwonderlandstl.com

One of the most fun attractions to see at Christmas in St Louis, this is a park where you can see lots of lights illuminating the place. During your visit you can also take a horse and carriage ride, and you can even take a private carriage ride if you want to do it that way.

One thing you should be aware of on this ride is that not every night that the display is open, you can enjoy the ride in a carriage, carriage, on horseback or on foot. According to the itinerary available on the website, you will be able to find out which days and in which way you will be able to do the tour.

Interesting details

  • Price: Prices vary according to the way you are going to visit this place. If you visit on foot, tickets can cost around 8 euros. If you go by car you can pay between 15 and 135 euros per vehicle, depending on the number of passengers. By carriage you can pay between 110 and 160 euros per carriage, or if you want to go individually, you can pay around 17 euros per person.
  • Location: Located at 9551 Litzsinger Rd in St. Louis.
  • Dates: The park is open from the second week of November until the last week of December.
  • Hours: The park is open from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday to Friday.