Residents of Stanislaus County and surrounding areas have a variety of holiday events to choose from this winter, with many options available within a two-hour drive. The region’s central location offers easy access to festive activities in the Bay Area, Sacramento, and nearby mountain communities.
In San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, visitors can walk a one-mile illuminated trail featuring sculptures, water features, and over one million lights. The event runs nightly through January 4 and costs between $20 and $48. In Walnut Creek, the Ruth Bancroft Garden showcases succulents and foliage lit by thousands of lights and lasers most Wednesdays to Sundays through January 11 for $16 to $29.
Filoli House and Garden in Woodside offers lighted tunnels and trails across its 16-acre grounds. Attendees can enjoy seasonal treats or visit themed experiences such as Gilded or Thistlewyck. The event is open daily through January 11 with tickets ranging from $29 to $55.
Vasona County Park in Los Gatos hosts its annual Fantasy of Lights with both walk-through (December 6-7) and drive-through (December 9-30) options. Displays include an erupting volcano and a 90-foot Christmas tree; admission ranges from $8 to $100.
At the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, cars can drive through light tunnels as part of Christmas in the Park, which celebrates its 45th year. This event runs daily through December 31 at a cost of $25 to $40 per vehicle.
Sacramento’s Cal Expo presents Northern California’s largest holiday light festival with more than 15 million lights, an ice-skating rink, carnival rides, performances, and nightly visits from Santa Claus. The theme this year is “Utopia: A Perfect World of Light, Joy and Imagination.” Admission is priced between $15 and $36; additional fees apply for certain attractions.
Other notable events include train excursions such as the Holiday Lights Train departing from Santa Cruz Boardwalk (December 6-7 and December 13-23), where passengers enjoy decorated views along the route with tickets costing between $38 and $74.15. In Old Town Sacramento, guests can experience “The Polar Express” story on board a themed train ride starting at $80 per package until December 21.
Railtown State Historic Park in Jamestown also offers a Polar Express-themed ride Fridays through Sundays until December 21 for $85 per ticket. Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad provides a Holiday Magic Train experience among Yosemite trees through January 4 with prices ranging from $29 to $159.
Glowfari at Oakland Zoo features festive lighting displays accompanied by music; it runs daily through January 25 with admission set between $31.25 and $44.75.
Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s IllumiNature showcases animal-shaped light displays themed around Christmas and New Year celebrations on select dates in December and January for ticket prices ranging from $17 to $25.
