During the holiday season, one of my family's favorite activities is to drive around Hendricks County, Indiana, to look at Christmas lights. Over the years, we've figured out where some of the best holiday light displays are located throughout the area.

I'll do my best to put this list in an order that makes some degree of sense if you're out for an evening of holiday light viewing and want to see all of these displays. Just jump into the list wherever it makes most sense for you, based on where you're visiting Hendricks County from, and you should be able to go through the list in order with minimal back-tracking.

For the sake of this post, I'm going to start in Danville, Indiana.

1. Historic Hendricks County Courthouse Square 

Danville's Christmas on the Square, photo courtesy of Downtown Danville Indiana's Facebook page

The Town of Danville will soon fire up a canopy of white lights over the historic Hendricks County Courthouse Square

The town Christmas tree will also be lit up there beginning with Christmas on the Square on Nov. 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. Join Santa Claus for a winter wonderland with all the trimmings, including beautifully-decorated shop windows, activities for kids, a live nativity and caroling.

The Christmas season officially kicks off as Santa flips a giant switch and lights the sparkling tree and block-wide canopy of lights at 6 p.m. This free, family-friendly evening filled with holiday cheer is the perfect way to usher in your Christmas season.

Then all through the season, lights hang from street lamp poles and many of the businesses in downtown Danville will decorate their store windows. It makes for a wonderful atmosphere while you shop, dine or catch a movie.

2. Winterland Holiday Light Show 

Winterland Holiday Light Show at Ellis Park in Danville. (Photo by Greg VanLaere)

From Nov. 17 through Dec. 27, the mother of all holiday light shows in Hendricks County opens at Ellis Park in Danville.

The Winterland Holiday Light Show provides a great stop for your evening of holiday lights.

Winterland features more than a million lights, a 30-foot-tall lit Christmas tree synchronized to music that you can listen to on your car radio and a fun photo opportunity.

Santa Claus is also at the Train Station in Ellis Park on the weekends. Take as many laps around Ellis Park as you want once you gain admission.

  • Drive-through
  • $10 per vehicle on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays; $5 per vehicle on Mondays through Thursdays
  • Open daily from 6 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
  • Facebook page

3. Avon Town Hall Park 

Avon Tree Lighting 2023

Families can stop by Avon Town Hall Park at 6570 E. U.S. Highway 36 in Avon on Dec. 2 from 4 to 6 p.m. for the Town of Avon Tree Lighting, which features a new 34-foot-tall tree, model trains, entertainment, arts and crafts for kids, food trucks, visits with Santa and of course the lighting of the tree at 6 p.m.

Then enjoy the town Christmas Tree and additional decorations nightly throughout the holiday season.

  • Park and look
  • Free
  • Open daily after dark

4. Woodcreek Farms

Holiday lights at Woodcreek Farms 

Walnut Creek Crossing in the Woodcreek Farms neighborhood in Avon, Indiana, features a coordinated neighborhood effort to light up the whole street for the holidays. 

Both sides of the street explode with holiday cheer from all the lights and decorations these Hendricks County residents put up every year.

  • Drive-through
  • Free
  • Open daily after dark

5. Lights on Lancaster 

Lights on Lancaster in Avon. (Photo by Lights on Lancaster Facebook page)

After taking a couple of years off recently, one of my favorite light displays in Hendricks County is back! Lights on Lancaster, a private residence at 7188 Lancaster Lane in Avon, features a huge computer-controlled animated holiday light show.

The really fun part of this display is that you can get on their website and vote for what song is played next! You don't have to wade through songs that you don't like -- simply upvote your favorite tune to see it coordinated with lights!

The homeowners have also been known to wander out to vehicles and offer candy canes to families enjoying the show.

6. The Shops at Perry Crossing 

Christmas at The Shops at Perry Crossing (source: Facebook)

Make a point to head out to The Shops at Perry Crossing, a big outdoor shopping mall in Plainfield at 2499 Perry Crossing Way, to experience their winter wonderland of lights!

The outdoor mall displays a huge tree lit up in the Town Square area, right in front of the movie theater, all season. They also have Reindeer Days from 1-3 p.m. every Saturday through Christmas and will begin Photos with Santa beginning this Friday, Nov. 24 throughout the holiday season.

Not only can you see some holiday lights and enjoy visiting a reindeer and Santa, you can also grab a bite to eat, see a movie and get some holiday gift shopping done while you're there.

7. Trees of Plainfield 

Trees of Plainfield 2023

The Town of Plainfield presents its annual Trees of Plainfield event on Fridays and Saturdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Nov. 25 through Dec. 23 at the Al & Jan Barker Sports Complex.

This will be like no other Christmas display in Plainfield! Enjoy cookies with Mrs. Claus, selfies with The Grinch, hot cocoa, s'mores and much more.

Admission is $8 per person. Kids 11 and under are free.

Purchase your tickets now for the date you would like to attend Trees of Plainfield. Pre-registration is encouraged. Once you are at the event, please feel free to enjoy the event for as long as you'd like! Click here to purchase your tickets!

  • Park and look
  • Fridays and Saturdays, 6:30 to 9 p.m., Nov. 25 - Dec. 23
  • $8/person; kids 11 and under are free
  • Website

8. Town of Brownsburg 

Brownsburg Town Hall. (Photo by Town of Brownsburg on Facebook)

There are a couple of good places to look for holiday lights that are put up by the Town of Brownsburg, and they're really close to each other, so I'll just combine them into one entry on my list.

Brownsburg Town Hall, 61 N. Green St. in Brownsburg, is where the Town will hold its Tree Lighting Ceremony on Dec. 2, right after the Christmas Under the Stars parade.

Town Hall then remains decorated with a light show synchronized to music throughout the holiday season.

Right up the street, Arbuckle Acres Park in Brownsburg is another spot to find some nice Christmas lights.

  • Park and look
  • Free
  • Open daily after dark

9. Christmas of Lights 

Christmas of Lights in Brownsburg. (Photo by Christmas of Lights on Facebook)

This private residence located at 5990 N. County Road 550 East in Pittsboro will have a whole slew of Christmas lights up that are computer-controlled and synchronized to holiday music.

As with Lights on Lancaster, visitors to Christmas of Lights can get on their website and control which Christmas song and light show plays next.

  • Park and look
  • Free
  • Open from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday
  • Website
  • Facebook page

10. Kaufmann Family Home 

Since 2013, the Kaufmann family has offered a holiday light show on their home, located at 5185 N. County Road 600 East in Brownsburg, that is synchronized to classic Christmas music. Follow the signs down their long driveway, park in a large flat open area, and tune your radio to 98.1 FM to hear the music to which the lights are synchronized.

Freewill donations are accepted, which the Kaufmann family then donates to Habitat for Humanity of Boone County.

  • Park and look
  • Free; freewill donations accepted to benefit Habitat for Humanity
  • Open daily after dark

This was not intended to be a comprehensive list. If I missed a display, feel free to list it in the comments section below.

Make plans to get out there and enjoy this holiday season!