🌻Things To Do in Jersey 11/28-11/30

Thanksgiving weekend, how did we get here so quick? 🦃🍽🥧🏈

This year I am thankful for so much - even through all the struggles and craziness of the world - I have found so much to be grateful for. I hope each of you have an amazing Thanksgiving and enjoy the time with family and friends.

Now let’s kick off the holiday season right! I mentioned last week that I have been hard at work on the website and released 2 new features, this week - I am announcing my 3rd improvement - the holiday light guide!

Wander Jersey Holiday Light Guide 🎄

Although my daughter is an adult now (YIKES) - I remember the struggles of trying to find residential houses to enjoy. Googling, Facebook groups - yes they are all great, but there is no organization to them!

I created what I hope will become the best resource for finding ALL kinds of Christmas light displays - including residential.

Head on over to the Christmas Light Guide and explore the options including:

• Free residential light show listings

• Link to find paid commercial light events including walk-through, train rides, hayrides etc.

• Link to find paid drive-thru light events

• Interactive Google map for easy directions while you are on the road with colored map markers to show counties and black markers to show paid options.

This was done manually and took many hours. I researched every listing to try and ensure were happening in 2025. If you get to one on the list and there are no lights - please let me know! Over the next week I will be updating it daily!

If you have a Christmas light show - or know of one I have missed, please feel free to submit it here. Please share the page if you think it can help others.

I was going to do a PDF version as well but wanted to see if there was interest before I spend the time creating it. Please take the poll below.

If there is enough interest I will have it ready for the next newsletter.

Weekend Weather Forecast

Weather data is from weather.gov. Thanksgiving Day is looking pretty good with a high of 48 and mostly sunny. Perfect for tossing that football and going for a family walk!

• Friday: mostly sunny high near 48 ☀️

• Saturday: partly sunny high near 33 🌤️

• Sunday: chance of snow showers, partly sunny high near 29 🌦️

Atlantic County

Christmas Fantasy with Lights

11/15/2025 - 12/31/2025
Storybook Land, Egg Harbor Township
$38.99, under 2 free

Each operating night Santa Claus arrives at dusk waving his magic wand to light up Storybook Land with over 1 millions lights! This South Jersey spectacle has been a family tradition for almost 40 years. Along with being featured on ABC's Great Christmas Light Fight, Storybook Land was honored as #10 in USA Today's Top Ten Theme Park Holiday Events in 2023.

Season pass holders do not need to purchase an additional ticket. Price includes all rides and attractions, light show and visit with Santa. Visit Event Website →

DiDonato’s Magical Holiday Express

11/15/2025 - 12/23/2025  · Varies
DiDonato Fun Center, Hammonton
$23-$27, under 1 free

DiDonato’s Magical Holiday Express is a holiday event where visitors can enjoy a festive train ride through millions of Christmas lights. The event also features enchanting holiday displays, a visit with Santa, and delicious holiday treats. Visit Event Website →

Historic Smithville Holiday Light Show

11/27/2025 - 01/06/2026  · Varies
Historic Smithville, Smithville
Free

The Historic Smithville Holiday Light Show is a dazzling display of festive lights that illuminate the quaint, historic village. Visitors can enjoy a magical evening stroll, taking in the spectacular light arrangements and the holiday spirit. Visit Event Website →

Dickens Fest

11/29/2025 - 11/30/2025
Historic Smithville, Smithville
Free

Riddlesbrood Touring Theatre Company presents their two-day outdoor “Dickens Fest” featuring an original, musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol”. Visit Event Website →

Bergen County

Thanksgiving Craft Show

11/30/2025
Paramus High School, Paramus

Over 140 exhibitors. Visit Event Website →

Orchard of Lights

11/22/2025 - 12/30/2025
Demarest Farms, Hillsdale
$35 per car

Take a guided tour through 32 acres of brilliant holiday light displays by car,. When you are done you can warm up by the fire pit and enjoy hot cocoa and treats in our retail farm market. Take pictures with Santa, make your own S’mores and take a few moments to enjoy the sounds of Santa’s singing Reindeer. Visit Event Website →

Burlington County

Harvest Christmas Memories

11/21/2025 - 12/22/2025  · Varies
Johnson's Corner Farm, Medford

A fun-filled day with so many activities kids of all ages will enjoy. The Christmas Musical Light Show Hayride offers a trip around the farm to see the twinkling lights with your favorite holiday music. There will be fire pits for s'mores, animals to visit, a light show on the lake and so much more. Visit Event Website →

Camden County

Holiday Light Show at Diggerland

11/21/2025 - 01/11/2026  · 5:30-9:30pm
Diggerland, West Berlin
$38 per car

Millions of lights, animated displays, tunnels of light, plenty of cool machines lit up and more. Don't forget to tune that radio to our holiday music channel and grab a hot chocolate at our concession stand for the ride. Visit Event Website →

Tinsel Turnpike Christmas Light Show

11/28/2025 - 01/04/2026  · Varies
Washington Twsp.
$45+ per car

What started as a house called "Deptford Dazzling Lights" is now Tinsel Turnpike from Glow! This event features a dazzling drive-thru adventure that takes visitors on a mile-long holiday adventure. Each section of the Turnpike glows with 8,847,360 animated lights, all perfectly synchronized to holiday music you can tune into on your car radio, creating an unforgettable experience that surrounds you in the spirit of the season.

Join us this holiday season on Tinsel Turnpike, where every mile is filled with wonder, joy, and glowing Christmas memories your family will treasure forever. Visit Event Website →

USS Battleship Ghost Hunt

11/29/2025  · 8pm-2am
USS New Jersey, Camden
$129

Go aboard the USS New Jersey, America’s most decorated battleship and paranormal hotspot, where the spirits of sailors lost in tragic accidents continue their eternal watch.

Experience a night of ghost hunting in the same steel corridors where unexplained apparitions, disembodied voices, and mysterious shadow figures have been encountered by staff and visitors alike. Visit Event Website →

Essex County

Holiday Lights at Turtle Back Zoo

11/21/2025 - 11/23/2025  · 5-9pm
Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange
Free

Experience the magic of the holidays at the Holiday Lights Spectacular at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ. This enchanting event features thousands of twinkling lights and festive displays, transforming the zoo into a winter wonderland.

• Santa will be available for pictures.

• Watch and ice carver transform ice into a sculpture.

• Performance by princesses.

• Meet and greet with the Grinch.

• Carousel, farm, train and more....

Event is free, but please bring donations of food items, new toys or gently worn used coats. Visit Event Website →

Gloucester County

Creamy Acres Night of Lights

11/28/2025 - 12/27/2025  · 5:30-8pm
Creamy Acres Farm, Mullica Hill

Enjoy the light show from the comfort of your car. Drive- thru ticket price varies by date and are valid for up to an 8-passenger vehicle. No buses or limos permitted. Every vehicle MUST HAVE their own ticket reservation. Free parking for Inside Attractions is available after the light show. Or you can choose to sing along to familiar holiday music while snuggled up with your closest friends and loved ones on an open air, tractor drawn hayride through Creamy Acres Night of Lights Extravaganza. Visit Event Website →

Hunterdon County

Winter Village at Red Mill Museum

11/28/2025 - 11/30/2025  · 10am-6pm
Red Mill Museum Village, Clinton
$10, under 12 free

Five days of festive shopping in a heated outdoor market featuring 50+ local craft artisans, food trucks, and activities each day. Enjoy the Festival of Trees where you can stroll through the museum grounds decorated with beautifully adorned holiday trees and vote for your favorites. Dickens Days allows you to enjoy theatrical carolers, horse-drawn carriage rides, and Victorian-era charm in Downtown Clinton. Visit Event Website →

Middlesex County

Winter WonderLights

11/21/2025 - 12/28/2025  · 5:30-10pm
Middlesex County Fairgrounds, East Brunswick
$35+

Winter WonderLights, NJ’s largest animated holiday light show, returns Nov 21–Dec 28 at the Middlesex County Fairgrounds in East Brunswick! Drive through over 2 million dazzling lights synced to festive music on your car radio. Bring your pets, your holiday spirit, and your favorite people to enjoy tunnels, giant trees, and new displays. Open nightly 5:30–10pm, rain or shine—holiday magic for all ages!

Tickets cost $35 per car from Monday through Thursday, and $40 from Friday to Sunday. The cost increases to $45 for tickets from December 19 – 28. An Unlimited Season Pass is also available for just $100. Visit Event Website →

Monmouth County

U-Pick Tulips: Winter Wonderland

11/21/2025 - 01/04/2026
Holland Ridge Farms, Cream Ridge
$20-$30 per family

Holland Farms, while most known for their tulips, has created the ultimate holiday event! The farm features millions of twinkling lights with a special feature of 50,000 lights transformed into a field of tulips. Enjoy the windmill light and music show, drones on specific dates, disco nights and character meet and greets. A giant igloo snow pit is filled with 75,000 "snowballs" to engage kids big and small and of course food, hot chocolate, and so much more will be available to make it a true family friendly event. Visit Event Website →

Magic of Lights Drive Through

11/21/2025 - 01/03/2026  · 5pm-10pm
PNC Arts Center, Holmdel
$27 per car

Magic of Lights is a drive-through lights experience featuring favorite holiday scenes and characters of the season using the latest LED technology and digital animations. Experience the show from the comfort your own car, one carload, one price. Visit Event Website →

Old Fashioned Christmas on the Farm

11/28/2025 - 12/28/2025  · 4-8pm
Allaire Community Farm, Wall Twsp.
$12, under 18 $6

Fundraiser that supports the farm. Yuletide wagon rides, holiday displays, petting zoo, movies, model trains and so much more. Every Fri, Sat and Sun 11/28-12/28. Visit Event Website →

Christmas Wonderland at Maple Leaf Farms

11/28/2025 - 12/24/2025
Maple Leaf Farms, Manalapan
$5+

A full family event that gives all the Christmas vibes in a farm atmosphere with sweet treats. train rides, bonfire pits, vintage Christmas scenes, animatronic reindeer rides. Visit Event Website →

Kringle Cove + Long Branch Bazaar

11/28/2025 - 11/30/2025  · 12-5pm
The Whitechapel Projects, Long Branch
Free

The Kringle Cove bazaar features a variety of activities and opportunities to kick off the holiday cheer. This kick-off weekend delivers a variety of family friendly activities including shopping, DJ, workshops (fees + registration), decorations, s’mores and more. Visit Event Website →

Twin Lights Winterfest

11/29/2025  · 12-6:30pm
Twin Lights Historic Site, Highlands
Free

Twin Lights Winterfest 2025 feature activities like kids' crafts, hot chocolate, and the holiday lighting of the South Tower, which is scheduled for 6:00 PM. No pre-registration is required to attend.  Visit Event Website →

Super 70s Rock Show

11/29/2025  · 7:30-11:30pm
Stone Pony, Asbury Park
$45+

If you loved the Doobie Brothers, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, and Journey - this show is for you. Let's take it back to a decade of music that shaped so many lives with Super Trans Am and all the greatest hits of the 70s. Visit Event Website →

Salem County

Tractor Parade

11/29/2025
COOMBS Barnyard, Elmer
$10 per car

A Winter Tractor Parade along with a special visit from Santa Claus! Stay at the farm and enjoy some snacks and crafts for kids and adults. Bring a chair and/or blanket to enjoy the parade! Admission fee is $10 per carload. Visit Event Website →

Somerset County

Holiday Lights Hayride

11/28/2025 - 12/21/25
Norz Hill Farm, Hillsborough Twsp.
$15

Norz Hill Farm offers Hayride experiences complete with holiday lights, outdoor interactive displays, a spin by the animals, and perhaps a stop by Santa's cornfield office! Visit Event Website →

Warren County

Jingle on Main

11/29/2025
Blairstown

This holiday season, let’s shop local and support the small businesses that make our community special! Join us for Jingle on Main, a festive celebration filled with music, food, activities, shops and more. Visit Event Website →

Here are some cool upcoming events you might want to add to your calendar and get tickets for.

🎄 Augusta - German Christmas Market from 12/5-12/7

🎸 Asbury Park -Rock for Hunger on 12/26

🦖 Edison - Jurassic Quest 12/27-12/30

Do you have feedback, questions, or a story you want me to share? Just reply to this email—I read every message, and your input helps make this newsletter better.