What to do with the Kids Over Winter Break in Chester County and Surrounding Area



The presents have been opened, and toys have been played with, and every parent fears the words "I'm bored" over Christmas break. Don't fret; Fun Things has you covered with events to keep your family busy over break.

Catch a Show


November 15- December 31  

Infused with original music and traditional English carols and performed by a stellar ensemble—featuring Ian Merrill Peakes as Scrooge—this jubilant retelling of the beloved yuletide ghost story is the perfect way to celebrate the holidays. Bring your loved ones ages 6-106!

 November 21st - December 31st

“Be Our Guest” for the most enchanting musical of all time, Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! This ‘tale as old as time,’ based on Disney’s Academy Award-winning film, features the timeless story you love along with all your favorite characters and songs. Let the magic unfold in front of your eyes as dancing dishes, gorgeous costumes, and spectacular settings bring this Disney classic to life on stage. Celebrate your holidays with the most beautiful love story ever told!




Disney on Ice presents Magic in the Stars
December 24 - January 1st

Our newest show, Disney On Ice presents Magic in the Stars and includes 56 of your favorite Disney stars, including Mirabel, Woody and Buzz, Tiana, Moana, and more!





What would the holidays be without George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®? Whether it’s your first or thirty-first time seeing Pennsylvania Ballet’s production of the classic, watching the timeless story brought to life is always a delight. From a festive family party to the exciting battle between the Nutcracker and the Mouse King, and the delectable journey through the Land of Sweets, Marie’s magical story is thrilling for the young – and young at heart.




Watch the Twinkling Lights



December 4th - December 31st
Monday-Thursday 6PM - 9PM
Friday-Sunday 6PM - 10PM

 This is a synchronized Christmas light display in the Marchwood neighborhood of Exton, PA, drive up, tune your radio to 90.3 FM, and enjoy!





Christmas at Longwood Gardens
November 17th - January 7th


Half a million outdoor lights and holiday magic await you during Longwood's incomparable Christmas display. Enjoy dazzling trees and seasonal concerts. The Music Room hosts a special, themed holiday display. Kids of all ages will delight in a miniature Garden Railway decked out for the holidays. Thousands of poinsettias accented with amaryllis, artemisia, begonias, cyclamen, hybrid lilies, kalanchoes, paperwhites, red-berried plants, etc other flowers flourish inside acres of heated glass conservatories. Living wreaths, swags, and live floral trees adorn rooms throughout the Conservatory. Included in Gardens admission.



Holiday Light Show and Dickens Village Macy's Center City

November 24th - December 31st

The 28,575-pipe Wanamaker Organ, the world’s largest playing pipe organ, will be featured with the noon and 6 pm showings (except Sundays).

Dickens Christmas Village is open this year by advance reservation from 11/25 (Black Friday) to 12/31. 





Herr's Christmas Lights

November 22nd- January 2nd

Come enjoy our FREE Holiday Lights Display from dusk to dawn (5pm-7am). Drive through our corporate campus and over 600,000 dazzling lights. We ask that all visitors stay in their cars for everyone’s safety.




West Chester Griswolds
November  23rd- January 1

 The lights will start on Thanksgiving night (November 23).    We will run through at least January 1, 2024.  We look forward to seeing everyone and have some exciting new stuff planned for this year.  We will also accept letters to Santa again this year.




Winter in Franklin Square
November 16th- February 25th

Winter in Franklin Square presented by Citizens featuring the Electrical Spectacle Light Show presented by PECO will sparkle from November 18 – February 27. Guests can celebrate the magic of the season both day and night in festive Franklin Square.

New this year, Winter in Franklin Square will feature new songs incorporated into the Electrical Spectacle Light Show. Plus, Franklin’s Winter View provides outdoor fire pits and beautiful indoor heated tent featuring adult and hot beverages and seasonal food. Chilly Philly Mini Golf presented by IBEW Local 98 transforms Center City’s only miniature golf course both daytime and evenings. Experience lights, seasonal music, and larger than life wintertime friends throughout the course!



LumiNature at the Philadelphia Zoo
November 18th - January 6th

LumiNature, a fantastical new winter light experience set to transform the Zoo, will take guests on a magical journey of illuminations, music, sound and surprises.





November 17 - December 30

Elmwood Park Zoo’s favorite family tradition, Wild Lights, returns this holiday season! With new lights and decorative attractions and more animals on exhibit, this year’s Wild Lights is sure to be brighter than ever! Take a stroll through “Oh” Christmas Tree, and be surrounded by a glistening forest, or visit with our big cats in Trail of the Jumping Jaguar. Each night of Wild Lights features live entertainment, unique animal encounters, performances, holiday music, and a chance to see Santa himself.





Open EVERY NIGHT from Nov. 17 through Jan. 27
5 pm to 10 pm

Experience the magic of more than 3 million lights illuminating acres of farmland at the Shady Brook Farm Holiday Light Show! Encounter whimsical holiday displays and familiar characters.
Drive through in the comfort of your own car or enjoy the show in a private open-air wagon ride (weather permitting).



November 17th - January 13th

Stroll an enchanted Village and sip tasty beverages. Find perfect gifts in 65 specialty shops and boutiques. Enjoy fine dining or casual fare in your choice of restaurants. Ride a 1920s carousel and play in the arcade. See a magnificent display of gingerbread houses. Spend the night in our elegant country inn. And enjoy the company of the people you love.


November 17th – January 1st

Twinkling lights, seasonal sounds, and icy activities at FDR Park for the Tinseltown Holiday Spectacular. Take in the bright lights as you skate along a winding ice trail or glide down a 160-foot-long ice slide. Check out the Mistletoe Marketplace to find that perfect gift, or grab a bite to eat. Timed tickets are required, with optional add-ons available for the Ice Trail and Independence Blue Cross ice slide.


November 17th – January 15

LuminoCity was imagined through a desire to create unforgettable experiences. Using light and imagination, we can explore concepts of transforming creative thoughts inspired by the world around us into illuminating works of light and color. Every year, we bring new and unique pieces of art into our festival to create an immersive experience full of magic and wonder.



November 24 - December 31

Join us for the first-ever Yuletide Devon Festival right outside of Philadelphia, PA! The festival runs from November 24 - December 31, 2023. Ticket sales are now live; visit our website to purchase.
Enjoy rides, live music, farm-to-table food, craft drinks, and over 35 high-end market shops. 




November 23, 2023 - January 1
shows every hour from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The annual Comcast Holiday Spectacular returns with super high-res digital holiday shows displayed on one of the world’s largest LED video walls.

A must-see holiday tradition, this free 15-minute video show takes visitors on a festive, musical journey featuring classic holiday songs, performances, and a sleigh ride around the world.


Go Ice Skating


November 24th -February 25th

We’re very excited to return to Edgmont, PA, opening November 24th and running through February 2024. Conveniently located on Route 3,  just minutes from the Blue Route, West Chester, Newtown Square and a short drive from Philadelphia or The Main Line. You can expect a winter wonderland filled with fun for the whole family including convenient on-site parking, festive music, lighting, video & decor, delicious food & beverages, heated hospitality tents perfect for private parties,


Blue Cross River Rink Winter Fest
Opens November 24th- February19th

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation is proud to continue to present a wintertime tradition in Philadelphia, as the Blue Cross River Rink will re-open for the 28th season on November 26th. The Blue Cross River Rink at Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia’s only outdoor public ice rink, is located on Columbus Boulevard at Market Street.





Winter at Dilworth Park
November  10th – February 25th

Come to ice skate at the Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink, relax with a warm seasonal beverage at the Rothman Orthopaedics Cabin, stroll through the seasonal plant arrangements in the Wintergarden, view the dazzling Deck the Hall Holiday Light Show, and shop for gifts at the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market.


Ice Line  Skate indoors at Ice Line in West Chester








Ice Works - Skate indoors at Ice Works in Aston. 








Ride some Rides



Sesame Place A Very Furry Christmas


November 17th - January 7th

A Very Furry Christmas at Sesame Place® is a festive, family-friendly celebration with everyone’s favorite Sesame Street® friends. The park is transformed into a one-of-a-kind Christmas wonderland with millions of twinkling lights and festive decorations all around.
At the center of our 1-2-3 Christmas Tree show is a 30-foot fully-illuminated pixel-based tree that will project festive animated images. At the same time, guests can dance along to a festive holiday soundtrack – all making for the ultimate light show experience!
Sing along at two special Christmas shows and take a train ride tour through the Twiddlebugs’ Gingerbread Cookie Factory on the Sesame Place Furry Express!



Hershey Park Christmas Candyland

November 10th - January 1st


The magic of the holidays comes to life at Hersheypark Christmas Candylane. With two million twinkling lights, rides for all ages, festive decorations, and Hershey's
 Product Characters decked out in their holiday best, there is something for all to enjoy! 


Dutch Winter Wonderland

November 18th - January 1st


Dutch Winter Wonderland offers themed rides, games, and holiday entertainment under thousands of twinkling lights! Indoor activities include cookie decorating, voting for your favorite gingerbread house, and sharing holiday wishes with Santa. 


Explore Someplace New

November 18–January 7

Experience a celebration of American elegance in holiday style, inspired by Ann Lowe: American Couturier. This year’s Yuletide Tour features custom fashion by local designers Shawn Pinckney and Asata Maisé Beeks, whose creations reflect the history of Winterthur and the design sensibilities of Henry Francis du Pont and Ann Lowe. Explore the house decorated in all its finery with our signature traditions, including the show-stopping Dried-Flower Tree, artistic Christmas trees inspired by Ann Lowe gowns, and a spectacular table set for Christmas dinner. Tradition, style, and surprise await you around every turn this holiday season at Winterthur.




 November 24 through January  1

Holidays at Hagley returns with the theme, “Treasures and Traditions," and will feature Holiday Home and Garden Tours, the sixth-annual Gingerbread House Contest, Santa Day, Holiday Nights Tours, and more. 



Brandywine Railroad at Brandywine River Museum
November 18- January 7

A holiday favorite since 1972, the Brandywine Railroad features trains running on 2,000 feet of track and contains more than 1,000 pieces, including locomotives, passenger and freight trains, and trolleys that pass through a small village, a farm, factories, a drive-in movie theater, and even a carnival.

A dazzling array of both toy and scale model trains can be seen chugging through the varied scenery, including those made by Lionel, Williams, Atlas, Mike’s Train House, K-line and others. Interactive components are also incorporated into the display to allow for further engagement.





November 24th - December 30th

Visitors of all ages will be wowed by a quarter-mile of track featuring seven loops and tunnels with fifteen different rail lines and two cable cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under), and bustling model trains, all set in the lovely winter garden of the Morris Arboretum. The display and buildings are all made of natural materials – bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds, and stones – to form a perfectly proportioned miniature landscape complete with small streams. Each building, while an exact replica of the original, is unique in its design. Philadelphia-area landmarks, such as a masterpiece replica of Independence Hall, are made using pine cone seeds for shingles, acorns as finials, and twigs as downspouts.




November 21st -December 31st

We invite you to celebrate the season as the Choo Choo Barn transforms Traintown USA® to bring the magic of Christmas to its gigantic model train display. For the 10th year, the homes and businesses along the tracks have decked their halls to share with the public.


November 24 - January 1.
Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia during our Holiday Bricktacular. Enjoy seasonal LEGO build activities, holiday theming throughout the Center, and
 much more




'Tis the season for Christmas Underwater at Adventure Aquarium, November 24 - December 24! Jingle all the wave to see Scuba Santa dive with sharks, sea turtles, and rays, sharing Christmas cheer with all who come to visit. Discover holiday surprises on both land and sea, including the World's Tallest Underwater Christmas Tree and magical snow-like flurries in the Snowtunda. Don't miss out on the wonder of the season. Explore Christmas Underwater today!