CHEYENNE — Have you ever been on a drive or stroll and seen a bright row of Christmas lights in the distance? You decide to check it out and suddenly feel like you’re in a real-life winter wonderland.
You know that feeling when you tune your car radio to a Christmas music station and you get to immerse yourself in a world of extravagant decorations? Well, you don’t always have to wander or wonder, if Christmas lights are what you crave.
Multiple exhibits around Cheyenne help people get in the holiday spirit, including the annual Christmas House and Tinsel Through Time exhibit, as well as specific light trails like the Conservatory of Lights at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and Holiday Lights Tour that begins at the Cheyenne Depot. Cheyenne isn’t the only place with big light shows and walking trails, though. Fort Collins and Loveland have some goodies in store, as well.
Cheyenne Street Railway Holiday Lights Contest and Tour
On the Holiday Lights Tour, the themed trolleys take guests through Cheyenne to see beautifully decorated homes. The trolleys, contrary to popular belief, are heated, and three out of the four of them have air conditioning, as well. Each tour is 90 minutes and costs $20 per adult and $15 per child (unless they’re younger than 2). Anyone can ride the trolley at either 6, 7 or 8 p.m. up until Dec. 28, including Christmas. Only 26 people can go in each trolley, so seats fill up fast. However, people can request a private Christmas light ride if they have a larger group wanting to go.
Before hopping onto the trolley, guests can grab cocoa to take with them and even enjoy a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus on Fridays and Saturdays at the Depot. This is only the second year the Depot has been open during the Holiday Lights Tour. It’ll be open from 5-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Sue James, the manager of transportation for Visit Cheyenne, said, “I just hope we bring joy into people’s hearts. The trolley is a family tradition.”
James used to work in health care as a recreational director, and her work there spread into her work with Visit Cheyenne in 2021. Oftentimes, it takes months for the people working in transportation to organize each of their trolley tours, including the Wild West, Haunted and Christmas tours.
When giving the tours, the trolley crew likes to dress the part and immerse people as much as possible. Even if they’re not talking or teaching history on their Holiday Lights Tours, they still try to crack jokes and make it as fun as possible.
“I loved driving the trolleys; that’s how I got the job,” said James. “There’s nothing better than seeing kids when they look up at the big displays and you see their faces light up. It just warms my heart.”
Rob Farnum, one of the trolley drivers for Visit Cheyenne, said, “I love my job. I love sharing history and (making it interactive for people). We get a lot of people who return and come back to the same trolley, and they say they learn or see something new every time.”
The transportation team at Visit Cheyenne works year-round to make the trolley rides the best they can be, and have already started planning out next year’s Haunted and Christmas Tours. Even in their off-season, where they drive the Wild West Trolley on Saturdays and Sundays, they’re still making sure to maintain the trolleys for the following seasons, even going as far to redecorate the inside of the trolleys every two years.
The four trolleys used for the tours are named after people from Cheyenne who bear a historical significance to the capital city. Their names are Esther Hobart Morris, Erasmus Nagle, Grenville the Grinch (after General Grenville M. Dodge, the founder of Cheyenne) and Daze Bristol.
The route the trolley takes is meticulously planned out. It starts at the Depot, making its way up to the northeast side of town, then swinging to the northwest before coming back down south. The full route will be available Saturday on their website, which is the first day the trolley starts running.
Also coming to their website and social media on Saturday is the map for all the houses participating in the annual Holiday Lights Competition, as well as the voting link. This is something that Visit Cheyenne began three years ago as a way to get the community out and about to look at Christmas lights, no matter where they live.
This year, there are 28 houses participating in the competition, but not every house is on the trolley route due to safety on the roads, and the distance some people are from downtown Cheyenne. The map they post is made to encourage people to check out all the houses participating in their own time, even if they do see some while on the trolley. However, Visit Cheyenne encourages cars not to follow the trolley if they see it on the road for safety purposes, and also because the trolley may not always be looking at holiday lights.
Conservatory of Lights
The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens will host the Conservatory of Lights on Wednesdays and Thursdays until Dec. 27. It will be open from 5-7:30 p.m. Other special dates they’ll have the conservatory open are Dec. 20 and 21. The conservatory will be cleared of outside guests each day of the event at 4:45 p.m. to prepare for those with tickets. The tickets for this event are free, but the Botanic Gardens encourages an RSVP for a specific time frame to avoid overcrowding.
Here, anyone in attendance will find themselves stepping into “a tropical winter wonderland,” where the mixture of the warm greenhouse and festive decor create an immersive holiday experience. Guests will stroll through the conservatory, with Christmas music playing in the background and lights all around. There’s even a scavenger hunt that allows people to get a closer look at the greenery and decor. The team at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens encourages attendees to grab coffee or cocoa at the gift shop before heading into the conservatory.
The lights weren’t always in the conservatory, though. The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens used to decorate all the trees outside of the building, as well as the parking lot. When the conservatory was built, they decided to move it inside as a way to keep people warmer while still being able to enjoy holiday lights. The theme this year is related to The Nutcracker and Candy Land. There are some other funky decorations and photo-op spots, like the huge Grinch wall on the third floor and the miniature Christmas village on the first floor.
The Gardens also has a tradition of collecting various Santas, which they’ve displayed all over the second floor. This year, they’re up to 500 Santas. Also, on the third floor, volunteers displayed an array of ugly Christmas sweaters, which visitors can vote on.
Lanna Donn, the office manager for the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens, told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that it takes about three days for all 25 volunteers to decorate all three floors of the conservatory, and they usually start planning out the light show in July.
“I like that families can come and get a hot chocolate, spend some time looking at the lights and create a lasting memory,” said Donn. “It’s a safe, warm place to have a fun time, and the community seems to love it. … We try to add new things every year like the cutouts, fairy garden and more Santas to make it different for the community.”
Loveland Winter Wonderlights
This light show is a walkable, choreographed holiday light show running nightly from now through Jan. 1. The event begins at 5 every evening, and is free and open to the public. It is located at the Chapungu Sculpture Park at 6105 Sky Pond Drive.
The event also includes “Live Nights,” which features live entertainment ranging from local dance studios and bands to live ice carving and a holiday market. Live Nights will take place on Dec. 13 and 14 from 4:30-9 p.m.
Also during Live Nights, guests can relax in the Cocoa Cabana and cozy up to a fire pit to watch the light show while enjoying a local brew or festive winter beverage with friends and family. There will also be princesses, holiday characters, superheroes and even Santa Claus himself on select Live Nights for children to meet and get photos with. The light show is set to music and goes on for 30 minutes once every hour.
The holiday market is a new addition this year featuring local artists, crafters, small businesses and vendors. Loveland will have an annual collectible ornament at the market. Each year, the Loveland Winter Holiday Council partners with a local artist to produce a limited-edition collection of holiday ornaments. This year’s ornament, “Five Goldens Ringing” by Jim Hingten, features a family of golden retriever dogs ringing bells. Each ornament is one-of-a-kind, numbered, and includes the artist’s bio and the meaning behind the design.
Two local bands will be performing at Live Nights. One of Colorado’s favorite brass bands, Guerrilla Fanfare, will perform on Dec. 13, and Kutandara will take the stage with their marimbas on Dec. 14. Each Live Night, the bands will perform two 30-minute sets at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Chris Bierdeman, the group sales and event manager for the city of Loveland, said, “Winter Wonderlights is one of the most spectacular free choreographed nightly holiday lights shows in Colorado. This year’s event is even bigger and brighter with the new Cocoa Cabana holiday open-air lounge, Holiday Market and Santa’s Workshop happening on Live Nights.”
12 Days of Christmas Display
The 12 Days of Christmas Display is a free holiday light event featuring a drive-by illuminated display telling the story of the classic Christmas carol “The 12 Days of Christmas” from now until Jan. 1 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Dwayne Webster Park, 422 W. Eisenhower Blvd. The display is a short, drive-by display only spanning a few blocks, but has many large, animated light-ups that tell a story, and is an intricate and unique find if you find yourself driving around the streets of Loveland.
Fort Collins NoCo Winter Wonderland
NoCo Winter Wonderland is a 1-mile drive-thru light display that lasts about 15 minutes, where drivers can tune their radios to a holiday station and watch the lights around them dance in sync with the music.
This display was started by Colorado Youth Outdoors back in 2020 as a way to get people in the holiday spirit while staying safe during COVID-19. Other than lit-up archways that people can drive through, there are lots of wildlife-themed light sculptures, twinkling lights and animated elves, reindeer and Santa Claus that depict them sledding and fly-fishing.
Tickets are sold in 15-minute time slots from 5-8:45 p.m. for $26 per vehicle. People can go any time from now until Dec. 31, but tickets usually sell fast.
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