5 Must-Visit Classic Holiday Attractions in Ohio

As the holiday season arrives, pretty much everyone can think about one tradition they are looking forward to this time of year. Maybe it's a family game night, a specific dish you only cook in December or a light display you always make sure to see together. Destinations across Ohio have become family traditions this time of year, whether it's a a ride on the slide at Castle Noel or getting up close to an elaborate model train display in Cincinnati. Fill your calendar with extra magic this season by making time for a visit to one of these five locations that promise to make spirits bright. 

House From A Christmas Story | Ongoing 
Take a guided tour of the Cleveland home featured in the classic 1983 holiday film “A Christmas Story” restored to its on-screen appearance. Knowledgeable and entertaining guides share filming anecdotes and insight while leaving plenty of time for photo ops throughout the home and the backyard where Ralphie nearly shot his eye out. Across the street, a museum has exhibits with movie artifacts such as one of the Red Ryder BB Guns used during production.

Castle Noel | Ongoing
Christmas lasts much longer than a day at Castle Noel in Medina, where Mark Klaus has created a nostalgia wonderland that is open 11 months of the year. Step into an immersive world featuring New York City holiday department store windows, props and wardrobe from favorite holiday movies and the chance to ride down a giant red slide like Ralphie did in “A Christmas Story.” New for 2024, visitors can sing along with an animatronic Rudolph and see the Gingerbread Theatre Show.

Yuletide Village | Through Dec. 21
Want a Christmas landscape that feels as if it’s been plucked from another world? Waynesville’s Yuletide Village delivers. Following the Ohio Renaissance Festival each fall, this immersive holiday experience (available on Fridays and Saturdays) brings enchantment with Santa’s workshop in the center of the village, Christmas carolers and live music. Look out for Krampus, who also roams the alleys.

Dickens Victorian Village | Through Dec. 31
Step into 19th-century England in downtown Cambridge as the city’s annual Christmas display returns. More than 95 vignettes featuring 169 mannequins depict the holiday season during the time of A Christmas Carol author Charles Dickens. Once the sun sets, the Guernsey County Courthouse comes alive with a musical light show that repeats throughout the evening.

Holiday Junction Featuring the Duke Energy Holiday Trains | Through Jan. 6 
Since 2011, the Duke Energy Trains have been the centerpiece of Holiday Junction at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Housed in a historic train station, the museum is the perfect home for these displays, including Lionel trains from the 1930s and 1960s. The largest display features 300 railcars and 50 locomotives, all of which roll throughout a decorated holiday landscape.

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