Tis the season for good times and memory making. If you’re looking for a special activity to do with your kids or extended family, here are our personal favorites.

Visit Downtown Detroit

Spend time in downtown Detroit. There’s so much to do and fun for all ages. Visit Santa for FREE at 1001 Winter Wonders (a majestically decorated downtown space). Go for a ride on the artic slide, race around in bumper cars, play a round of puck-putt or in the arcade before chilling on the LED playground at the Monroe Street Midway. Shop the Winter Markets and cozy up in Cadillac Lodge. Strap on skates and hit The Rink under the glowing Christmas Tree lights at Campus Martius. And hop on the Holiday Trolley to take in all the sights and sounds of the city. Midway activations end on January 7th.

Wayne County Lightfest

Keep things simple. Put on your favorite Christmas playlist and go for a ride down Hines Drive. The five-mile route has an array of holiday lights and it’s only $5 per car! Lightfest runs thru December 24th.

Wild Lights @ The Detroit Zoo

Bundle up and walk the through the Detroit Zoo at night while it’s illuminated by 5 million LED lights with over 500 festive displays for Wild Lights. Your kids will have fun at interactive light stations and you’ll love the perfect family photo ops. Plan your visit for a day with a special character visit – Bluey, Paw Patrol and Frozen characters will be stopping by on select dates. Wild Lights runs thru December 7th.

DSO’s Home For The Holidays

Get dressed up and sing your favorite Christmas Carols with Santa and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra during Home For The Holidays. The engaging pops concert features Christmas classics performed by the orchestra and accompanied by vocalists. Tickets are available for dates on December 15th, 16th and 17th. You can also catch ELF on the big screen with the DSO performing the soundtrack on December 22nd & 23rd.

Holiday Nights

Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village sells out for a reason. The magical holiday event, makes it easy to get into the Christmas spirit as you travel through time and see how the season was celebrated in the past. Watch history come to life, strap on ice skates, ride in a Model T or horse drawn carriage, listen to carolers, shop the European Christmas market and stock up on sweet treats before checking to see if you’ve made Santa’s nice list.

Tickets for 2023 are sold out, but LittleGuide has 4 tickets to giveaway – enter to win.