O’Fallon is a Missouri city of 91,500 residents, just 45 minutes from St. Louis. Here and nearby you can enjoy a variety of winter and holiday activities when late November and December roll around. While summers are warm here, averaging 79 degrees, winters get cold, averaging just below freezing at 32.1 degrees, so stay warm while you visit these sites and events.

Celebration of Lights

Few things like light displays bring out the joy of the holiday season. Enjoy a fabulous display appropriately called Celebration of Lights here at Fort Zumwalt Park here in O’Fallon. This yearly event has been running since winter 1991.

Drive or stroll with your family or on your own through bright displays. Local businesses and churches make these, so you’ll enjoy a variety of holiday scenes. Note that there are just two stroll nights when vehicles are prohibited.

The show is closed on Christmas Day, but it’s open through December 30. It’s required to purchase tickets in advance, but you can use it any night the display is open. Specialty rides, get tickets early: hayride, horse-drawn carriage, train. Rent a 12-passenger or 6-passenger carriage. Bring a blanket, as it will get cold.

Arch Winterfest

Arch Winterfest is like a big party in Saint Louis’s Kiener Plaza Park, and it takes place mid-November to the beginning of January. Go ice skating in the Winterfest Ice Rink, enjoy the music, hang out in an igloo, watch the twinkling lights, and shop at the Winterfest Night Markets.

So, what’s up with the igloos? You can reserve a heated igloo with a view of Kiener Plaza for two hours. Make this part of a package, and you can get $50.00 of food and drink from JR’s Gourmet at the Winterfest Cafe, six skate rentals for ice skating, and parking for one vehicle.

Do you love s’mores? Then get a s’mores kit and roast your own at the fire pits.

Visit the website for hours and pricing.

Hidden Valley Resort

Stepping away from the holiday-specific activities for a moment, we come to a nearby ski resort. Just 45 minutes from O’Fallon in Eureka, Hidden Valley Resort features snowboarding and skiing activities for beginners through experts. There are two parks on the mountain, Badlands Park and Outlaw Park. The former is for beginners but is also fun for expert skiers. The latter has plenty of medium to large jumps for the more experienced.

Some years the season starts late because of warmer weather, so keep your eye on the website when this happens for updates.

Visit the site for a map of the resort, the lifts, and the many slopes. The map page also has important information including rules you’ll need to know.

Holiday in the Park

Let’s get back to holiday activities with Holiday in the Park. This event takes place at Six Flags St. Louis, so besides the holiday events, you can enjoy many thrill rides.

During the holiday season, Six Flags St. Louis becomes an even more magical place with shining lights, holiday decorations, winter fare, and holiday shows. Visit the petting zoo, high-five Bugs Bunny, tell Santa what gifts you want, make s’mores, eat peppermint fudge, and watch the shows, which include “A Christmas Scarol,” Holiday Harmonies, WinterWonder featuring Johnny Magic, Miss Kitty’s Christmas Presents: Snowbound, and Light Up the Night.

Honestly, we’re just scratching the surface here. There are more treats, shows, games, and shopping adventures for you and your family. Check out their website for more.

Whitmire Wonderlights

At the Shaw Nature Reserve in nearby Grey Summit, you and your family can enjoy another holiday light stroll with Whitmire Wonderlights. Registration is required, and tickets sell out fast. If they’re sold out when you check, you can try to get on the waitlist.

This all-age event takes place in Whitmire Wildflower Garden. Rather than Christmas lights twinning throughout the park you’ll walk along a path lined with luminaries, decorated boxes lit from within.

Once the holidays are over and you need a place to store all those holiday extras, come on over to one of our facilities. We have storage of all sizes for your holiday decorations, or other seasonal items. We have affordable climate-controlled units that are perfect for keeping your stuff safe and in great condition throughout the year.