Lights Under Louisville – Enjoy an Epic Underground Holiday Show

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The festive season is all about experiencing awesome light displays around the world but have you ever contemplated the thought of exploring an underground holiday show? The Lights Under Louisville experience is just that, and whether you an avid follower of Christmas light displays, or perhaps you are in the Kentucky area, you cannot help but be intrigued by this experience.

lights under louisville

Louisville may be synonymous with the infamous Kentucky Derby, Louisville Slugger Museum, and part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, but during the holiday season there is one attraction that visitors from across the globe travel to the heart of the Bluegrass State to enjoy. The thought of a self-driving experience through a cave system may sound crazy in itself and hardly believable, but once you have encountered this for yourselves, you will realize this is one of the most unique experiences anywhere in the world.

lights under louisville

Louisville’s Mega Cavern

In the heart of Louisville is a former limestone mine that stretches under parts of the Watterson Expressway and Louisville Zoo. Throughout the year, this “building” (as it is weirdly recognized as because of its support structures) is used for business, storage, recycling, and tourism, most notably being home to zip line tour, ropes course, and tram-guided tours.

louisville mega cavern

The Mega Cavern is a 4,000,000 square foot area that was formed in the mid-20th Century, but in 1989 private investors purchased this mine as they saw an opportunity to transform this into an environmentally conscious space, primarily to be used for storage. With a relatively stable temperature around 50–60°F, this creates an ideal area for storage.

However, it’s during the latter part of November and December when this cave system transforms into the ultimate festive location. The “Lights Under Louisville” comes to town and the mine epitomizes a Christmas Wonderland that locals and visitors alike cannot help but fall in love with.

lights under louisville cavern

Lights Under Louisville

After booking your tickets online at Lights Under Louisville to create a contactless experience once you arrive in the heart of the city, you will have the opportunity to drive your own vehicle through the Mega Cavern to experience the ONLY underground holiday light show in the world!

lights under louisville

With more than 40 themed displays, multiple projection areas, and over 900 Christmas themed characters, this creates an unforgettable experience that you can enjoy with all the family. Whether you are looking for a romantic holiday season experience, or perhaps wanting to take the kids for the ultimate festive wonderland, Lights Under Louisville is an attraction you will likely want to visit time and time again.

lights under louisville drive

Over 6,000,000 points of light (this number increases every year for a bigger and better adventure!) create an immersive experience and undoubtedly visitors will leave with ample holiday cheer and raring to celebrate the rest of the holiday season. For 30-45 minutes, you will gently meander through a series of themed Christmas celebrations.

lights under louisville

Turn off your headlights, open those windows wide to enhance the immersive experience and simply enjoy the self-guided tour as you slowly make your way through the cave system. Throughout the journey, Christmas music will be playing to ensure everyone is inundated with festive cheer.

lights under louisville

For those of you that prefer to enjoy this unique, one-of-a-kind experience in luxury, the Christmas Express offers a way for visitors to get into the holiday spirit in this open-top trailer.

Themed Areas

Throughout the self-guided driving tour, you will pass through a number of themed light displays that range from local Louisville sporting events to all our favorite Disney characters. Of course, it wouldn’t be the same without a few encounters with Santa Claus, and for the global travelers out there, you will see one or two infamous landmarks that will perhaps inspire you to book a trip in the near future.

lights under louisville

The Kentucky Derby Festival light show is one of the best local displays, while those of you that have spent some time exploring Louisville will know that the Belle of Louisville river cruise experience is something you should look to experience along the Ohio River.

The Winter Wonderland scene is definitely one of our favorites with the silver lights and decorations creating a magical experience that will immediately put you in the festive mood.

lights under louisville

Santa’s Mining Company pays tribute to the mine that you are driving through, while you then venture into the world of the dinosaurs as you are given the opportunity to pick your favorite pre-historic creature.

lights under louisville

From Big Ben to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, those global landmarks that I referenced are cool light displays, but it’s the Disney characters that help make Lights Under Louisville really spring to life. Head through the Frozen Zone to find your favorite friends with Olaf, Elsa, Anna, and Sven.

lights under louisville frozen zone

The final stretch of the tour leads visitors through an amazing light display that showcases technology at its finest, along with bringing the cave system to life.

lights under louisville

Summary

Forget Christmas in New York City, or experiencing the epic Christmas markets across Europe, and instead head to the heart of Kentucky to enjoy the incredibly Lights Under Louisville attraction which is undoubtedly a one-of-a-kind experience that you will not find anywhere else in the world. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and cannot wait to return.

lights under louisville

Every year, the Lights Under Louisville experience is tweaked to add something a little different and more lights are added to create an even more magical encounter. If Louisville isn’t on your radar for one of the many other reasons why this city is such an attractive destination, perhaps a visit during the holiday season will be enough to justify adding this to your schedule…you won’t regret it!

lights under louisville

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Chris Boothmanhttps://abritandasoutherner.com
Chris Boothman is the co-founder of A Brit and A Southerner. Born near Manchester, England, Chris moved to USA in 2006 where he soon after met his wife and travel partner in crime, Heather. They have since embarked on an amazing journey of travel as they challenge others to follow in their paths of working full-time but also being able to travel frequently! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact Chris at [email protected]

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