Oglebay Festival of Lights

It seems that reviews are on one side of the fence or the other. For me, I could take or leave this Christmas light exhibit.
Note that we went on a weeknight between Christmas and New Years. We ended up arriving around 7:30 and had no traffic problems. We drove all the way through the lights and back in about 45 minutes. All of the signage was good and we knew right where to go.
On our way back out, things were getting busy. While they claim that the tour is free, it really isn’t. They «request» a $ 20 per car «contribution,» that they take at a gated ticket stand at the entrance. It wasn’t the money that bugged me, but the trickery.
The lights are good — really nice in fact. But, like some other reviewers have said, it is not worth the long drive out of town. Took us over 2 hours to get here. We had more fun at the dog races over at the casino!

ONE STAR IS LAUGHABLE. Catherine G.‘s 5 star review seemed a bit far fetched. Let me start off by saying this is my first time here and the people I’m with have been here 7 times, so I did not drive. The traffic, the location, the entrance, the exit, the whole thing was a huge clusterscrew of disorganization to a point where I’m never coming back. There were no signs to the entrance or starting point. After an hour we went into the lodge to ask for directions. The best part is that we found out we started in the middle of the light show. Also, we had a free pass to get in but it didn’t even matter because if you start where we did there is no checkpoint to pay! You drive in and innocently join the traffic for FREE!
The people I am with are dumbfounded at what we went through. Not only dumbfounded at this 4 hour circle through the park that should have been way less, but apparently they cut down the amount of lights since they have been here themselves. I now have a really bad attitude right now and got screamed at for starting my gps inconspicuously back home because I was over this and I never want to see another Christmas light until next year. I feel I have obtained epilepsy after seeing the same show 3 times in a circle and not knowing it. Ohhhh pretty lights. On a side note, on the way home was a beautiful full moon. The moon was the prettiest part of my trip as I was finally on my 2 hour route home. I’m crossed state lines to come here. Catherine G also has some gorgeous pictures but they look very professional as all does her photography. I would speculate she may be an employee at the club to post as a tourist since business cannot pay to fix their reviews. If she is an innocent tourist that I’m really glad she had fun.

I don’t think Olgebay has handled the growth in traffic very well. We have visited this display often during the last decade and this year it was just not fun. At all. We drove through 1.5 miles of the display but decided to turn around because we were moving at a ridiculous crawl. We then slooooooowly crept toward the exit. The whole experience took nearly 3 hours and cost us $ 20. Yet we only saw a fraction of the display. And the lights were kind of shoddy.

If you want to start this holiday season… please stop at Oglebay Festival of Lights. It is only one short hour from Pittsburgh and it has something for every age and and every interest. It has a zoo, golf, a spa, shopping, and of course the light show. It also has a mansion and for a small fee you can tour it. You can tour the Festival of Lights by car or by trolley. It is six miles of wonderful lights and Christmas displays to get every person in the Christmas spirit. Merry Christmas to all… and to all a good night.

After reading all of the reviews, I was on the fence about taking the 1 ½ hour drive from Cranberry Township. But we decided to go anyway, our kids are young and haven’t been to a light display yet. One of our kids fell asleep on the way. We got about 5 miles to go and realized that we were going to be waiting a while. It was the Saturday after Christmas, so we expected a little bit of a wait, an hour later we were in the park.
A lot of reviews said that the displays were too far apart. I disagree. If you are comparing this to Hartwood Acres, it is very different. Hartwood has more trees, so the lights on the trees helped to fill the empty space. Oglebay always has something to look at along the drive, the displays on the pond were my favorite. It was a very nice drive through the park and there were people directing traffic, so we were never confused on where to go.
The 20.00 «donation» was a bit pricey, in my opinion, as they have gift shops and the zoo, to offset expenses. The gift shop and restrooms were about halfway through the lights, so it was a good place to be able to get out of of the car and stretch our legs. We purchased a couple ornaments and some chocolate, which was overpriced for the quality.
Overall, it was a great time, but next time we will pick a night that may not be as busy, we left our home around 7pm, and didn’t get done with the lights until 10:30. We were all so hungry that we had to stop at Perkins to eat dinner afterwards. After a snafu at the only restaraunt that was open 24 hours, we headed home around 12:30 am and finally pulled in our driveway at 2am.

Like others said the lights are nice, but is it worth a long drive out of town? For me that was about 2 hours and 20 minutes.
The traffic is very heavy getting in and out of the resort. On the plus side the cost is up to you as they don’t require but rather recommend a donation of $ 20/​vehicle. I decided too late that I also wanted to take the family to the Good Zoo light show as well. Because I was indecisive about it, I passed up most of the parking areas and there was no way I was going to try and navigate my way back through plus wait through the lines again.

Honestly, I’m rather conflicted about this place. It is beautiful, but I’m not sure it was worth the 1.5 hr drive from our house. I think the 6 miles of lights is a stretch and they include the highway between the main lights and the lights at the golf course (?) By the time you get to the gate where you pay, you’ve seen over half of the lights already, so it’s a little bit of a letdown after that.
The hours with Santa are very limited, so if you want photos with the kids, be sure to check that ahead of time. I believe he’s only there on Fridays and Saturdays.
If we lived within 30 minutes, we’d go again. But it’s not worth a trip longer than that, IMHO.
It’s hard to find on their website (
) but the admission is $ 20/​car (suggested). And forget the iPhone «app» they advertise even if you can find it. This was nothing more than a few pictures and a video of a kid explaining some of the displays.
Do stop at the shops at the entrance and exit. There’s more to see and some nice shops.

Had a very nice time with friends at the resort. Rooms at the lodge are cozy and quaint. The festival of lights is like nothing I have ever seen! So much to look at! The traffic on a Saturday is a little crazy but people manage. The breakfast buffet was plentiful but just ok. The highlights are the omelet station and Belgian waffle station. Some of the hot dishes like pancakes and eggs Benedict were luke warm. Lodge is decorated so cute for Christmas. Lots of photo opportunities. Overall would recommend this trip!

Took the drive from Pittsburgh, about an hour and twenty minutes. There isn’t very much signage or directions on their webpage on what entrance you need to go in if you’ve never been there, but I took a stab at it and went the proper way. You go up a narrow road and eventually come to a hard stop in traffic. I think we waited about 25 – 30 minutes in line before turning right into the place. Once you pull in, you see lights here and there and then it hits you… $ 20 dollar donation required. Wish I would have known that it was a requirement, but once you pull up to the «toll booth» there is another gigantic sign hanging up advising you of the $ 20 dollar car fee. I ended up paying that and getting a brochure. I was looking forward to the 6 miles of lights everywhere that the radio hyped me up about. We drove around a pond, which had a few lights on it and a few displays here and there. It seems like everything was very spread out. After maybe ¾ mile of a drive around the pond and fields, we came back to the intersection of the main road that we came in on… I was like, that couldn’t be it… that was not really what I just paid $ 20 dollars for… the arrow advised us to turn right. There was a nice house on the left with ALL of their trees illuminated in blue as well as the house. That was a pretty nice display… after a mile, or 1.5 mile drive down the road with a few lights here and there, we were directed by the wreath to turn left. Some more peanuts displays on the left and a skiier on the right… a little christmas tree type thing on the left and then you circle around a parking lot/​restroom stop… just to come past the same lights again. Then I had to look at the map to see where to go now because there was no wreath with an arrow guiding is… only to find out «that was it».
I was very unimpressed about the 6 miles (they failed to mention half of that is driving down the road to the next display).
Needless to say, I guess I had very high expectations from Hartwood Acres which had the most beautiful displays the past few years until UPMC stopped helping fund the display. That was a 3 or 3.5 mile ride through the woods where EVERYTHING had lights on it, there was music as you drove down the 12 days of christmas display, every single tree was lit up, displays everywhere. And you could donate at the very end of the display, rather than paying a mandatory $ 20 dollars in the beginning and not knowing what you will be getting.
Wish I would have saved my money and gas and read some reviews before going. I don’t want to bash it too hard, but I’d say a $ 5 or $ 10 dollar mandatory donation is more suitable for Oglebay.

Maybe I was disappointed because I had unrealistic expectations. There were some cool animated light displays but it definite wasn’t worth the 2 hr drive. The description boasts 6 mile long light show but it takes you back out to the main road which is about a mile with basic lights. Save your time gas and money.

Loved the lights of every kind and color-​It was SUPER!!!-Went a little overboard on candy-​In a stupor-​From homemade fudge and gummy treats-​And chocolates galore-Didn’t know among the lights-There’d be a candy store!!!-The zoo was small but pleasant-​And the people there were nice-​But I got lost on my way there-Don’t wanna do that twice…

It’s not Christmas without Oglebay.
Oglebay is everything you ever hear about it being. Yes, it’s almost-​six-​miles of lights. And yes, there’s traffic. But it’s worth it!
There is a radio station you can listen to during your drive, but I like to make my own Christmas mix tape to get us through the light display. You drive along through what is a golf course in the warmer months, watching some of the finest animated light exhibits around (and they’re green — the light displays are all energy-​efficient LEDs).
Some of the characters you will meet: dinosaurs! Carousel horses! The Peanuts gang! Chef flippin flapjacks! Mommy Cardinal feeding baby Cardinal! Cinderella’s castle! Bears catapulting themselves around! A flamingo!!!
(The flamingo is outside the Good Zoo building. For some reason, we have a tradition that I pose like a flamingo in front of the flamingo every year).
It’s a good idea to bring along a pal like me, who has been to Oglebay 26 times. We are crazy good at narrating the sights along the way. («HERE COMES EQUESTRIAN! LOOK AT THOSE HORSES! OH, TIME FOR CREEPY CLOWN FACES! AND WILL YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE DISCO DANCERS!»)
You can honestly make a full day out of this trip. The Good Zoo is open until 8pm, but the outdoor animals are only available to be seen until 4 (after 4 you can see all the naked wombats and reptiles you want, but that’s it). There is also a choreographed light feature outside of the Good Zoo that runs all night (in the style of the people who set their home Christmas lights to «Thriller» or «Gangam Style»).
Oh! And they have a really excellent miniature train display! This is a separate entrance fee though: the Good Zoo, mini railroad, and Benedum Theater are all included, but it is an additional fee to see the lights. Heads up though, there are no more reindeer at the Good Zoo! That was always one of the highlights when I was little, and the ladies at the gift shop love it when you fondly recall your visits with the reindeer in the ‘80s. (One of them told me all the reindeer got some kind of reindeer AIDS disease, and therefore they don’t keep them anymore. So sad!)
The fee to get into the light drive itself is $ 15 per car (‘suggested donation’). You can pay $ 20 and they will give you a DVD of the light show to relive it all year. Since you’re probably wondering, they accept cash or card. (We totally forgot cash once and were scraping under the seats of the car just in case lol.)
Pro-​tip: go on a Monday or Tuesday evening, in early– or mid-​December for the least lines. It gives you a chance to go as fast or as slow through the drive as you want, so you can take pictures, but also make it home at a reasonable time. (Actually, scrap that pro-​tip. Go on the weekends, so it is still not-​crowded for us when we go on Mondays.)
All in all, Oglebay is a great time. It’s just over an hour from Pittsburgh, and there’s a Bob Evans just down the hill where you can grab dinner and coffee (but make sure you stop at the bathroom before you get on the road — those Oglebay lines can be long!). There are plenty of little shops and exhibits to stop and visit along the way, and restaurants as well. We haven’t ever stayed overnight in one of the Oglebay resorts, but it’s on our list to check out someday.

How can you go wrong with a place that features light displays ranging from dinosaurs complete with erupting volcaones to Snoopy and the Peanuts gang?!
Being new to the Pittsburgh area, I heard from numerous people that Olgbay was «not to be missed» during the Christmas season. All of the recommendations were right.
It was about an hour to an hour and a half drive from the Pittsburgh area, but it was well worth the trip. My experience was enhanced by the fact that there had been a gentle winter snowfall that day (and earlier during the week) so everything had a fresh coating of perfectly white snow. On the drive through Wheeling to our destination, we were kept on the right path with many businesses and churches having large lighted displays.
Once you enter Oglebay, it is easy to make your way around the grounds as they have well marked and light signs directing cars. Aside from the light displays, there are additional charge attractions. We didn’t check out the light show at the «Good Zoo» but we did buy the combined Glass Museum and Mansion admission ticket. At $ 10 each, I thought it was well worth it because the exhibits were the sort of things I really enjoy, but it might be a bit steep if you aren’t really into glass or decorating. The glass museum features glass items from when the glass industry was in its prime in Wheeling. There is nothing seasonal in the museum. The Mansion featured the usual tour, but each of the rooms was decorated in Christmas splendor with different themes. My favorite were seeing the «christmas morning» themed rooms with the toys and trees. Although the grinch themed room was also enjoyable. Each room had an audio tour that gave information about the room as it is displayed today, how the Oglebays used the room and about either the furniture or art in the room. I wish I would have had more time. I would have listened to every single one because they were interesting and provided just enough detail to keep you engaged.+
The area where the museums are located featured an outdoor garden of lights. The hanging baskets were very cleverly decked out with lighted flowers, and the paths were lined with lit flowers as well. It was stunning with the snow.
As we continued our drive, we went through the snow flake tunnel, saw the 12 days of Christmas and enjoyed Cinderella’s castle (among other things).
Oglebay is an enoyable display for kids fo all ages and a perfect way to bring you Christmas cheer. I highly recommend a visit.

The Oglebay Festival of Lights is the original holiday über-​display, covering all of Oglebay Park and their Arnold Palmer designed golf course on State Route 88 in Wheeling, WV.
There have been larger displays, but Oglebay remains. It’s a great way to spend an evening for locals, and is well worth the visit for anybody looking for a destination for a day or weekend trip. Bring the kids and watch them lose themselves in a holiday wonderland, or leave the kids at home and let it bring the kid out in you.
The only disappointment is for those of us that remember the first years of the festival is that The City of Wheeling became «The City of Lights» and the businesses and owners of the grand Victorian coal and steel baron mansions along Route 40 between Elm Grove and Downtown Wheeling would put up their own displays, many of which rivaled the park’s displays.
Also available are light and laser shows at The Good Zoo inside Oglebay, and several amazingly diverse shops, from the toy and plush shops at the zoo, to beautiful glass art in the gift shops along Rt. 88.