Bentleyville's Tour of Lights Brings Holiday Cheer

When I found out that I could take a train from Fitger’s to the Bentleyville Tour of Lights, I was pretty excited. What could be neater than a train ride to a big holiday lights display, complete with free hot chocolate and cookies? As directed on Bentleyville’s website, I bought the $2 tickets in advance at the Bookstore at Fitger’s and invited my friend Randi to accompany me on this sure-to-be-magical evening.

Upon arriving at the train stop below the Fitger’s courtyard, we were greeted by a conductor, whose suit and hat gave him an authentic enough appearance. The train itself though was less than festive. If you’ve traveled much in Chicago, you’re probably familiar with the two-level, 60s-era silver commuter trains that are operated by Metra. If these don’t sound familiar, then now’s your opportunity to experience the train that’s taken by thousands of suburban business people in metropolitan areas across the country every day! All this is to say that it wasn’t the holiday-themed, historic steam engine I was hoping for.

Once the train transported us the half-mile to Bayfront Park though, the magnitude of the light display was immediately impressive. A huge entryway welcomes visitors to Bentleyville with “Dashing through the snow…” written in bright white lights 30 feet up. In the background sits a large castle light display and a blue light re-creation of the aerial lift bridge, complete with a ship of lights passing underneath.

The folks who run Bentleyville know how to wow visitors from the get-go: the first attraction past the entrance is the “Cookie House” where we picked up complimentary hot chocolate and cookies. After picking up our treats, Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer greeted us with a wave, one of a few volunteers dressed up for the evening. We then made our way through a long tunnel of lights that was bordered by animatronic light creatures (the penguins and polar bears were my favorite).

The Bayfront music stage held the main events of the evening. There were about 15 fires setup near the stage and we visited the marshmallow hut to grab roasting sticks and marshmallows (for free, of course). In case there weren’t enough snacks already, there was also a popcorn stand. On the stage itself, there was a musical act performing. I was a little creeped out by the Elvis-like guitarist and lead-singer who fronted the band (called “Elfis”), but Randi said I was just being paranoid. Behind the stage, a few dozen kids waited in line for a chance to sit on Santa’s lap. If you know any children 10 years-old or younger, you can talk them into scoring a knit hat for you from Mr. Claus.

On the way out of Bentleyville, we passed by the “Noel Boutique”, where visitors can purchase Bentleyville sweatpants, backpacks, mugs, and all types of shwag in-between. Across from the Boutique, I was a little disappointed to see that the Bentleyville organizers couldn’t keep the lights display secular: Noah’s Ark with hippos, skunks, and alligators all walking in pairs to get on the flood-saving ship was one of the final attractions. For reasons unclear to me, the Ark was accompanied by an animatronic waving Jesus. Thankfully, a Menorah sits next to the exit display of Jesus’ birth, so at least multiple faiths are represented.

Overall, Bentleyville is more than worth a visit. Get down there soon, as I’m guessing it will only get more crowded as Christmas gets closer.