Although strolling by your neighbor’s holiday lawn décor is a nice way to spend an evening, sometimes you need a professional for something first class. To kick the bulb-and-extension-cord experience up a major notch, get behind the wheel of the car, fill the backseat with neighbors or friends, crank up the holiday tunes, and make a night of it.

The following recommendations from the Mommy Poppins Blog (a.k.a. Danielle Smith), are all accessible from Chester County.

Herr’s Snack Factory Christmas Lights Display, Nottingham

Visit the Herr’s Snack Factory in Nottingham and drive through its campus to view 600,000 dazzling lights in a spectacular holiday display. Guests will see decorated trees, shrubs, and even some reindeer.

Shady Brook Farm, Yardley

Although it’s about a 90-minute drive from Chester County (plenty of time for holiday singalongs), the effort is worth it. The Shady Brook Farm Holiday Light Show blankets acres of farmland with a bounty of beautiful bulbs (three million).

Christmas Spirit Light Show, Lancaster

Clipper Magazine Stadium blazes with thousands of color-changing lights along its mile track.

Walkable Lights

If you’re okay parking and hoofing it, there are also several area walk-through light shows that will set your eyes asparkle:

• Festival of Lights, Media: The flora of Rose Tree Park become a kaleidoscope of color after sunset. Characters like Charlie Brown and the Peanuts crew can be spotted onsit
• Hershey Park Christmas Candylane, Hershey: Five million lights cover just about every foot of this park, whose rides (including the coasters!) still operate for December thrill-seekers.
• Sesame Place: A Very Furry Christmas, Langhorne: This theme park is chock-full of electrical colors this time of year, and the Sesame Street regulars are joined by Santa and Rudolph.
• Holidays in the Village, Lahaska: The 65 shops (and carousel!) have lights strung from their foundations to their rooftops. The gingerbread house display is also a favorite stop.
• Hershey Park Christmas Candylane, Hershey: Five million lights cover just about every foot of this park, whose rides (including the coasters!) still operate for December thrill-seekers.

More on these drive-through holiday light displays is at Mommy Poppins.