Sam’s Christmas Village vs. Miracle at Big Rock
We are all about the Christmas lights! The last few years, since having a young child, we have really gotten into looking at Christmas lights and finding new places to go to do that. If you are looking for something fun to do as a family in the winter time, these are the places to go. We have been to many different Christmas light events but here’s two of our favorites. They are both in Wisconsin and somewhat close to each other. I have had friends ask which is better so let’s compare the two!
Here’s what each place has to offer:
Sam’s Christmas Village:
-Location: Somerset, WI
-Price: (tickets are sold at the ticket booth there so this is one of the only places you don’t purchase ahead of time)
Adult Drive Through: $15.00 per person
Adult walk through: $20.00 per person
Kids: (3-10): $10.00
2 & Under: FREE
Military discount: 1/2 off w/ Valid Military ID
Parking: $10 (cash) On walk through nights
-Activities:
S’mores cabins
Light tour
Reindeer
Santa
Christmas market
Bar n grill
We love Sam’s and have been there three times now. The lights are beautiful and it’s right next to the river. There have been some years where it’s gotten pretty cold because it’s right next to the water but definitely still worth it! You can get real close to the light displays and also walk into some of them and take pictures. There seem to be more big light displays at Sam’s. We did also have to pay more to go to Sam’s compared to Miracle since Finn wasn’t free and we had to pay for parking. There’s real reindeer and fire pits with fires going so you can warm up along the way. Everything seems to be more condensed and closer together at Sam’s. There’s drink huts along the path as well and cute little cabins that you can rent out for the night if you wish to roast s’mores or just warm up in. There is also a Christmas market that sells lots of different things- clothing, toys, hats, food, drinks, etc. New this year to us was the Big Santa at the entrance!! That thing was HUGE!! We went with family this year and had a lot of fun!! We will definitely be going back!
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Miracle at Big Rock:
-Location: St. Croix Falls, WI
-Price: (You can buy there or online. We purchased online ahead of time)
Veterans & Seniors: $15
Adults 13+: $20 online, $25 at the door
Kids Ages 4-12: $15
3 and Under: FREE
Parking is FREE!
-Activities:
Special nights
Santa
Cabins/igloos- private rentals
Smoresland
Walk through and drive through lights
Food trucks
Sledding
Fireworks on Fridays
Vendors in the barn
Cookie decorating
Gift shop
Train/tractor rides
It was our first time to Miracle this year and it was everything we have heard it would be! AMAZING!! It was more spread out than Sam’s and there seemed to be more to do here as well. We paid less than Sams since Finn was free and parking was free. The drive in was also very cool because you drive up a hill and then follow lights all the way to the parking lot. We stopped inside the big barn to warm up and got some drinks and the kids decorated cookies. There was also a cute little candy shop inside here. We got some pictures with Santa inside and also saw some reindeer, Olaf, Ana, and Elsa. We went on a Friday night so we got a front row view to fireworks that had a very surprising ending. There was a cute gift shop and also some igloos that you can rent out for the evening. There was a sledding hill by the big barn so the kids enjoyed sledding for a while. We also saw tractor/train rides going by. Inside the barn, there were two bars- one on each floor and on the top floor- many vendors/little shops to buy just about anything you can think of! On the walk outside, there was an area called smoresland where there were fire pits you could make s’mores at and also a fake moon to take a picture in front of. There was also karaoke towards the entrance and a sleigh you could sit in to take a picture. I think I enjoyed the lights more here because it was more spread out and not so much to look at, all at once. We took our time walking through and spent hours here. We loved Miracle and experienced it the first time with friends this year. We will definitely be going back next year and will bring the whole family with next time!!
Our favorite and why: I think our favorite so far has been Miracle at Big Rock. We felt they had the most activities and was the cheapest. It was more spread out and we spent the most time here. The kids seemed to have more fun at Miracle as well and it was fun for them to go sledding while us parents just hung out and watched. Even though we liked Miracle more, we will still be visiting both places each year because we just love lights that much and it’s a fun tradition to go with family and friends! Check out my Instagram for more photos/videos of our adventures!
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