Cleveland is an excellent Christmas city, with plenty of fun things to enjoy throughout the holiday season from light displays to markets to pop-up Christmas bars. But if you’ve already ticked most of those things off your holiday to-do list, why not expand to the rest of Ohio?
There is no shortage of holiday events, shows, and attractions all across Ohio — in fact, TourismOhio has compiled a list of more than 440 festive things to do all across the state in its 2025 Ohio Holiday Events Guide.
But 440 is a lot of events to sift through, so I’ve narrowed it down to 12 of the *most unique* things you can do all across Ohio this holiday season. Use this list to get ideas for those family visits you might be doing this month, or perhaps to inspire a special holiday trip just for fun.
Top 12 unique holiday events in Ohio
From holiday concerts to festive train rides to candlelight walks and more, these are some of the most unique ways to celebrate the holidays around Ohio this year that the whole family can enjoy.
Note: This post is brought to you in partnership with TourismOhio!
1. Cleveland Orchestra holiday concerts
Where: Severance Music Center, 11001 Euclid Ave, Cleveland
When: Weekends in December
Okay, so we’re actually starting here in Cleveland, because you can never go wrong with a holiday concert by the Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. The Cleveland Orchestra is one of the finest in the United States (it’s historically been one of the “Big Five” orchestras in the country), and they go all-out each year with a series of holiday concerts.
The gorgeous Mandel Concert Hall at the Severance Music Center is illuminated in red and green for these festive holiday concerts as audiences enjoy performances of timeless holiday classics. There are still tickets available for 2025!
2. Lake County Hot Chocolate Trail
Where: All around Lake County
When: October 28, 2025 through February 14, 2026
This one isn’t restricted to only the holidays, but it certainly is the most fun to follow this time of year! The Lake County Hot Chocolate Trail runs all winter long and features 17 local coffee shops and other small businesses across Lake County, each serving up its own unique twist on a classic hot cocoa.
To follow the trail, simply download your free Hot Chocolate Trail mobile pass. The mobile pass gives you discounts at each participating location, as well as other deals. The more locations you visit, the more points you earn — and if you reach 1,000 points before the end of the event, you can redeem them for a souvenir Lake County Hot Chocolate Trail mug!
3. Medina Annual Candlelight Walk
Where: Main Street, Medina
When: November 21-23, 2025
Medina is one of my favorite Ohio small towns to visit around the holidays because it always goes all-out with its decor and events. And the annual Candlelight Walk is one of the highlights of the festivities here, kicking off the Christmas season with a candlelit processional through the streets.
If you miss this event, however, don’t worry! The stores on Main Street in Medina all decorate for the holidays with elaborate window displays and the Christmas tree stays illuminated in the square all season.
While you’re in Medina around the holidays, you also can’t skip the super festive Castle Noel, which is the largest indoor holiday attraction in the country!
4. Live Nativity parade in Berlin
Where: Sheiyah Market, 4755 OH-39, Berlin
When: November 28, 2025
Every year, the town of Berlin hosts a live nativity parade featuring real camels, sheep, donkeys, cows, and other animals from The Farm at Walnut Creek. The animals are accompanied by a nativity processional with shepherds, angels, magi, Mary, Joseph, and of course Jesus.
Starting at Sheiyah Market, the nativity parade makes its way through Berlin before concluding in the town square, where a candle lighting ceremony takes place. This is a unique event that brings the Christmas story to life and is fun for the whole family.
5. Christmas in Zoar
Where: 198 Main St, Zoar
When: December 6, 2025 (and December 13, 2025)
Historic Zoar Village is a tiny village in northeast Ohio known for its 19th-century German architecture, where visiting feels a bit like stepping back in time. And although it’s a great place to visit any time of year, Zoar really shines at Christmas.
On December 6, you can experience the Christmas in Zoar festival with Christmas music, delicious food, plenty of Glühwein, and tours of the historic museums in town. There’s also a Merry Miles 3K race, a gingerbread house decorating contest, and an evening candlelit church service and tree lighting ceremony.
And on both December 6 and 13, you can book a guided Christmas tour of Zoar, where you can visit Zoar’s historic buildings decorated for the holidays and learn all about German Christmas traditions
6. Holiday lantern tours at Hale Farm & Village
Where: Hale Farm & Village, 2686 Oak Hill Rd, Bath
When: Various dates in December
Another place that will make you feel as if you’ve traveled back in time this Christmas season is Hale Farm & Village in Bath. On select evenings in December, you can explore this historic 19th-century village on a special holiday lantern tour.
Located within the boundaries of Cuyahoga Valley National Park, this enchanting historic village gets decked out for the holidays, with guides in period costumes leading you by lantern light on a tour. You’ll have the chance to shop for unique gifts and enjoy holiday treats afterwards.
Dates for 2025 for holiday lantern tours are December 6-7, 12-14, 18-23, and 26-28.
7. Dickens Victorian Village in Cambridge
Where: 708 Wheeling Ave, Cambridge
When: November 1, 2025 through January 1, 2026
Every year, downtown Cambridge, Ohio transforms into a Victorian-themed winter wonderland, inspired by the works of Charles Dickens. The Dickens Victorian Village brings 19th-century Victorian Christmas scenes to life throughout town, enhancing the ambience of this already-charming place.
While you’re in Cambridge, you can also enjoy plenty of shopping and dining options, check out the Cambridge Glass Museum to learn about the town’s glass-making history, and enjoy the free Guernsey County Courthouse Holiday Light Show in the evening, where the courthouse is illuminated by lights choreographed to Christmas music.
8. Santa Train in Nelsonville
Where: 33 West Canal Street, Nelsonville
When: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in December (through Dec. 21)
The Santa Train is a magical holiday activity that is perfect for families – and it happens more than just one day a year! Trains depart Thursday-Sunday in December from the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway depot in Nelsonville, Ohio, and take passengers on a scenic 2-hour ride through the Hocking River Valley.
Each cozy, heated train car is decorated for the holidays, with Christmas music playing in the background. Santa Claus will make his way through the train, stopping to talk to each child and listen to their Christmas wishlist.
9. Holiday trains in Cincinnati
Where: Cincinnati Museum Center, 1301 Western Ave, Cincinnati
When: November 14, 2025 through January 6, 2026
Holiday Junction is a holiday tradition in Cincinnati, and is celebrating its 79th year! Included with your admission to the Cincinnati Museum Center, Holiday Junction is a festive display of the Duke Energy Holiday Trains, more than 300 model rail cars and 50 locomotives decorated whimsically for Christmas.
The display takes up several rooms, with trains zooming along tracks through many different holiday and town scenes. It is seriously impressive to see in-person!
This holiday display has been delighting visitors for decades, and it’s the perfect family-friendly activity. Kids will also love the Holiday Scavenger Hunt and Brickopolis, a festive LEGO display.
10. Santa Fly-In in Batavia
Where: 4021 Borman Dr, Batavia
When: December 6, 2025
The Tri-State Warbird Museum in Batavia puts on a special holiday event each year that’s not to be missed: the Santa Fly-In! Santa Claus arrives to the museum in style, not by a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer, but rather by plane!
Visitors attending this event can enjoy hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, crafts, and other fun holiday activities while awaiting Santa’s arrival. This is an event that sells out quickly each year!
11. Winter Solstice sunrise at Great Serpent Mound
Where: Great Serpent Mound, 3850 OH-73, Peebles
When: December 21, 2025
If you’re looking for a really unique experience this winter, visit the Great Serpent Mound at sunrise on the winter solstice. Great Serpent Mound is a prehistoric effigy mound in the shape of a winding snake spanning 1,300 feet. Although much of its history is unknown, experts estimate that the Great Serpent Mound was built by an indigenous culture anywhere from 1,000 BCE to 300 BCE. (You probably learned all about it in elementary school, and maybe became obsessed with it like I did!)
At sunrise on the winter solstice, a date which has been historically important to many cultures worldwide for millennia, the tail of Great Serpent aligns perfectly with the sunrise.
12. NYE Walleye Drop in Port Clinton
Where: Downtown Port Clinton
When: December 31, 2025
Finally, one more special holiday event you can only find in Ohio is the New Year’s Eve Walleye Drop in Port Clinton. Known as the Walleye Capital of the World, Port Clinton has a fun way of celebrating this freshwater fish and the arrival of the New Year simultaneously.
Wylie the Walleye is a 20-foot, 600-pound fiberglass walleye lit with sparkling lights who makes an appearance every year on New Year’s Eve. When the clock strikes midnight, he drops down to ring in the new year, followed by a fireworks show.
This is absolutely a must-do at least once in your Ohio-dwelling life!
And there you have it: 12 truly unique things to do across all corners of Ohio this holiday season, plus maybe a few ideas for next year!
Which event would you most like to attend?
Amanda was born and raised in northeast Ohio, and has always been a fangirl of her home state. Now, she’s sharing her love of the Cleveland area, highlighting all the best things to do, see, and eat in the CLE. She’s been running Cleveland Traveler since January 2019.