Routes for Christmas Light Displays in SJ, Santa Clara, Etc.

Ok, I've been asked by quite a few people to post some routes they can drive to see some of the houses that were featured in this year's Winter Wonderland Bus Tour.

Here are a few different short routes you can drive. These mini routes include a few houses that we didn't see either for scheduling reasons. Some of these houses would have taken too long for a bus to get to.

The Campbell / San Jose / Willow Glen Route
View route on Google Maps

Sunnyvale Stops (Including the Severns-Pease)
View route on Google Maps

The Santa Clara Swing
View Route on Google Maps

Of course, also just check out the Holiday & Christmas Lights in the South Bay Photo Album for more houses that aren't on any of the routes.

Those of you who want a good route to drive to see all of the stops on the tour and then some, here's an extended remix version of alll three of the mini-tours wrapped together. It differs a bit from the actual tour route that I used, most notably in that it doesn't make a stop at Christmas in the Park after the Willow Glen leg.

It's also different because the last stop on this route is the spectacular Severns-Pease display in Sunnyvale. A number of people suggested that should have been the final stop of the tour. It would have been difficult to do that with our time constraints, but since you can do this in a car and won't have a clock ticking, this is the recommended way to do a grand tour if you've got 2-3 hours to kill.

Extended Remix Tour Route (Campbell - Willow Glen - Santa Clara - Sunnyvale:
View route on Google Maps

If the extended remix version is overkill for you, here's an edited route that will take you only on my list of must-see spots. This tour will take about 2 hours to complete.

Sheldon's Must See Houses in the South Bay:
View route on Google Maps

If you're looking for displays outside of the area I run the tours through, look on the Lights of the Valley website for listings of houses in cities across Northern California.

Thanks for the bus trip Sheldon!

I knew that Willow Glen always had nice lights -- but I saw more than expected that night! The reindeer across all the front yards would be my favorite.

Speaking of reindeer -- trivia question of the day -- what would one call a reindeer that is living in Alaska?

Ok, what do you call a reindeer living in Alaska?

Glad you enjoyed the trip, Dana.

Hey Sheldon,

Thanks so much for all the maps for the lights. My 13-year old stepdaughter is flying in today and Darren and I are going to take the kids on the tour. I knew about some of the bigger ones but we'll take the scenic route and stop for hot chocolate!

Merry Christmas to you and Mary!! Jacqueline

Caribou and reindeer are the same critters -- we just call them caribou here and reindeer in Europe.

I remember reading that they are native to Europe and that they were introduced into Alaska -- but I have not fact checked that...

The last night for the Severns-Pease display in Sunnyvale on Tangerine Way is Jan 1st! If you go, please donate to their food drive to help them bust their past fundraising records. Monetary donations up to $500 will be matched. If you enjoyed this display, please give to it and help support a good cause.