If you are wanting to have a Midwest Christmas, you could certainly do worse than the state of Kansas.

Although many Kansas City Christmas traditions happen to fall on the Missouri side of state line (Union Station, ice skating at Crown Center, and the Plaza Lights), you can still find an abundance of charming Christmas towns, beautiful light displays, Christmas markets, and other things to do.

Keep reading for a list of our favorite Christmas towns in the state of Kansas.

The “Salt City” is our pick for the most underrated Christmas town in Kansas.

Located less than an hour from Wichita, Hutchinson has an eclectic list of “claims to fame.” In addition to being the home of the Strataca Underground Salt Museum, Hutch also houses the Cosmosphere space museum.

Now, Hutchinson can add “top Christmas town in Kansas” to its list of eccentric accomplishments.

Hutchinson has the standard slate of Christmas activities, including a Christmas parade (with carriage rides) and “Christmas in the Foothills,” an indoor Christmas market with more than 50 booths. And if you want a vibrant, picturesque downtown lights display, you can find it in Hutch.

But the town of ~40,000 separates itself with some events that you can’t find anywhere else in the state. “Season of Lights” at Strataca Underground Salt Museum features miles of lights and over 100,000 bulbs — at a depth that is 650 feet underground. Does your town have an underground Christmas light display?

If you enjoy re-watching The Polar Express, there are screenings of the film in the Dome Theater at the Cosmosphere. When you think of the middle of Kansas, you probably don’t imagine catching a Christmas classic in a Smithsonian-affiliated space center — but in Hutchinson you can do just that.

“Nights Before Christmas” is a light show at the zoo that features a train ride, cookies, and (of course) Santa. A symphony performs the “Dreams of Christmas” program in the Historic Fox Theatre.

And while you are in town, be sure to catch the Christmas Luminaria in the Hyde Park neighborhood, which features more than 14,000 luminarias (Christmas lanterns).

To understand Lindsborg, Kansas, you should start with the town’s nickname — “Little Sweden, U.S.A.”

And Lindsborg does its best to honor this nickname. You will find Dala horses almost everywhere you look, and it is impossible to spend Christmas in Lindsborg without noticing the Swedish influence.

“Heritage Christmas” is described as an “old-fashioned prairie Christmas,” with bake sales, crafts, live entertainment, and tours of the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum. The Holiday Home Tour also features some beautiful homes and Christmas decor.

But it is the Swedish traditions that set Lindsborg apart.

The 2nd-Saturday of December St. Lucia Festival involves costumes, folk dancing, a church service, and then more folk dancing through the beautiful brick streets of downtown.

“Julotta” is a “slightly before dawn” special Swedish Christmas Day church service at Bethany Lutheran Church. With its 6 a.m. start time, you will experience a church service like none other while still keeping the rest of your day free.

But the best, and most endearing part of Christmas in Lindsborg is “Annandag Jul,” which is another Swedish tradition which translates to “another day of Christmas.”

Less than an hour outside of Kansas City, the birthplace of Amelia Earhart also knows how to host an incredible Christmas parade.

While many small towns have a parade along Main Street, Atchison’s “Christmas Parade of Lights” is not your typical small town parade. The town shows up in force, and the floats and festivities don’t disappoint. The sleigh and trolley rides are a nice addition to the event, as well.

Downtown shopping feels special since most of the stores in the commercial district decorate their storefronts for the season. The town’s Mr. and Miss Winter Wonderland pageant is another tradition that you don’t see everywhere else.

Rounding out the list of events is Theatre Atchison’s annual run of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

WaKeeney is known as the “Christmas City of the High Plains,” and the town works hard to live up to this billing.

While many towns have a lighted Christmas tree in the town square, WaKeeney’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony is a big deal. It feels as if the entire population shows up for the lighting of the 35 foot tree and the adjacent four blocks. This tradition dates back 72 years and won’t be going away any time soon.

The town has a Christmas tree tour, a Christmas lights contest, and live reindeer make appearances on occasion. As a final touch, kids that drop off their letters at the North Pole in WaKeeney are greeted with an actual response from Santa.

If you are looking for a charming small town in Kansas, Abilene is tough to beat.

Fans of Victorian architecture should start with the Homes for the Holidays Tour. The Seelye Mansion is not included on the tour, but seeing this beautiful historic home decorated for Christmas (with no shortage of nutcrackers and poinsettias) is enough to justify a December trip to Abilene.

Cowboy Christmas takes place in Old Abilene Town, which is essentially a movie studio replica of an old cowtown from the Wild West days.

The Santa train allows kids the opportunity to see Santa while riding in an actual, functioning train.

Abilene doesn’t just have a lights contest, it has a “Cowtown Christmas Lights Showdown.” And the event concludes with a downtown fireworks display, which isn’t something you see every day in December!

But the highlight of your trip will probably be The Night of Christmas Wonder, an event with caroling, crafts, and trolley rides in the historic district of one of Kansas’ most beautiful downtowns.

Baldwin City is the home of the Midland Rairoad, which becomes the magical Snowglobe Express in November and December. The tickets aren’t cheap, but it’s hard to beat a 12 mile ride on a beautifully illuminated Christmas train that takes you to see a herd of reindeer.

Other than the Snowglobe Express, Baldwin City packs most of the Christmas action into the 1st Saturday of the month. On this day, you can enjoy the Holiday Market, Festival of Lights parade, and the tree lighting ceremony.

Located in Eastern Kansas, Baldwin is a charming small town that is also a great jumping off point to the Kansas City Metro and, also, the next town on our list.

Located just 20 minutes north of Baldwin City, and less than an hour from Kansas City, Lawrence is a fun college town with a couple of great holiday traditions.

If you come to Lawrence, be sure to spend lots of time in the Downtown Lawrence area (“Mass Street,” to locals). Unlike some of the more quaint towns on our list, Lawrence is filled with restaurants, bars, and things to do.

For anyone looking for a Kansas town that is postcard beautiful while also having an abundance of entertainment, start on Mass Street in Lawrence. The Christmas lights display is shamelessly over-the-top, and the town disagrees with the notion that Christmas lights should be taken down by early January, too.

Lawrence’s Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade draws a strong turnout every year, with more horses and carriages than you could count.

And for perhaps the most unique Christmas tradition on this list, Lawrence hosts an annual “Santa Rescue” event, which sees the local fire department rescue Santa from the roof of Weaver’s Department Store.

Like Lawrence, Manhattan is a quintessential college town that provides more food, drink, and entertainment options than most of the other towns on this list. If you want the Hallmark movie experience but also want shops that stay open past 6 pm, Manhattan is worthy of consideration.

Manhattan’s City Park is the center of many of the Christmas festivities and is also home to the ice skating rink. Not far away, horse-drawn carriages provide tours of downtown Manhattan throughout the month of December.

Santa’s Luminary Trail allows you to experience Sunset Zoo after dark, complete with Christmas lights and a Santa appearance.

The Spirit of the Holidays Lighted Parade and tree lighting ceremony are events that you can find in most towns, but Manhattan executes these events to perfection.

If you are staying in the Kansas City area for Christmas, the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens hosts an incredible display of Christmas lights. There is no shortage of Christmas magic at this event, which is well worth the short drive from the city.

Similar to the Overland Park Arboretum, the Wichita Botanical Gardens also gets festive for the holidays. Illuminations Botanica is one of the most beautiful Christmas lights displays you can find anywhere in the state of Kansas.

While you’re in town, be sure to check the Safari of Lights at Tanganyika Wildlife Park, as well as Wichita classics like Candy Cane Lane, Christmas on Crestline, and Reindeer Road.

While Wichita is a large metro that we wouldn’t consider a “Christmas town,” there is no shortage of Christmas sights in the city.

Whether you want to see Santa, unicycle clubs, Ghostbusters floats, marching bands, or costumes that can’t even be explained, Garden City’s Christmas parade will not disappoint.

For more than 60 years, this small town has been hosting some big parades.

Shawnee is your best bet for a German Christmas market. While the state of Kansas isn’t particularly known for German heritage, Christkindl promises live reindeer, dancing, and a beer garden.

For anyone in the KC area for Christmas, this Saturday event is worth the short trip.

After being featured in the New York Times’ 52 Places for a Changed World list, Humboldt is a local secret no longer.

In addition to the charming town square, Humboldt has perhaps the best brunch spot and coolest cocktail bar in all of small town Kansas, along with a number of shops that decorate floor-to-ceiling for the holidays.

The town also has some of the most incredible lodging options of any town on this list. And bonus points for being less than 2 hours away from both Kansas City and Wichita.

For those interested in the unimaginable opulence of some 19th-century southerners, Maymont is a majestic botanical triumph and impressive manor situated in Richmond. While the architecture is a worthwhile distraction that even comes with an audio tour, the real charm of the estate is in its brilliant gardens that look like something out of a Tolkien novel.

The 100-acre achievement is a must-visit for anyone near Richmond year round — it has a few Christmas events worth taking a look at if you find yourself near the capital come December. Outside of the audio tour, you can go take a walk through their Merry Market or even build a wreath to take back with you under the guidance of a professional. Just make sure you get a chance to sneak off into the gardens.

Similar to the town of Winfield, Beloit also turns its park into a drivable, illuminated Christmas display. In addition to wagon rides, the park also has walking nights for those of us that would rather see the display on foot rather than through a car windshield.

For anyone in the Wichita area, Rose Hill’s “Griswold House” should be at the very top of your sightseeing list.

As the name would imply, the house is garishly decorated to a degree that would make Clark Griswold proud. The fact that this house didn’t make the “8 Wonders of Kansas” list feels like nothing short of a travesty.

Throughout the Kansas City Metro, you can find some incredible neighborhood light displays if you know where to look.

While Olathe’s Christmas spirit has dwindled in recent years following the closure of Paulie’s Penguin Playground and the dwindling of Christmas Card Lane, further north locations such as Shawnee, Lenexa, and Mission Hills feature some beautifully-lit neighborhoods.

Caenen Lane provides a short drive filled with dream homes decorated to perfection, while the entire Mission Hills area will give you the often-quoted “feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

International Christmas Towns

Looking to travel abroad?