How to do a Richmond tacky lights tour without leaving the city
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The Oregon Hill Christmas House at 408 S. Laurel St. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios
When it comes to Richmond tacky lights tours for the holidays, the West End with Asbury Court and The Christmas House tend to get all the love. At least that's where the limos and charter buses focus their time.
But the city proper has plenty of awesome, tastefully tacky Christmas lights to gaze upon, so we put together our own very Richmond-centric holiday lights tour for you.
Why it matters: The city is awesome, and this tour is walkable or bikeable, plus it includes snack stops.
Where to start: The Museum District.
- Lights abound in the MD, but these are our can't miss house picks.
🎁 The RVA Christmas House at 3209 Hanover Ave.
- Lights up daily from 5-10:30pm with live music every 10 minutes — and toddler-friendly music at 5:15pm and 5:30pm.
- 🧑🎄 3330 Hanover Ave.
- The LED lights are timed to Christmas music, the Times-Dispatch reports, and the lights are clapper-activated.
🔆 Trippin Breakers at 3307 Kensington Ave.
- Hello Kitty, Santa, Christmas trees and way more inflatables than you think could fit in one little MD yard can be found here.
🍷 Where to stop for drinks and snacks: Truckle Cheesemongers for a cheese board and wine, The Stables for a cocktail and snack at the bar, or Buddy's for an Irish coffee.
If you're biking or driving — or walking and you don't mind the hike — keep going for one of the best houses in all the land (Pro-tip: Take Floyd for the best lights in the Fan).
🎉 Oregon Hill Christmas House at 408 S. Laurel St.
- Every square inch of the house and yard is covered in festive lights.
🍰 Where to stop for drinks and snacks: On the way, hit up Helen's or Bamboo Cafe, or midway down, Shyndigz for a takeout dessert, or three.
🎄 Keep going all the way down to Kanawha Plaza to check out the Christmas tree and downtown skyline lights.
🍹 Where to stop for drinks and snacks: Kabana Rooftop or Casta's Rum Bar or hit up Hotel Greene for its holiday lodge-themed Willkommen Winterfreuden (golf optional, but the egg nog should not be).
If you prefer to book your tour and let someone else do the work, check out Richmond-centric tours (some dates still available) with:
🛺 RVATukTuk: A 90-minute tour, BYO drinks and snacks.
🍻 RVA Brew Crew: Three hours of lights, BYOB.
🚲 Basket & Bike: A 2.5-hour tour. Price starts at $95 per person.