Winter Wonderland Drive-Though Lights Spectacular at the Gilmore Car Museum November 24th – January 9th
Winter Wonderland at the Gilmore Car Museum is a new drive-thru and walk-through nighttime holiday lights experience inside the spacious 90-acre Gilmore Car Museum campus. Winter Wonderland will run November 24 – January 9th throughout the Gilmore Car Museum grounds.
(Hickory Corners, Mich. - Winter Wonderland at the Gilmore Car Museum, presented by Hagerty, has been announced as a new drive-thru and walk-through nighttime holiday lights experience inside the spacious 90-acre Gilmore Car Museum campus in Hickory Corners, Michigan, just outside of Kalamazoo. Tickets are on sale now at GilmoreCarMuseum.org
The full Winter Wonderland experience includes the outdoor driving tour through beautiful colors, lights, music, and dynamic decorations, plus a visit inside the museum for the Gilmore’s decorated Festival of Trees among hundreds of classic cars, and a visit with Santa Claus. Winter Wonderland is a partnership between the Gilmore Car Museum and Bluewater Techologies, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the same group behind the fall IllumiZoo – Wild Hues lights experience at John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In addition to the spectacular lights show, memorable Winter Wonderland sights and experiences available to guests at the Gilmore this winter include:
- Classic cars from the museum’s collection dramatically displayed inside Gilmore Snow Globes
- Dashing Through the Snow family rides in Ford Model Ts, a Checker Taxi Cab, a ’63 Cadillac convertible, and several other vintage cars from the collection
- A giant, one-of-a-kind maze of holiday inflatables that ends at an LED wall where kids can feed virtual reindeer
- A stop inside Santa’s Garage, the big man’s hot rod workshop, located inside our 1930s Shell Station
- Featured outdoor artwork exhibits from legendary automotive illustrators including Art Fitzpatrick, Van Kaufman, and Jeff Norwell
- A nostalgic 1960s fresh Christmas tree and wreath lot, complete with a vintage Shasta camper trailer
- Gourmet hot chocolate, adult drinks, holiday-themed food & sweets, and holiday gift shopping
Josh Russell, Executive Director of the Gilmore Car Museum, says this is the first time the museum has created this type of expansive holiday lights experience, which also helps tell the history of “generations of American holiday celebrations” through the automobile.
“At the Gilmore Car Museum, we celebrate both cars and history on an exceptionally beautiful 90-acre campus in the Michigan countryside, so it’s truly the perfect place to host a drive-thru and walk-through holiday lights experience for our community,” Russell said.
“This spectacular Christmas and holiday lights show will bring our Michigan Winter Wonderland to life, and create lasting holiday memories for our guests both inside the family car – and inside the museum,” added Russell.
Guests can expect to drive their cars through the winding roadways within the museum’s picturesque campus, to be dazzled by more than 25 individual themed lights displays, lighted historic barns, and decorated vintage-era car dealerships. When the drive ends, the experience continues inside the museum – with the Gilmore’s Festival of Trees displayed among hundreds of spectacular classic cars, special Christmas Through The Decades exhibits, a visit with Santa Claus, reindeer games for the kids, and available holiday food & beverage items.
“We’ve outfitted the Gilmore Car Museum’s already beautiful grounds and buildings with holiday lighting and audio/visual elements,” said Braden Graham, Vice President of Operations & Client Services for Live Events, at Bluewater Technologies. “There are traditional Christmas lights, light and film projections, active LED light displays, Christmas music, soundesign, and so much more. We are thrilled to partner with the Gilmore Car Museum to bring this amazing new winter holiday experience to West Michigan.”
Winter Wonderland at the Gilmore Car Museum will run throughout the holiday season, from Wednesday, November 24, 2021 through Sunday, January 9, 2022.
- Open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5pm - 9pm ET
- Open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Special Holiday Days from 5pm - 10pm ET
- Vehicle entry gates close one hour before end of each night
- Tickets are now available for purchase at GilmoreCarMuseum.org
- Tickets are sold per person, and include access to the museum during that same evening:
- $20 at door / $17.50 online in advance Adult 18+
- $12 at door / $9.50 online in advance Children ages 5-17
- FREE Children ages 4 & under
- Dashing Through the Snow family rides in vintage cars are an additional $20/family (of up to four people), and can be purchased onsite each night - first come first served, while supplies last.
For questions or more information, visit www.GilmoreCarMuseum.org, call (269) 671-5089 or email info@gilmorecarmuseum.org.
About Gilmore Car Museum
The world-renowned Gilmore Car Museum – North America’s largest auto museum with more than 400 vehicles on display -- is located midway between Chicago and Detroit, just 20 minutes north of Kalamazoo, or 45 minutes south of Grand Rapids. The museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, whose mission is to tell the history of America through the automobile. Learn more at GilmoreCarMuseum.org
About Bluewater Technologies Group, Inc.
Bluewater is the only woman-owned (WBENC) business of its kind, operating four industry-leading business units that support sensory storytelling through digital & physical canvases. The core offerings include Meeting & Event Technology, Audio Visual Integration Services, Retail Fixtures & Displays, and Fabrication of Environments.
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