Winter Break in Lake County 2025

By: Stephanie Wylie 12/12/2025

Lake County, Illinois, transforms into a winter break playground where frosty mornings, festive lights and small-town charm create the perfect seasonal escape. Whether you're seeking family-friendly holiday events, cozy indoor adventures or dazzling outdoor displays, this Midwest gem offers countless ways to celebrate the season. From local shopping and dining to scenic winter hikes and cultural festivities, Lake County invites visitors to slow down, savor the moment and make memories. With its blend of nostalgia, natural beauty and modern cheer, winter break in Lake County is as magical as it is memorable.

Before you dive into your holiday itinerary, be sure to explore Holiday Your Way for curated experiences, trip ideas and festive inspiration. It’s the ultimate guide to making your winter adventures merry and bright.

• Local school choirs will perform classic holiday songs at Deer Park Town Center on select weekends through Dec. 20, with strolling ensembles from schools including Lake Zurich and Barrington high schools. INFO»
• The monthly ArtWauk celebration in downtown Waukegan will host HolidayWAUK from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20, featuring varying art exhibits, musicians and performances. INFO»
• The Gorton Center in Lake Forest will screen the holiday comedy movie "Elf," starring Will Ferrell, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20. INFO»
• The Ten Hotel in Gurnee will host Santa's Winter Wonderland Market from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, featuring more than 75 local vendors, free photos with Santa and a donation drive for diapers to support Keeping Families Covered. INFO»
• Quentin Road Baptist Church in Lake Zurich will present its annual pageant, "The Real Story of Christmas," from Wednesday, Dec. 17, through Sunday, Dec. 21, taking the audience through the life of Jesus from the manger to the resurrection. INFO»
• Improv Playhouse in Libertyville is transporting audiences back to the 1940s with a charming live radio play rendition of "It's a Wonderful Life," featuring vintage sound effects and onstage microphones on select dates from Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 21. INFO»
• Step into a bygone era as you explore Antioch's festive Kringle's Christmas and Dicken's Holiday Villages, both open through New Year's Day. The Dicken's Holiday Village transports visitors to olde England with life-sized wax figures dressed in period attire. Meanwhile, Kringle's Christmas Village showcases large shadowboxes illustrating elaborate holiday village scenes. INFO»
• No winter break feels complete without a run down the sledding hills. Be sure to stretch before taking to the slopes. INFO»
• Taste Buds Kitchen in Bannockburn is offering a fun, hands-on Gingerbread Making Experience for families, inviting guests to decorate houses while enjoying hot chocolate and holiday music on select dates through Sunday, Dec. 21. INFO»
• The Ten Hotel in Gurnee will host its annual Festival of Trees from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, Friday, Dec. 19, through Sunday, Dec. 21, inviting attendees to view and cast votes for a variety of decorated holiday trees. INFO»
• The College of Lake County's James Lumber Center in Grayslake will host a classic holiday presentation of Ruth Page's "The Nutcracker," featuring local and international dancers and Tchaikovsky's score, on Saturday, Dec. 20, and Sunday, Dec. 21. INFO»
• The Lake Forest Civic Orchestra will perform its annual Holly Jolly Family Show at the Gorton Center on Sunday, Dec. 21, featuring Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite," the Evanston Children’s Choir singing music from "Home Alone," and a special appearance by Santa Claus. INFO»
• Master puppeteer Dave Herzog will present his wonderfully musical marionette variety show, "The Snow Show," featuring characters like twin baby penguins and a flying Jack Frost, at the Lake Forest Public Library on Sunday, Dec. 21. INFO»
• Challenge yourself by piloting a 737 passenger plane or an F-18 fighter jet at Extreme Flight Simulation in Gurnee. INFO»
• Ready for more? Find additional ways to Holiday Your Way in Lake County! Settle in near an open fire and delve into holiday stories. 
• The Ten Hotel's Limoncello Cafe in Gurnee is hosting a festive "Brunch with Santa & Carolers" on Sunday, Dec. 21, featuring a buffet of seasonal dishes, live holiday carolers and opportunities for photos with St. Nick. INFO»
• Top Shelf Ice Arena in Gurnee is hosting a Santa Skate at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, inviting the community for an extended ice time, free photos with Santa and specials at the bar and grill. INFO»
• Enjoy aquatic fun, crafts, snacks and prizes with your family at the Waukegan Field House Aquatics Center. INFO»
• Hastings Lake Forest Preserve in Lake Villa is marking the winter solstice from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, with night hikes, hot cocoa by the fire and an educational look at how animals adapt to the winter. INFO»
• Celebrate the season with a free photo with Santa, tree lighting, and seasonal treats at Bass Pro Shops, with reservations required for photos. INFO»
• The Belvidere Recreation Center in Waukegan will host back-to-back full-day programs for children on Monday, Dec. 22, and Tuesday, Dec. 23, with "Candy Cane Day" followed by "Christmas Character," both offering crafts and games during the school break from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. INFO»
• The Waukegan Park District will host Happy Hibernation at Nature's Classroom from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 23, inviting guests to discover the methods and importance of how different animals prepare to sleep through the cold winter months. INFO»
• WhirlyBall in Vernon Hills is an ideal venue for parties and corporate outings, featuring a unique combination of basketball, hockey, lacrosse, and bumper cars, alongside laser tag, video games, a sports bar and event space. INFO»
• The festive Vintage Holidays celebration transforms Historic Downtown Long Grove through Dec. 24, featuring quaint decorated shops, horse-drawn carriage rides, carolers, and scheduled appearances by Santa Claus. INFO»
• The essential holiday tradition returns to Gurnee Mills, where families can reserve photo sessions with Santa Claus through Wednesday, Dec. 24. INFO»
• Hawthorn mall in Vernon Hills is hosting its Hawthorn Christmas Experience through Dec. 24, where families can get photos with Santa Claus, and offering special events like Pet Photo Nights and a Sensory-Friendly Santa session. INFO»
• The Belvidere Recreation Center in Waukegan will host two post-holiday adventures for children during the school break: "Holiday Hats" on Friday, Dec. 26, and "Ugly Christmas Sweaters" on Monday, Dec. 29, with both full-day programs featuring games and crafts from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. INFO»
• The Volo Museum is offering a unique, interactive holiday experience with the Time Warp Express Christmas Adventure, where guests board an enclosed trolley for a festive journey featuring professional actors, light displays and a visit with Santa on Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 28.  INFO»
• The Dunn Museum in Libertyville is hosting a Drop-In at the Dunn: Comic Book Crafts program from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 29, where visitors can create superheroes, draw self-portraits or write their own comic strips. INFO»
• The Deerfield Park District is hosting a family-friendly Noon Year’s Eve celebration at the Sachs Recreation Center from 11 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Dec. 31, offering music, games and a festive countdown to welcome the new year early. INFO»
• The Vernon Hills Park District is hosting a New Year's Eve Family Party at the Sullivan Community Center from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, featuring a DJ, open gym and a special 6 p.m. countdown to 2026. INFO»
• The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire will host a one-night-only concert event, New Year's Rockabilly Eve, on Wednesday, Dec. 31, featuring the cast of the "Million Dollar Quartet Christmas" performing classic rock 'n' roll tunes to ring in the new year. INFO»
• Station 51 Truck Company Bar & Grill in Antioch is hosting a family-friendly Countdown to Noon: Family New Years Eve Celebration from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 31, featuring festive fun, kid-approved activities and a special noontime countdown. INFO»
• Dave & Buster's in Vernon Hills will host two family-friendly New Year's Eve celebrations on Wednesday, Dec. 31, featuring arcade games, food and drinks, and a festive countdown during sessions running from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.INFO»
• The Germann family's free, spectacular drive-up Holiday Light Display in Gurnee, featuring a technological synchronization of thousands of lights and music, will run nightly through Thursday, Jan. 1. INFO»
• The Zion Park District will host Home for the Holidays: Lighted Christmas Trail at Shiloh Park nightly from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through Friday, Jan. 2, featuring a festive drive-thru experience with more than 50 themed light installations. INFO»
• Take a tour of some sweets with Long Grove Confectionery Company in Long Grove. Smell the chocolate aroma and finally taste a sample of the gourmet chocolate before visiting the Factory Store. INFO»
• The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire is hosting a Theatre for Young Audiences adaptation of Disney's "Finding Nemo," featuring music from the award-winning team behind "Frozen," which will run through Sunday, Jan. 4. INFO»
• The festive illuminated trail Lightscape returns to the Chicago Botanic Garden on select dates through Sunday, Jan. 4, transforming the grounds into a glowing wonderland with all-new curated displays and returning favorites like the Winter Cathedral. INFO»
• Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee is hosting its annual immersive winter celebration, Snowland, featuring seasonal activities, crafts, a Frosty Fest Family Dance Party and visits with Santa Claus, running through Sunday, Jan. 4. INFO»
• The Lake Zurich community is invited to celebrate the season with Merry and Bright: Breezewald at Night, a dazzling display of lights at Breezewald Park that illuminates the grounds nightly from dusk through Sunday, Jan. 4. INFO»
• FitNation in Gurnee is offering dedicated Winter Break Family Swim times for the community on various dates from Saturday, Dec. 20, through Sunday, Jan. 4, allowing families to make a splash during the school break. INFO»
• The Dunn Museum in Libertyville is hosting the exhibit Childhood Classics: 100 Years of Original Illustrations through Monday, Jan. 19, showcasing original artwork from more than 75 beloved children's books and tracing the evolution of illustration over the past century. INFO»
• The Belvidere Recreation Center in Waukegan will host "Ugly Christmas Sweaters," a day-long program of games and crafts for children during the school break, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 29. The center will also host "Flannel Day" from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 30, at the Belvidere Park Ice Rink, offering more crafts and games. The holiday adventures continue into the new year with "New Year, New Me" at the Recreation Center from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 2. INFO»
• Ring in 2025 at Kristof's Entertainment Center with each lane includes two hours of unlimited bowling with shoe renter with up to five people per lane, one large topping pizza and a pitcher of soda or domestic beer. INFO»
• Celebrate New Year's with O'Toole's Libertyville, Gurnee and Lake Villa. Featuring a kids themed dinner party, goodie bags, crafts and more. GURNEE, LAKE VILLA & LIBERTYVILLE»
• Launch Trampoline Park in Gurnee offers visitors boundless excitement with activities ranging from bouncing on trampolines and playing dodgeball to navigating ninja courses, plunging into foam pits, and trying out bowling. INFO»