I have been coming to Bentlyville for 10+ years! It honestly just gets better every year!! This event is free to attend! You do pay for parking though! ($10 with cash $12 with card) One of the best things about coming to this event, (besides the Christmas cheer!) is that there are multiple free things for you! Free food for you!: Hot chocolate Cookie Popcorn Marshmallows to roast! They do have items for purchase: Smores kits Hot apple cider Many gift shop items And more!! There are characters that walk around! Including the grinch, Santa, holiday bear, etc... This is an amazing event that can't not be missed!! My kids absolutely adore and look forward to it every year! Tip: the week before you go, go onto their website and you can pay a small fee to place someone name on the "nice" or "naughty" list! It's fun for people to go and see their names on the big lists posted!! read more

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It was our first time to Bentleyville this past Friday and unfortunate I swear it had to be the windiest day of the year!! We sadly zipped through the whole thing as my niece and nephew were shivering in their little wagon underneath three different blankets. Fortunately due to this it was super short wait times to see Santa, get popcorn, hot cocoa + cookies, and there was no one roasting marshmallows! Haha but the chill air from the water made it a bit unbearable and I think we called it quits after about 15 minutes. Loads of photo opportunities and I'm sure we'll enjoy it more next year. We'll be back! read more

Bentleyville - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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First, before going to Bentleyville, enjoy a take out sandwich at Sir Benedict's Tavern in the Lake. Delightful! The wait was long and the signage to get in wasn't great. Have food and drinks for the 45 minute plus wait. Once we figured it out out, the line went fast. Quick tip, there are two lines, be bold and.go to the right if no one else is there. The lights were well organized and the drive thru was really easy. It was a nice drive thru, good music. While in line there was an opportunity to buy pizza and drinks. We had already eaten. A nice holiday evening. Enjoy! read more

Bentleyville - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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I had a blast in Dukuth and one of my favorite things was visiting Bentleyville Tour of Lights. I had no clue it was free to walk through & they provide coffee, hot chocolate, cookies, popcorn, and marshmallows as you walk all over enjoying beautiful lights. They do have donation boxes. You can also meet Santa. I had so much fun and the lights were fantastic. This is way better than any one in the Twin Cities I've visited. They do have a large giftshop. Parking did cost $10 but we took an Uber. read more

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Great experience walking through Bentleyville this year: We arrived just as the lights turned on (our 3 year old said it was just for us)~ Cookies & hot chocolate stop~ Popcorn stop~ Lots of photo ops along the walk~ Marshmallow roasting out in the open~ Finally, meeting Mr. & Mrs. Santa and our little one getting a hat~ More lights and Christmas music to lighten even the staunchest of Grinches! $10 per car to park. Yes, it was worth it to drive the family up from the Twin Cities for the evening at Bentleyville (a mere 2 hours each way with our entire family in the car)... read more

Bentleyville - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

We visited Bentleyville in December to check out the lights before Christmas and had a great time! The price for parking was reasonable with a couple people in one car, and it took us about 45 min to an hour to walk through with stopping for pictures. It was a great experience with really impressive lights! read more

Bentleyville - Big tree - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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Check their website -- they had some storm damage and I'm sure it's up and running again, but you'd want to make sure. So. I drove to Duluth and back in one day bc one of my kids is actually 16 and can drive and we needed something a little special bc Covid sucks and I thought this was going to be super special and it was fine. Unclear if Bentleyville is some sort of non profit, or if it just collects donations for charities and uses volunteers. We followed the signs for where to line up as closely as possible and still had to do a lot of figuring things out for ourselves and made maybe one illegal U-Turn. I looked and did not see any good info on their website on how to get to the end of the car line. So...make sure you have a good map on your phone, k? When we pulled into the line, there was a sign that said 45 Minute Wait! And we drove right past that sign to where the end of the line was...and we waited over an hour to get to the front. I had a bag of canned food to donate bc I did spend quite a bit of time on the website. Even though it was a warm night, the volunteers seemed tired and not even a little happy that we had food for them. Who ever was supposed to ask me if I had a kid in the car did not. So we were told to drive on the outside lane and did not see Santa for a picture. My 8 year old was a little bummed honestly and I dont know why they can let every car drive past Santa. We did roll down our window and we did get the free hat and honestly the hat is pretty darn amazing with no corporate logos or anything and my 3rd grader was much impressed. The lights were fine. Honestly I thought they would be more magical. Maybe the tall tree is cooler when you can walk closer to it? So. I dont want to be a downer, and if this is your thing, please keep loving it! But if youre just wondering if you should make the trip bc its 2020 and you need something to do...well I'd suggest looking into a light display closer to home. Worth $10. Not worth the drive. read more

As a native Minnesotan, I look forward to Bentleyville every year! I love the mini road trip from the Twin Cities to Duluth for this walk through Christmas display! Parking is just $5 (you get a $5 off coupon to a couple local restaurants) and admission is FREE! There is also free popcorn, free marshmallows to make s'mores (the chocolate bar is $1.50 and the graham cracker per 2 squares was 50 cents each), free cookies and free hot chocolate. For kids of all ages, there is also pictures with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. For couples, there is a mini romantic path somewhere in the middle. Overall, it took us about 45 minutes to walk through the whole thing. read more

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Wow! What a treat! This place is so amazing. Bentleyville has been an amazing experience for so many years. It's an annual tradition for us to come here and experience the tour of lights. Every year you can tell it gets bigger and better. I love the support from all of the volunteers. I have had even the privilege of volunteering three different years giving out cookies, hot chocolate, and even setting up sticks in the marshmallow hut. It's great service and a fun way to not only enjoy the lights but make sure the people who visit have an amazing experience as well. The lighting displays different Christmas classics like the twelve days of Christmas and the nativity scene. In another area there is a lighting display supporting all the first responders which is really neat. You can meet Santa and Mrs Clause along with many fun Christmas characters. It's a real joy for all ages. Make sure when you go to visit the gift shop to remember your visit and if you can make a donation. It's all volunteer so every little bit helps to keep this display coming every year. Parking is $10 but that's all that you have to pay for. Thanks for reading! #schroyerfamilydaily #lightdisplay #christmas #bentleyville #volunteer #lights #family #arrenschroyer read more

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We went to Bentleyville to the light show. We had a wonderful time. One thing I should say is to make sure you know how to line up and where. We thought we knew but had a hard time finding where they were lining up. We were in line for about an hour. Once we got to the area there were plenty of people directing traffic. We enjoyed the drive thru. We had gone to the show a few years ago when it was a walk thru. We enjoyed that a lot. Hopefully next year they'll be able to do that again. read more

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We had previously been to Bentleyville a few years ago and loved it. At that time of course you could walk through the light show but now of course it is a drive thru. We had trouble finding where to line up though which put us in a very long line. Be sure to research where to line up so you don't have to drive around as long as we did. With that saying once we did find the line it was well organized. Although we had an hour wait there were plenty of people working and directing traffic. When we did get into the grounds everything was lovely. The music is piped trough the radio station 91.7. We had a wonderful time looking at the lights. We remembered most of the lights we saw from last time. If you do go just make sure you know how they are lining up. read more

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We make Bentleyville a tradition every year. For many years we have been making our trek to Duluth to experience this wonderful light display. We love Duluth in itself and is our favorite place for a staycation but Bentleyville is the cherry on the holiday family friendly sundae! The family puts on the long johns and winter coats to oooo and aaah through this free light display. We love the cookies, cocoa, toasting marshmallows, and the photo opportunities that we make sure to catch every year. And it's all set against the back drop of Lake Superior and the lift bridge that adds to the magic with it's illumination. Bentleyville is such a treat. read more

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I love the lights. it also has a very tall tree that is very bright. And the hot cocoa I And marshmallows are buses read more

Great fun! We went the first night and saw Santa and Mrs. Claus parachute in. Bring the whole family. Tips: 1. Weeknights are less crowded. 2. Arrive early. Lines move quick to enter Bentlyville and then they are very slow 3. Make reservations to eat in Duluth or you will have a long wait. 4. Dress warmly. 5. Park in the Bentleyville lot and then walk to dinner. Afterwards you will be by your car and ready to go. Parking in the lots within an hour of opening will have a LONG wait. read more

Wow- Bentlyville! At Bayfront Festival Park. Everything is free but be sure to give a donation. This is a true Christmas wonderland for all ages. This was our fourth visit and one of the best in recent memory during a pandemic. It's right for the soul and a perfect place to celebrate with family. We came on a Tuesday night later to avoid the crowds making our night special. read more

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Great place for this holiday season, decided to go with my wife and some friends and it was totally worth it $10 for car they have free hot cocoa and cookies just an amazing place. read more

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DRIVE THRU EXPERIENCE WAS BETTER THEN WALKING, there I said it! It was a LONG wait in line and we got there "10 minutes early" - the line was basically in Wisconsin, we had to hop back on 35 heading south and swing around to get in line but I didn't mind waiting. They are asking for a $10 vehicle fee this year which I didn't mind paying at all. As you get closer to the light experience there are signs with fun facts about bentleyville and their non profit organization, so that was fun and interesting to learn. I did not know they donated hats to children or that they ask for food and toy donations for the Salvation Army, I am glad I know now and will come prepared next year. (Luckily we had some cash) if your child is 10 and younger they get to drive by Santa and Santa's helper gives your child a gift! A Bentleyville hat - so cute and unexpected! The kids had a blast. read more

In all of our years going to Duluth in the wintertime, we've never gone to Bentleyville. For the uninitiated, Bentleyville is "America's Largest Free Walk Through Lighting Display" -- or so says the internet. If that's not true, it certainly seems like it. Essentially, they turn Bayfront Park into a lit-up winter wonderland. It's like stepping into a giant, oversized Christmas-themed Lite Brite. And it's pretty darn spectacular. Technically, it's a free attraction, which is impressive since it clearly takes a ton of man hours and lights (duh) to set up every year. They aren't shy about asking for donations, but the whole thing is free, all the way down to the popcorn, cocoa and marshmallows that are offered. Do expect to pay $5 to park near the DECC. And in fact that is my only real complaint about it -- the line to get into the parking area was painfully slow. In all, it takes about half an hour to walk all the way through. There are big bonfire pits near the stage about at the halfway point as well as other ones around the perimeter of the grounds. There are even fancy long metal skewers so you can roast your marshmallows over the fire. I really enjoyed it but we blazed through it in about 20 minutes because it was so cold the night we went. Would highly recommend bundling up and maybe some of those hand and feet warmers. read more

Positives: more lights than you'll see most anywhere. Free hot cocoa/coffee, cookies/roasted marshmallows/and popcorn, and lighted fires for warming up at the entrance and about half-way through the displays. The event itself is free. How rare is that? Negatives: lack of parking, and crowds, crowds, and more crowds. You'll likely have to pay for parking, unless you park downtown and walk. There's very little free parking near the park. My advice is go on a weeknight. We were here on a recent Saturday evening and there were so many people that it was painful. The crowd moved extremely slowly through the lighted walkways. I would be extremely hesitant to bring a young child when it's so busy, unless they're strapped into a stroller or riding on your shoulders. It would be too easy for them to step aside and get lost in the crowd. One youngster was throwing up along the walkway during our visit. The various lights are fun to see. There are displays of dinosaurs, highlights of Duluth, such as ships, animals from the zoo, etc. If you want you can visit with Santa Claus and the Mrs. While we enjoyed it, we vowed to return only at a time when things would be less busy. read more

Bentleyville - The immense Christmas tree in the center of the Bentleyville display. - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

Sooo cold outside, but sooo cool to see. Visited on Christmas day around 5pm. There was plenty of parking and just a light crowd of people. The parking was $5 and free to enter. Also, free hot chocolate, Smores, and cookies! Great pic opportunities everywhere. Just wish the temp allowed for more pics. Due to the temp, -11, our phones weren't working right. read more

Bentleyville - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

Great family place, beautiful lights and nice group of workers, just need to go very cover from the cool

It was beautiful but the lines for Santa were too long. Also cookies and cocoa way too long. Kids don't want to wait. Parked three blocks away for $10. Oh well at least the weather was awesome. read more

This was Fun! BUT there were sooooo many people and my little one nearly got mowed over by people. We had to leave early because of the chaos. It is impressive the number of lights and the entire set up is beautiful, right on the harbor. The only complaint I have is crowed size and there was a STRONG order around the bathroom which was off putting. So glad it is free and they have free shuttle services. read more

OK It free! How often can we say that? In scenic Duluth this is the topping that gets amazingly little publicity. So we have another best kept secret in Minnesota. If you can find a spot parking is free at Canal Park. The rest of the spaces scattered around the area are $5 which is still a great bargain. It may be windy along the shore and chilly for the family so bundle up and enjoy the lights. read more

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If you love Holiday lights, then you have to go check out Bentleyville in the Bayfront Festival park. I can't believe that they don't charge anything to view! It was truly awesome.... and clearly a labor of love for the staff and volunteers on hand. Free hot cocoa, Free marshmallows to roast at fire pits, Free popcorn, Free hats to kids that visit Santa, Free cookies... read more

Bentleyville - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

Was anyone as excited about this place as I I was this year? I mean, seriously... How can anyone not love bentleyville? This place actually defines the spirit of the holidays. First, they have like a zillion Christmas lights all put together into a giant exhibit by the lake that you can walk through and be happy. Second, this place has about 5000 or more happy children and family's wondering around every night. Everyone from teenagers to one year olds are in this very happy trance that makes them memorized by the beauty of the lights on Lake Superior. There is a cookie and hot chocolate station located in the middle of Bentleyville. The cookies are always super delicious and the hot chocolate taste phenomenal too. Then you have the s'mores stand! What an amazing way to celebrate! You get a gram cracker, marshmallows, chocolate and a stick. There is a nice warm fire to roast them over! Snores are defiantly the gooey goodness that everyone loves. They actually have a train to the North Pole and Santa is there. On the way out, it's always fun to stop by the gift shop and pick up something awesome that states you were actually there! This place is the best place ever! read more

3 hours wait in the car with 3 kids under 8 for 10 minutes of flashing lights. I appreciate the causes and the work that went into this, but if you are thinking of braving the line for a magical experience for your children: it is not worth the wait. read more

First time at Bentleyville was absolutely incredible!! I really enjoyed that they had designated area's for pictures so people aren't stopping randomly in the walk way. The treats they offered there were free, and they were honestly very tasty & it was so much fun to walk around with a snack! It was very organized and well set up. It was also very, very clean. Parking was very easy & close. Bentleyville is great for couples of any age, kids of any age, and large groups! It was overall a great experience and I plan on making it a tradition to go there each year! Great overall experience! read more

They offer free popcorn, marshmallows for roasting, bonfires, hot chocolate, and cookies along with free admission! The only thing you pay for is the $5 parking fee. I can't say enough great things about this place! They have a billion Christmas lights, trees, and decorations! If you love Christmas as much as I do, go to Bentleyville USA! Tip: wear you're warmest clothes! (Ugg boots, scarfs, snow pants etc!) it gets extremely cold! read more

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Only in MN will you find thousands of people during the holiday season walking around in freezing cold weather to look at Christmas lights. I have heard great things about this light show and decided to make a day trip up there. The good news is that it gets dark by 5pm so you don't have to wait late in the evening to attend. They have a few entrance points and since this event is FREE they have donation boxes scattered throughout. They offer complementary cookies, hot cocoa and popcorn so any donation goes a long way for them. There is also a place to roast marshmallows and make s'mores! Christmas music plays as you walk along the path and you come across themed sections of lights. Take the labeled side paths to go visit Santa or Mrs. Claus. I would highly recommend visiting Bentleyville over the holiday season and don't forget your camera!! read more

Bentleyville - One of the entrances - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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Finaly got to head up for a weekend with the partner in crime, not to excited, was expecting more, the paths were over crowded, people were walking on each others heals, had a medical incident with a volunteer suffering from dehydration and it was difficult to get her to the ambulance due to the crowd, the parking lots and side walks were iced over and a pain to walk in, minus the exit out of the parking lot had a dip that had sand bags to help low clearance cars clear it Overall the light displays were cool and the people who were there volunteering were great I would go back but now i know what to expect. read more

Bentleyville - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

I went on probably one of the busiest nights-the last Saturday before Christmas. There was a line of folks walking in, but they also have various entrances on the side. Shuttles and trains are available but most of the tickets for them have already been sold. If you enter at the from there's a beautiful lit archway with various wooden platforms to take pictures with. It's a winter wonderland with various lit scenes, some moving some still. They have Clifford, Elves, Sesame Street and more. There was also a great 'salut to our troops' and service folks towards the end. Throughout the Christmas light tour they have free cookies, coffee, cider, hot chocolate, and popcorn. The little ones can meet Mrs and Mr Clause for $5 but 10 years and under its free. Towards the main stage is a beautiful tall tree with lights timed to music and small campfires where you can roast marshmallows. Oh the holiday joy!! The lines get busy so if you have anxiety in crowds, going on a weekday will be better. Overall it was a great family fun event, and being that it's free it is accessible for everyone. Come spread the Christmas cheer with Bentleyville!! read more

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It was still fun driving in and under the lights. The kids said many times that it still felt magical.

Our family drove over two hours for the opportunity to see the lights at Bentleyville and we can all say it was well worth it. My first tip would be to come on a night that isn't as busy if you're able to. We checked the handy calendar that they have posted on their website and chose a weeknight to visit. It wasn't terribly crowded, although our wait for Santa was almost an hour. I can only imagine what it is like on the weekends. That being said, I have never been so well treated at an event like this in all of my days. Parking is $5 cash for the lot very close to the lights. Next tip is we thought this was well worth $5 with our little ones possibly being completely tuckered out by the end of the tour. And we were right, it's saved us from cranky kiddos. Your first stop on the tour is a free hot cocoa and cookies shack where you can opt to get warmed up before you start your tour or after. We opted for after. As we began the tour we marveled at the many beautiful displays. You will never get bored on this walking tour. And even though it may be chilly out, there is nothing more pleasurable than being out and seeing such brilliant holiday lights! That would be my one tip, if you have little ones please bundle them up! I saw a few little ones who didn't have hats or gloves on and it was pretty cold. Because were new to the area we wore ski pants, boots, hats and gloves. But the bonus is that if you forgot or lost something on the way they have shops that sell hats and gloves at a fairly decent price. There were several stops along the countless light displays. The first for us was a picture with Mrs. Clause and she passes out a free candy cane! The next stop was a bag of free popcorn. At the next stop there are warm fire pits where you could roast two free marshmallows. Our last stop on the tour was getting our free photo with Santa where we were also given a free hat and cookies for each child. These hats were very nice I will be treasured for years to come! When we exited our visit with Santa we were put out by the hot cocoa shack where we gladly received a hot cocoa and cookies and got nice and warm again. This is truly the best light display that we've ever been to. If you are traveling in for this event consider arriving in Duluth earlier in the day and taking advantage of the many other attractions in the area. read more

Great for a holiday light show. There's more than just Christmas lights here. Maybe best for kids, but was a nice addition to our Duluth trip. You basically walk through the park and see a lot of light displays. It is a bit commercialized with a gift shop and cookie stand, but it free after the $5 parking. Has some nice views of the lift bridge for photos. read more

Bentleyville is amazing because allthough you're surrounded by hundreds of children who are cracked out on free cookies, cocoa, and the prospect of a visit with Santa *no one* is crying. They're too amazed by the sight of all those wonderful, awesome, amazing lights. This is a free event for the whole family, all they ask is for a donation to the local food shelf. There are additional areas where visitors can make voluntary cash donations to help fund the energy costs for the display as well. It's a bonanza of holiday cheer! read more

My first time to Bentleyville was on Christmas Eve and I absolutely loved it! Parking was right there and only $5. I appreciated all of the volunteers that were so cheerful and helpful despite how brisk it was outside.The lights are magnificent and exude what Christmas is all about. There are plenty of different displays to take pictures of/with and if you get cold, there are free cookies and hot chocolate! This is a holiday event that all ages can enjoy, so bring your entire family! It's the perfect place to take some fun holiday photos. The one reason why I'd give Bentleyville four stars instead of five, is that the path of lights was shorter than we had expected. There are a lot of lights however, we couldn't see all of them up close because the path is limited. I'd recommend Bentleyville to anyone looking for a fun way to get into the spirit of the holidays! read more

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Absolutely love Bentleyville, the lights are always so great! The fires everywhere are super warm too. There's so many pretty displays, however many of them are out of lights or parts don't work. The free snacks and photo opportunities are great tho! I absolutely love going to Bentleyville every year. And the free parking in Canal and walking isn't that bad! read more

I know this place has been around a while and I'm completely late catching the boat here but this place is a blast! We came on a Monday when it was a blizzard on the top of the hill but rain tapering to nothing by the lake. Not many people. Parking $5, short walk in. Wheelchairs and small strollers to borrow for free. Free hot chocolate, cookies, coffee, popcorn and marshmallows to roast in fire pits. Free photos with Mr and Mrs Clause (separate places) Bring your own camera. Plus you get a free hat (under age 10) when you get your Mr. Clause photo. Free will donation, which I gave pretty generously to because this is an event that needs to continue. I recommend not trying to go right at 5... go eat at 5 then show up about 6 - 6:30 when all the 5:00 people are leaving... no line to get into parking then and you can get some decent spots. And Yeah for the military display! read more

In a word: Phenomenal. My family traveled to Duluth for a weekend and we decided to hit Bentleyville. We spent hundreds of dollars on hotel rooms, train rides, high end restaurants and museums and without a doubt the free event, Bentleyville, was the highlight of our weekend. The atmosphere is amazing; everyone is happy and the staff were incredibly eager and helpful. Of course, the lights were spectacular (but you kind of expect that)--what I didn't expect was awesome Christmas music and light show programed to the music or the hot chocolate, cookies, popcorn and roast-it-yourself marshmallows--all of which were FREE?! Oh, and Santa was there was well! Kudos to the Bentleyville team and the City of Duluth for putting on a great event and keeping it cost free! There were tons of free travel options to Bentleyville; we decided to drive ourselves and parking was only $5.00. I am telling all of my friends about this, this is the best thing I have seen in years! read more