Nighttime holiday light display at Bentleyville featuring a tall cone‑shaped Christmas tree made of lights topped with a red star. In front of the tree, an illuminated sign reads “2018,” “15th Anniversary,” and “Bentleyville,” with Santa’s face outlined in lights above the text. Colorful lights decorate nearby trees, and a crowd of visitors stands in the foreground viewing and photographing the display.

Bentleyville glows with towering light displays, anniversary signage, and a festive crowd gathered beneath the illuminated tree on a crisp winter night.


Whether it’s an over-the-top home display like in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation or the professional wonderland of Walt Disney World, nothing gets me in the Christmas spirit better than a good old Christmas light display!


I grew up in a small town in southern Illinois known for Candy Cane Lane, so a trip to “see the lights” is something I just HAVE to do at least once a year. Call it an addiction if you must, but I’ve gone as far as Niagara Falls, Canada, not for that famous waterfall but to see the "Winter Festival of Lights.”  


So, when we pulled into Duluth, Minnesota, back in late summer, I immediately began to see the requests on social media for volunteers to set up for the Bentleyville "Tour of Lights," and my excitement started to build. Not only would I have a Christmas light display in town, but it would be within walking distance!


The Bentleyville "Tour of Lights" opened on November 17th. I was there on the opening night and twice just this week. I never expected anything as elaborate and beautifully done as this! It really is magical! I'm in awe with every visit and manage to see something new.



Bentleyville is located in Bayfront Festival Park right on Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota.







Some of the facts on the right are staggering! Here are a few more things that might be of interest:


It's advertised as "America's largest walk-through Christmas Light display." I believe it! It's big. They used the entire 20-acre Bayfront Park for the display. All walkways are level and handicapped accessible.


It's a FREE event. Admission is free; hot cocoa, cookies, popcorn, and marshmallows are ​complimentary. 



A facts sheet about the Bentleyville Christmas Light display.

A facts sheet about the Bentleyville Christmas Light display.


They accept donations of nonperishable foods and new unwrapped toys for those in need, but it's not a requirement to get in. It's free to visit both Santa and Mrs. Claus until December 23, too.


Bentleyville will close out with a bang! On the last night it is open, a fireworks display is scheduled. 


I like to use the CROWD-O-METER on Bentleyville's website to determine when to visit. I prefer to go on slow nights since they are packed on the weekends. 



During the 2018 season, Bentleyville is open seven days a week from November 17 - December 26.  On Friday and Saturday, the hours are 5pm to 10pm. The rest of the week they close at 9pm.

A nighttime view of a brightly lit holiday display with colorful trees, decorations, and a tall cone‑shaped Christmas tree structure in the foreground. Behind the display, the Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge is illuminated and reflected on the water, with additional city lights visible across the shoreline.

Holiday lights brighten the Duluth waterfront, with the Aerial Lift Bridge glowing in the background and colorful displays reflecting across the harbor.


Look at that Christmas Tree! It is 128’ feet tall and is covered with 150,000 LED lights The lights dance to the music making it a lot of fun to watch.



A nighttime waterfront scene featuring colorful holiday light displays reflected on the water. On the left, a structure outlined in blue and white lights reads “PIER B.” To the right, a tall red cone‑shaped Christmas tree made of lights stands topped with a star, surrounded by additional illuminated decorations including heart shapes. Buildings and other lit elements frame the festive area along the shoreline.

Colorful holiday lights reflect across the Duluth waterfront, with the Pier B display and its bright red tree glowing against the night sky.


It’s an interesting story of how Bentleyville came to be...


Although Bentleyville is now in its 15th year, it has only been in the Bayfront Festival Park for the last 10 years. This light display originated in the front yard of Nathan Bentley’s home in Esko, Minnesota. For two years, his home was known as the “House with all the lights in Esko.” Initially, it was a “drive-through” display, but he changed it to a “walk-through” display, with Santa visiting on the weekends in 2003. As the display evolved and became more elaborate, Mr. Bentley’s friends began sarcastically calling it “Bentleyville” in reference to the town of Whoville from Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The name just sort of stuck, and soon, even the visitors were calling it Bentleyville. 


A nighttime holiday light display featuring a large illuminated archway decorated with red and green lights forming a bow and floral patterns over a pathway. To the left, a multicolored light sculpture resembling a train or sleigh sits near the walkway. Trees along the path are wrapped in small white lights, with additional festive decorations visible in the background.

A festive archway of red and green lights frames the walkway, with a colorful sleigh‑shaped display glowing beside the path on a bright winter night.


In 2004, when Bentley and his family moved to Cloquet, Minnesota, the display had to become even grander to entice people to drive out into the country to visit it. Santa became a nightly guest, handing out free winter hats and bags of cookies to the children. Nathan added fire pits for roasting marshmallows, paved the walking paths, added a cookie house and a popcorn building, and started a food and toy drive to collect for the Salvation Army. Two years later, close to 35,000 people visited Bentleyville each Christmas, and the neighbors were not very happy about the traffic congestion and parking issues on what had once been a quiet, dead-end county dirt road. Nathan built parking lots in some of the neighbor’s fields and started busing people in.



A large illuminated Christmas ornament made of gold, red, and blue lights stands open for visitors to walk through. Behind it, a tall Christmas tree decorated with multicolored lights rises above the display. Additional festive light installations fill the background, including a canopy of lights and other holiday decorations, all set against the night sky.

A giant illuminated ornament glows in vibrant colors along the holiday walkway, with a towering lighted tree rising behind it against the night sky.


After five years of hosting Bentleyville at his home and transporting over 72,000 people back and forth to the event, Nathan decided to take a year off in 2008 to “re-think Bentleyville.” That fall, the city of Duluth proposed Bayfront Festival Park as the new location, and Nathan accepted a one-year trial. The Bentleyville “Tour of Lights” greeted visitors at Bayfront Park for the first time on November 27, 2009,​ and the rest is history….



A glowing ornament tunnel and nearby lighted displays brighten the holiday walkway, with a purple‑lit pavilion and festive tree adding color to the night.

A glowing ornament tunnel and a purple‑lit pavilion anchor this festive corner of the holiday display, with visitors walking between the bright trees and illuminated structures.

The next images are of some of my favorite displays at the Bentleyville "Tour of Lights".


I'll leave the rest for you to experience for yourself!

A large illuminated teddy bear wearing a red outfit and hat holds a wrapped gift in the foreground of a nighttime holiday display. Behind it, a tall cone‑shaped Christmas tree made of green and multicolored lights rises into the sky, topped with a blue star. The illuminated text “#BENTLEYVILLE 2019” appears near the base of the tree, with additional festive lights visible in the background.

A brightly lit teddy bear holding a gift stands in front of the towering Bentleyville tree, glowing with green and multicolored lights against the night sky.




Today, Bentleyville invests $150,000 yearly in addition to the display, replacing lights, and creating new and exciting ideas to captivate its audience. Santa and Mrs. Claus now skydive in on opening night and fireworks are the grand finale on the last night of the season. 


Over 330,000 people visited Bentleyville in 2017. It now takes 4 parking lots and 12 buses to transport visitors on busy nights.




This is no longer Nathan Bentley’s 2 month hobby. It is a year around enterprise. He's out at Bentleyville every night. He’s the guy strolling around in a red staff coat and a red ball cap that says “Mayor Bentley”. 



A nighttime holiday light display featuring the phrase “I ♥ Duluth” formed with colorful lights. The design includes a red and white heart symbol and an outline of the Aerial Lift Bridge in blue lights around the word “Duluth.” Snowflake shapes and trees decorated with multicolored lights appear in the background.

A bright “I ♥ Duluth” light display glows against the night, with the Aerial Lift Bridge outlined in blue and snowflake accents adding to the holiday scene.

A brightly lit snowman decoration stands outdoors at night, with a glowing top hat, striped scarf, and illuminated buttons. A lighted reindeer figure appears to the left, and trees and a nearby building are covered in colorful holiday lights in the background.

A glowing snowman in a top hat stands amid colorful holiday lights, with a lighted reindeer and bright trees adding to the festive nighttime display.

A large bear sculpture made of white lights sits upright outdoors at night, with a red‑lit nose and green lights on its chest. Behind the bear, a bridge outlined in lights spans the background, and the surrounding area is dim except for the illuminated display.

A towering bear made of white lights sits glowing against the night, with a lighted bridge stretching across the background of the holiday display.

A large illuminated sculpture of a bear lying on a crescent moon glows against the night. Both the bear and moon are made of yellow lights, and the moon is topped with a red and white Santa hat. Additional holiday light displays, including candy canes and tunnel‑like arches, appear in the background.

A bear made of golden lights lounges on a crescent moon in a festive nighttime display, with candy canes and glowing arches shining in the background.


At the time of this posting, the Bentleyville "Tour of Lights is ranked #1 out of 20 for "Best Public Holiday Lights Display" in the USA Today "10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards for 2018".




Not every image makes it into my blog. If you enjoyed the photos in this article, please check out my Minnesota Collection for more pictures from this amazing state, or visit my Image Gallery with over 4000 images of locations around the United States.



Framed winter landscape wall art featuring a snow‑covered shoreline, evergreen trees, and a lighthouse overlooking calm blue water. Displayed above a beige sofa in a cozy living room with warm lighting, wood accents, and blue‑green pillows. The piece is presented in a dark wood frame with layered blue‑gray mats, creating a rustic, inviting atmosphere that complements the art’s serene northern feel.

Minnesota’s iconic Split Rock Lighthouse rises above the rugged Lake Superior North Shore in this serene winter landscape. Snow‑covered evergreens, icy blue water, and the dramatic cliffside create a timeless scene that captures the spirit of the North Shore. Perfect for anyone who loves Minnesota’s heritage, Great Lakes scenery, or the quiet power of winter along Lake Superior.

​

Fine Art Prints are available for order as print only, framed art, canvas art, metal art, acrylic art, and wood art prints in various sizes. Home Decor and Gift Ideas include shower curtains, throw pillows, towels, totes, phone cases, t-shirts, puzzles, blankets, and more—Worldwide Shipping with a 30-day money-back guarantee.