As someone who really enjoys the Christmas season, I can personally recommend the assortment of holiday light displays and fireworks shows in the picturesque towns of Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Williamsburg.

The Grand Illumination at Colonial Williamsburg is the crème-de-la-crème of holiday fireworks shows in the area. The one-night-only event, which takes place this year on December 5, boasts three synchronized fireworks displays that launch simultaneously within the restored historic area. Hundreds of candles flicker in the windows of numerous restored 18th-century trade shops, taverns and colonial homes as dazzling pyrotechnics paint the night sky overhead. Visitors can catch a glimpse of all three fireworks shows at once if properly positioned along Duke of Gloucester Street—the main thoroughfare through the colonial area. Plan to arrive early and grab a good viewing spot, as this annual event attracts tens of thousands of visitors.

Hollydazzle is a fireworks, special effects and music extravaganza that takes place “in the round” within a five-acre fountain surrounded by several hotels and office buildings in the City Center section of Newport News. The program also includes live music, carolers, bell ringers, a horse drawn carriage, and food vendors. Hollydazzle takes place this year on December 3, and is a “do not miss” event when visiting the area in wintertime. This was hands-down the best fireworks show I’ve ever seen—kind of like one continuous grand finale.

Celebration in Lights is a two-mile long drive-through holiday lights display in nearby Newport News Park. Visitors here will be dazzled by more than 650,000 individual lights stringed among a wide array of animated and still scenes, including leaping reindeer, graceful swans, multi-colored snowflakes and depictions of various scenes from Virginia’s historic past. A series of small lakes throughout the park offers a “mirror-image” of many of the light displays.

The Garden of Lights display at the Norfolk Botanical Garden is one of the areas best ride-through attractions. Visitors can drive their own vehicle, or (as we did) hop aboard an open-air tram for a leisurely two-and-a-half mile long circular tour through a winter wonderland with more than one million colorful lights. Be sure to bundle up if choosing the tram tour.

One of the quaintest Christmas displays we visited was called “Winter Wonderland”. The attraction, located at the Courthouse Galleries in Historic Olde Town Portsmouth, features an array of detailed displays situated in a large open room on the top floor of a restored courthouse built in 1846. The exhibit boasts a variety of themed Victorian settings including Santa’s Workshop, Santa’s Train, Snow Palace, Christmas Town 1890 (complete with animated skaters and falling snow), and an assortment of puppets and mechanical marionettes.

If you’re looking for a unique holiday getaway with a nice mix of history and a splash of yuletide cheer, consider taking a trip to the Hampton Roads area this winter.