If you have ever tried to see Christmas lights from the back seat of a crowded car, you know the appeal of letting someone else do the driving. This December, one of the best ways to see holiday lights in Minneapolis is a vintage trolley with the heat on, a local guide up front, and a boarding point that happens to be a Gilded Age mansion. Here is how to build a whole holiday weekend around it, ending with a night in another mansion: ours.
Where does the holiday lights trolley board?
The Naughty or Nice holiday light rides from Minneapolis Trolley Tours board at the Pillsbury Club, the 1912-14 Charles S. Pillsbury mansion at 100 East 22nd Street. There is free parking across from the venue, and guests can warm up inside before the trolley pulls up.
That matters if you are comparing options. Other BYOB light tours in the Twin Cities, including the multi-city Holiday Lights Trolley, have listed a downtown bar as their meeting point, which means planning around a bar or a lot before you ever see a light. Here you walk into a mansion, and the trolley meets you at the door.
Naughty or Nice: which ride fits your group?
The Nice ride is the all-ages option: about an hour, from $30, with a stop at a holiday market featuring more than 50 Minnesota artists. Grandparents, kids and first-timers are all welcome, and guests vote for their favorite decorated homes along the way.
The Naughty ride is the 21+ version: about two hours, from $75, with holiday cocktails at the club beforehand and a rolling-holiday-party mood on board. It is BYOB, so you can carry your own drinks straight onto the heated trolley. Both rides run through the December season, and routes shift each year with the best displays. Book on the holiday light ride page, and see the Meet Minneapolis holiday lights guide if you want a few extra stops of your own.
Why sleep at 300 Clifton afterward?
Because a ride like this deserves a soft landing. 300 Clifton is the historic Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion in Loring Park, a Georgian house on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is the only mansion in Minneapolis where you can tour and sleep. Every room is different, and the estate keeps original 1906 fixtures, period lighting and paintings. In past winters the front lawn has held a tall Christmas tree inside the iron fence, and the house glows after dark.
After the trolley, you can soak in the hot tub, settle in for a film in the movie room, or wander the halls with a guide to our haunted history. If you drink on the Naughty ride, staying with us means no one has to drive home.
A simple holiday lights weekend plan
Check in at 300 Clifton in the afternoon and explore the mansion. Have dinner and a look around at the Pillsbury Club (see its dining page and plan your visit page for current details), then board the trolley. Come back to Loring Park, and sleep in on Sunday.
Still choosing between drive-through, walk-through and trolley? Our comparison of the best way to see holiday lights in Minneapolis lays it out, and this guide to where to see the best holiday lights covers the neighborhoods.
Ready to plan it?
Book your room at 300 Clifton, reserve your seats on the Naughty or Nice holiday light ride, and let the trolley do the driving. Explore more from Minneapolis Trolley Tours while you are at it. Holiday dates fill early, so book both soon.