How Wild Trail Safari's First Christmas Lights Change the Shape of a York December

Spencer Smith once joked to his wife, Abbie, that he was going to bring home a kangaroo. In a York News-Times story reprinted by HeartlandBeat, he said, "Last fall I did just that, and everybody wanted to know if they could come see it."

That kangaroo grew into Wild Trail Safari, a drive-thru safari and petting zoo the Smiths opened in summer 2026 at 2213 Road B in Polk, on the edge of York County. Starting tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 20, it begins its first holiday season. Its Christmas Light Drive-Thru is open daily from 5 to 9 p.m. through Jan. 10.

That's 52 nights in a row. York's other two big holiday events each last a day or a weekend. Heart of the Holidays is the afternoon and evening of Sunday, Dec. 13, and the Festival of Trees at Wessels Living History Farm runs Dec. 19–20. Until now, a York December centered on those two dates. This year, the long run of lights in Polk works as the base of the season. The festival Sunday and the Wessels weekend are the dates to plan around first, and the safari can fill nearly any other night.

A pitch-contest promise, kept within six weeks

Wild Trail Safari didn't start with holiday lights in mind. In October, the York County Development Corporation named it the small-business winner of its annual Spark Pitch Contest. The prize was $3,000, a yearlong YCDC membership and $1,000 in Nebraska Rural Radio Network advertising. The Smiths told the York News-Times they planned to spend the money on enclosure improvements and marketing. Among their short-term goals was "hosting more seasonal events, such as a Christmas light display."

That story ran Oct. 10. By Nov. 6, the light display was on York County's holiday calendar in JMW News's monthly roundup.

According to the roundup, the holiday version includes:

• A three-quarter-mile drive-through Christmas light display
• The indoor petting zoo
• Free hot chocolate
• Photo opportunities
• Santa on Saturdays and Sundays, 5 to 7 p.m.

The price is $30 per car. Because the price is per car, five people in a minivan pay the same as two in a sedan. That makes it a good fit for the weekend family is in town.

The animals are why people first started making the drive. In an August profile, JMW News described lemurs inside the main building, a sloth named Larry, kangaroos and gazelles in the petting area, and zebras, camels and emus along the safari trail. Spencer Smith told the York News-Times that visitors can see 95 different animals "from the luxury of your car or just a short walk around the facility." The holiday listing names the indoor petting zoo as part of the evening, so the indoor animals are part of a December visit too.

Seven weeks, three anchors

The York County Visitors Bureau lists the safari as 13 miles north of Interstate 80. JMW News's profile mentions the last stretch is a gravel road. The trip takes some planning, but with a 52-night window, there's room to pick a good night.

Here's how the safari's Santa weekends line up with York's two dated events:

That's eight weekends and 16 Santa evenings at the safari. Two of those weekends overlap with something in York. Those two take the most planning.

Sunday, Dec. 13, is the one night with a real conflict

The fifth annual Heart of the Holidays Festival fills York City Auditorium from 1 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13. It includes family activities, entertainment and ice skating. The Christmas light parade starts around 5:30 p.m. The York County Visitors Bureau describes the festival as spearheaded by volunteers and supported by local donors.

The parade lands right in the middle of Santa's 5-to-7 window in Polk. A family can't do both that evening. The calendar settles it. Heart of the Holidays happens once, in town, on one Sunday. Santa is at the safari on 15 other weekend evenings, including Saturday, Dec. 12, the night before.

There are a few ways to plan that weekend:

1. Split the weekend. Drive out to the safari Saturday evening for Santa and the lights, then spend Sunday at the auditorium from the afternoon skating through the parade.
2. Make it one long Sunday. Spend the afternoon at the festival, stay for the 5:30 parade, then head north. The festival closes at 8 p.m. and the drive-thru stays open until 9, but Santa will be gone by then.
3. Skip the safari that weekend. Make Dec. 13 a Heart of the Holidays day and save the lights for a quieter weeknight, when the line of cars is likely shorter.

Option two is a lot for a family with small children. In the York News-Times story, Spencer Smith said parents of young kids are often "ready to go by noon." He and Abbie have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, and that's part of why they built something you can enjoy from the car.

The following weekend belongs to the trees at Wessels

On Dec. 19–20, the focus shifts to the south edge of town. Wessels Living History Farm, 5520 S. Lincoln Ave., hosts its Christmas Homestead Holiday. That's when the trees entered in the farm's Festival of Trees go on display. Businesses, organizations, families and individuals decorate the trees. Each one carries a sign with the entrant's name and the tree's title. The rules allow only artificial trees, small indoor LED lights and family-friendly themes, with no food used as decoration.

The trees go up Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The public votes online during December and in person at the event in three categories:

• People's choice award
• Best represents organization
• Most creative

The Wessels tree display is the second fixed date on York's December calendar. The farm's own page says it's closed for the regular 2026 season and open by appointment. Before heading out on Dec. 19 or 20, check the event page for hours and admission, or call the farm at 402-710-0682.

This weekend has less of a timing problem than Dec. 13. Wessels is in York and the safari's lights don't start until 5 p.m. A family could see the trees one day and drive out to Polk that evening or the next. Santa is at the safari both nights.

The quiet stretch after Christmas

The last three weekends on the table have nothing else scheduled in York County. Heart of the Holidays will be over, the Wessels trees come down Dec. 21, and the safari keeps going nightly through Jan. 10. That makes Dec. 26–27, Jan. 2–3 and Jan. 9–10 easy weekends for families with relatives in town after the holiday. Santa is still at the safari, and the lights still run 5 to 9 p.m. on weekdays. If the days between Christmas and New Year's start to feel long, a $30 carload trip to Polk is an easy outing.

This season the safari also adds a new holiday business to the York County calendar. According to the York News-Times, the Smiths hope to add a giraffe within five years, and they want to add rescue animals along the way. For this year, mark Dec. 13 for Heart of the Holidays and Dec. 19–20 for the Wessels trees, then pick any of the other 49 nights for the lights in Polk.

Planning holiday visits around family coming to York, or thinking about where you'd like to be by next December? Contact a Good Life Group agent at Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Good Life Group. We're glad to talk about York County and the towns around it.