Downtown Hilliard's December Runs On One Trolley Line And Three Stops

"A free trolley will run throughout downtown, with stops at Hilliard's Station Park, Main Street, and the Historical Village at Weaver Park." That line comes from the City of Hilliard's Tree Lighting listing, and it works as a map for the whole season.

Three trolley stops cover most of downtown Hilliard's holidays. On Sunday, December 6, the trolley links all three. Over the following week, Main Street and the Village each host their own event on a different day. Plan your December around those three places and the dates fall into order.

The route is already there

Every stop is a short ride or walk from the next.

• Hilliard's Station Park, 4021 Main St. This is the city's venue and the official address for the Tree Lighting.
• Main Street. This stretch includes Starliner Diner at 4121 Main Street and HillGarten at 4131 Main St. Center Street Market and Crooked Can Brewing Company are just off it at 5354 Center Street.
• The Historical Village & Museum at Weaver Park. According to the Hilliard Ohio Historical Society, the grounds include Colwell Chapel, the Grandview Schoolhouse, the Hilliard's Station depot, a log cabin, a C&O caboose, a covered bridge, a farm workshop, Kuhn's Barn, a voting wagon, a railroad signal and a gazebo.

The three biggest downtown dates of the season each happen at one or more of these stops.

December 6 is the one day all three are open together

The city's annual Tree Lighting runs Sunday, December 6, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., and it's free. It's centered at Station Park, with activities spread through Downtown Hilliard and Weaver Park.

Here's what's planned at each stop:

1. Station Park and downtown. The city lists horse and carriage rides, stilt walkers, balloon twisters and live performances by Hilliard City Schools student choirs.
2. Main Street. The trolley stops here between the park and the Village. On a Sunday afternoon in December, it's the easiest place to stop for a meal.
3. The Historical Village at Weaver Park. The Historical Society plans its own program for the evening, with Mrs. Claus, decorated buildings, a snow-globe photo spot, balloon twisting, face painting and holiday music. Admission is free.

Free parking is available at the Franklin County Fairgrounds and in the lots on Madison and Wayne streets. Because the trolley connects the stops, you can park once and take it between them.

The event runs three hours, which is long enough to see all three stops and still eat dinner on Main Street.

Four days later, Main Street has its own night

Holly Hop: Sip, Shop & Stroll takes over Downtown Hilliard on Thursday, December 10, from 6 to 9 p.m. Destination Hilliard's listing promises more than 50 vendors and promotions throughout downtown, plus holiday cocktails, food and local shopping.

On December 6, Main Street was one stop on the trolley. On December 10, it's the whole event, and it's set up for shopping:

• The Shop Local Passport. Pick one up and collect punches at participating Hilliard businesses during the evening. A completed passport gets you an exclusive Holly Hop tote and a chance to win a basket of goodies from local businesses.
• The Holly Hop map. The listing tells shoppers to grab a couple of friends and the Holly Hop map. Destination Hilliard is the place to check for the latest event details.
• A photographer will be there. The listing says images and video will be captured during the event.

Crooked Can also has live music on its calendar at 6 p.m. on December 10, the same time Holly Hop starts. That gives you somewhere to sit down off Main Street before or after your passport route.

Three days after that, the Village has its own afternoon

Santa in the Train Station is Sunday, December 13, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Historical Village & Museum at Weaver Park. Admission is free, and donations are welcome.

The Historical Society's event page lists Santa and Mrs. Claus, a horse-drawn wagon ride, holiday music, crafts and reindeer food, plus hot chocolate and a donut. The Destination Hilliard listing adds a visit to the Gift Shop, a craft in the schoolhouse, and a walk through rooms of the museum decorated for Christmas.

Santa and Mrs. Claus hear wishes in the village church, and the rest of the afternoon spreads across the grounds. On December 6 the Village shares the evening with the rest of downtown. On December 13 the afternoon is all at the Village.

Two weekends, each with a Saturday before it

The rest of the season fills in around those three downtown dates, and the two big Sundays each come right after a Saturday event elsewhere in town. The Chamber's craft show is the day before the Tree Lighting, and a youth market is the day before Santa in the Train Station.

The Fairgrounds come up twice in this calendar. Christmas Corner is held there in November, with 65 handmade-goods vendors listed for the show. Just over two weeks later, the same grounds are free parking for the Tree Lighting.

Hollyfest is presented by the Hilliard Area Chamber of Commerce. If you want to shop for gifts and then see the tree lit, you can go to Davidson Road on Saturday and Station Park on Sunday afternoon.

At Biz Kids Market, youth vendors sell handmade goods, and admission and hot chocolate are free. The next afternoon, the Village serves hot chocolate too, along with the donut.

Pictures with Santa at Crooked Can on November 29 is the season's first Santa visit downtown. Photos are $20 and require signing up by email.

Eating between stops

You'll pass these places on the trolley route or walk by them during Holly Hop:

• Crooked Can Brewing Company at Center Street Market, 5354 Center Street. Destination Hilliard describes the market as open daily from 11 a.m., with food, desserts, coffee and Crooked Can under one roof. Its December calendar includes trivia every Tuesday at 7 p.m., Books & Brews on December 2, and live music on December 10 and 17.
• Starliner Diner, 4121 Main Street. It's on Main Street itself, between the two ends of the trolley route.
• HillGarten, 4131 Main St. It's open Tuesday through Sunday and closed Monday, so it's open on both December Sundays. The restaurant notes that its hours can change with the weather, so check before you go on a cold night.

Main Street will keep changing after this season. Destination Hilliard lists Harvest Pizzeria as coming to 3987 Main St. in the former Legacy Smokehouse space. Further out, Columbus Underground reported in September that Lira Italian Kitchen is planned for the former Chase Bank at 4056 E. Main St. The Westwood Collective and Around the Clock Hospitality are partnering on it, and the opening is estimated for early 2028.

If the Tree Lighting gets you thinking about your own Hilliard home before spring, Angel Perez and the Perez Team can tell you what it's worth now, so you can plan the new year with real numbers. Get a free home valuation.