Holiday
Light Spectaculars
by Renee
Wright
originally
published in Square Dancing Today, 2003
In the dark days
of winter, it seems especially appropriate to celebrate the season with
a mood-lifting visit to one of the region�s stunning light displays.
Winterfest in the Smokies
They
sure know how to celebrate Christmas in the mountains of Tennessee.
For one thing, they stretch the season to four whole months.
Pigeon Forge
and Gatlinburg, TN, keep their lights on from early November
all the way to the end of February. The neighboring towns on the western
edge of Great Smoky National Park both glow with light displays
all over town.
No need to drive
yourself. Special trolley tours take visitors on guided tours with holiday
music and cheer.
Gatlinburg's
Winterfest kicks off in early December with the annual Chili Cookoff.
The next night the lights go on at the Pigeon
Forge Winterfest.
Selected as the
Top Event in the U.S.A. by the American Bus Association, the
Pigeon Forge festival includes several special events in January and
February, including Wilderness Wildlife Week (mid Jan.), the
Smoky Mountain Storytelling Festival (early Feb.) and the annual
Saddle Up! Weekend of cowboy poetry and western music (late Feb).
For
more information on the Gatlinburg
Winterfest, visit www.gatlinburg-tennessee.com
or call 800.568.4748. Pigeon
Forge Winterfest schedules can be found at www.mypigeonforge.com
or call 800.WINTERFEST.
Pigeon Forge homegirl
Dolly Parton also celebrates the season with Dollywood's Smoky
Mountain Christmas from early November to the end of December. Every
building, tree and attraction in the park is edged with thousands of
tiny lights. Special Christmas shows fill the air with song. The Light
Parade winds through the park every night, bringing giant toys to
life. Visit www.dollywood.com
or call 865.428.9488 for details.
Virginia Beach "Fantasea"
Chik-Fil-A
sponsors the annual "Holiday
Lights at the Beach" display from late November to early
January. Every night you can drive down Virginia Beach�s Oceanfront
Boardwalk past over 300 light displays with a nautical theme, a true
holiday "fantasea." The nominal price includes a cassette
of Christmas music to enjoy as you tour. Visit www.vbfun.com
or call (800) 822-3224.
Tanglewood Park Festival
of Lights
More
than a million lights and 70 displays fill the rolling hills of Tanglewood
Park outside of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, from mid November
to early January. Chosen as one of the Top 20 events by the Southeast
Tourism Association, this fabulous display is a sure family pleaser.
Visit www.forsyth.cc/tanglewood
or call 336.778.6300.
Christmas Town USA
Every night from
December 1 to 26, the little mill village of McAdenville, North Carolina,
just outside of Charlotte, transforms itself into a wonderland of lights
as some 400 Christmas trees decorated with red, white and green bulbs
shine out holiday cheer. The village lake is the highspot of this driving
tour, with 75 trees along the shore and a 28-foot-tall image of Old
Man Winter blowing snowflakes across the water.
More
than 300,000 vehicles visit each year, a tribute to the creativity and
generosity of the 600 residents of McAdenville. The lights are entirely
maintained by volunteers from the community and no admission is charged.
Hours are 5:30 to 9:30 pm, Monday-Friday, to 11pm Saturday and Sunday.
Visit www.mcadenville-christmastown.com
for more information and lots of pictures, or call 704.824.3190
Dazzling Zoos
From
November 24 to December 30, the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in
Columbia, South Carolina sparkles with millions of lights in
"Lights Before Christmas," one of the South's top displays.
Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
www.riverbanks.org or 803.779.8717.
Take
a Holiday Safari at Hollywild Animal Park in Inman, SC,
near Spartanburg. The drive-through tour passes through tunnels of lights,
and roaming herds of animals. An optional tour takes you to the Enchanted
Deer Forest, where you can hand feed the animals. Open nightly,
late November to December 31.
www.hollywild.com or 864.472.2038.
Gorgeous Gardens
In
the area Myrtle Beach, SC, area, Brookgreen Gardens hosts "Nights
of a Thousand Candles" on weekends in December. Musicians and
carolers stroll through the magnificent gardens lit by thousands of
luminaria at this unique and haunting event. www.brookgreen.com
or 843.235.6000
The inky black
waters of Swan
Lake-Iris Garden in Sumter, SC, provide the perfect foil
for myriads of holiday lights. The lake, surrounded by cypress trees
and home to eight species of swans, features a floating Christmas tree.
Open throughout December. Admission is free.
www.sumter-sc.com or 800.688.4748.
Callaway
Gardens hosts one of Georgia's most spectacular holiday light displays,
November 21-December 28. "Fantasy in Lights" features
custom designed musical displays along a five-mile drive, plus two 10-minute
sound and light shows, a Christmas Village and a Fantasy Food Court.
You can drive your own car or take the "Jolly Trolley." www.callawaygardens.com
or call 800.CALLAWAY.
Photo Credits: Images courtesy
of Pigeon Forge CVB, Virginia Beach CVB, Tanglewood Park, McAdenville,
Riverbanks Zoo, Hollywild Animal Park, Brookgreen Gardens and Callaway
Gardens.
Photo of Light Parade
at Dollywood by Renee Wright.
