Tis the season for holiday fun, and one way to celebrate this year is by visiting the winter light show at the Arboretum Gardens. Every year, they hold a light show from Nov. 16 to Dec. 31, where you can independently explore one mile of holiday lights. They also added some new attractions this year which are a sight to see. Colorful lights cover the garden, each attraction decorated in a different theme accompanied by a different song for each.
The entrance adorns a vibrant red apple that poses as a perfect opportunity for a picture. Along the trail, you can find a river that’s lit up by bright water lilies and a bridge over it all covered in blue lights. Huge snowmen line the path in the grass illuminating the way, and a carousel of lights creates a pavilion of glowing yellow. Walk through a tunnel of twinkling lights and hanging snowflakes and enjoy the giant butterflies that light up the night.
I had the opportunity to visit the light show this year, and enjoyed all the amazing attractions they had to offer. It’s in your best interest to bundle up when you visit, as it was a pretty cold night to visit the Arboretum garden’s winter lights. Festive music fills the pathways while you explore the spectacle of lights, adding to the experience with each song fitting the theme of the display. Inside, they had live music playing in the auditorium of the main pavilion. There always seemed to be something playing no matter where you were, which just added to the magic of the spectacle.
Inside the main building, there is a grand display of Christmas trees decked out with lights and other festive decorations. A large tree made up of hundreds of colorful poinsettias is the largest showpiece in the lodge. There is also a gift shop with warm layers in case you forget to dress warm, along with other gifts and snacks. Upstairs you can find a large cafeteria and a buffet that has a weekly menu as well as regular treats that you can get aily. I happened to go on a Sunday and they were serving pulled-chicken sandwiches, which I didn’t have but I did try the pretzel sticks with cheese and an apple cider. The pretzels were kept warm on a hot tray and the cheese tasted like it had been real cheese that was melted down. The apple cider was hot and kept our hands warm while we explored, which we were very thankful for because of the cold temperatures outside and the freezing wind.
These lights are a great way to get excited for the holidays and to get out of the house this winter. Even though I went when there was little snow, the lights were beautiful and we had a great time. I recommend going later in the year because the snow would have added so much to the already magical experience. Make sure to remember to dress warmly.
One thing I didn’t love about it was there was some ice on the sidewalks that made it kind of hard to walk around without slipping and I don’t think they salted the walkways yet. It was advertised to have a lot of vibrant lights but when I was there it seemed like they had fewer lights set up. There were a lot of dark parts that I think could have held more decorations and added more to the overall experience. Some parts of the show had more lights than others and the brighter parts kind of drowned out the other less bright attractions.
Overall, they did a good job with the setup and how they planned the path to take. I had a great time seeing all the lights they had put up and can’t wait until the next time I can go and hopefully, there will be more snow.
Winter lights at the Arboretum Gardens: ★★★★☆
