Holiday lights: 12 spectacular Christmas light displays across Raleigh, Triangle, North Carolina
As homeowners prepare to string up countless lights across their windows and sashes, we have a handful of Christmas light displays that are destinations and traditions for thousands around here.
Posted — UpdatedThe chill is in the air and the lights are about to be turned on at the region's biggest Christmas light displays.
As homeowners prepare to string up countless lights across their windows and sashes, we have a growing number of Christmas light displays near Raleigh and surrounding areas that are destinations and traditions for thousands around here. If I had some advice for light goers, get there on the early side or the late side to avoid the crowds.
Christmas Lights Across Raleigh and North Carolina
The show, which started more than 40 years ago, stretches across 30 acres with colorful lights and the story of Jesus' life complete with 20 custom mannequins in six different scenes. Admission is free. The lights are visible from the road, but you can take a train ride through more than 10 acres of the property for a better view. There's also a carousel. Tickets for the train are $3 and carousel are $2 each. Santa is there nightly through Dec. 24 for Christmas lists and photos. Pictures with Santa are $6. Personal cameras are not allowed for those Santa photos. Concessions are available, including a candy store with a huge selection of treats.
Admission is free for this display, which is best viewed in a lawn chair that you bring from home. The shows run between 30 minutes and 90 minutes and include lights synchronized to music and more. Nearly 400,000 twinkling lights are part of the display. Santa is there for visits from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays, until Christmas.
You can take a 30-minute Christmas hayride to enjoy the lights and Christmas music; visit with Santa; and treat yourself to some candy, hot chocolate, coffee, kettle corn and s'mores, which you can buy there and make in the picnic area. In the Sugar Barn, visitors can choose and buy cookies to decorate. Tickets are $9 for ages 3 and up. Get a picture with Santa using your own camera or phone for a $6 sitting fee.
The festival returns for a fifth year and will include more than 20 new displays, each one comprised of hundreds of parts and thousands of LED lights. Date specific tickets are $10 for ages 3 to 12 and $15 for ages 13 and up. Any night tickets are $20 a piece. Children 2 and under are free.
A homegrown display that's turned into a destination, Piper's Lights features more than 1 million lights. Visitors can drive through the display or stop for a quick train ride and to buy concessions and candy from a small store. It's free to see the lights and take the train ride (though donations are appreciated). You also can visit with Santa, enjoy some concessions and buy some candy and local holiday crafts.
Formerly known as Ten-Ten Lights, Fieldstream Farm features a drive-through light show with 1 million lights decorating acres of farm land. It includes an LED-lit tunnel of lights with more than 200,000 lights. Tickets are based on the number of passengers in a vehicle and start at $22.74 for vehicles with 6 or fewer passengers.
The evenings include a lighted walking tour through the general store and grist mill to see arts and crafts; a church to hear the Christmas story and enjoy some carols; a visit with Santa; a ride on the so-called Handy Dandy Railroad to see a movie on the birth of Jesus; and lights around the park. There also are pony rides and hayrides through the lighted woods. Tickets are $16 for adults; $5 for kids under 11; and free for kids 4 and under. Denton is about two hours west of the Triangle.
This is the 28th season for this very popular light show that features a five-mile route with more than 100 displays and 1 million lights. About 250,000 visitors attend each year. And there can be long wait times to get in - as much as four hours on a Saturday night, the website warns. But, I can personally attest, it's really beautiful. Evenings also include horse-drawn carriage rides, s'mores making, visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus and the opportunity to stay at the park in either your RV or at the park's on-site bed and breakfast. Tickets start at $15 for families, who come in a car, van or truck. Clemmons, which is near Winston-Salem, is about two hours from Raleigh.
Now in its 64th year, private homes across the town are lit up for the holidays. The event has received extensive media coverage over the years - and 600,000 visitors last year. You can walk or drive the 1.3-mile route through town to see the lights. On weekends, it can take 30 minutes to 45 minutes to drive the full route. The town recommends visiting on weeknights to avoid big crowds. McAdenville is just under three hours from Raleigh.
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