5 Alabama Christmas attractions you’ll love
Here are five Christmas attractions in Alabama to get you in the holiday spirit. (Alabama News Center)
With the holiday season finally upon us, many families enjoy a visit to one of Alabama’s many seasonal Christmas attractions. After all, for many of us, it’s our only chance to see “snow” before Dec. 25 arrives.
Of course, the biggest challenge in planning a festive outing is deciding which holiday attraction the whole family will enjoy. So, we’ve put together a short list of some of our favorites, throughout the state. All we ask in return is that you put in a good word for us with Santa.
Christmas Nights in Lights can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own vehicle. (Sharon Steinmann / AL.com)
For a magical and immersive holiday lights experience you can enjoy from the comfort of your vehicle, take a drive through The Christmas Nights in Lights attraction at the Mobile International Speedway in Irvington.
The holiday event, which runs nightly through Jan. 1, sports more than one million lights, creating innovative displays that are fully synchronized to classic Christmas tunes you can hear through your car radio during the 1.5-mile drive-thru. Expect to see colorful, moving images of favorite holiday characters, including snowmen, elves, reindeer, nutcrackers, Santa Claus and more alongside Christmas trees, ornaments and other festive scenery made up entirely of LED lights. Plus, Christmas Nights in Lights features several full-wall displays and tunnels for an experience that’ll thrill the whole family.
Christmas Lights Festival at The Montgomery Zoo
Christmas Lights Festival puts the Montgomery Zoo in new lights. (contributed)
If you prefer a holiday attraction that lets you leave the confines of your car and see the lights up close, and even from above, check out the Christmas Lights Festival at the Montgomery Zoo.
During its annual holiday event, the Montgomery Zoo transforms into a winter wonderland nightly through Christmas Day. Take a leisurely stroll, an open-air train ride or a flight on the Zoofari Skylift through the zoo grounds. Guests can visit with Santa Claus and his elves, and walk through the Mann Museum’s Christmas Tree Village, which houses more than 20 Christmas trees decorated with hundreds of ribbons, lights, ornaments and more. Plus, check out live entertainment while enjoying warm cookies and hot chocolate at the Overlook Café.
Christmas in Candyland in Andalusia offers a variety of holiday-themed activities that children of all ages can enjoy, from its beloved child-sized village of play cottages to tubing on Polar Bear Hill and more.
The attraction, open weekends in December, began in 2013 with only nine interactive cottages. But after becoming a Christmas tradition for locals and visitors during the last decade, Christmas in Candyland has added more than 40 themed play cottages for children to explore, and offers “snow shows,” horse carriage rides, train rides, an inflatable maze, snow tubing, ice skating and other activities at its two locations. Guests can also visit with Santa (he gets around), meet Elsa from Disney’s “Frozen” and enjoy sing-along performances with some familiar faces during Meredith Miracle’s “Characters in Candyland” show.
Rickwood Caverns take on a different feel with holiday lights. (Joe Songer / AL.com)
For a holiday experience unlike any other, go deep at Wonderland Under Warrior at Rickwood Caverns State Park. While a cave might not seem like a very festive place to get into the holiday spirit, that’s only because you haven’t seen one decked out in colorful lights.
During the event, which runs through Jan. 1, more than 100,000 twinkling lights turn the cavern into an underground winter fantasyland that’s fun for the whole family to explore. Visitors follow a lighted path among the stalactites, stalagmites and other geological formations while enjoying colorful displays along the way. And don’t worry about the weather. Not only are you covered, the cave stays a comfortable 62 degrees year-round. And yes, Santa will be around at select times. Guests should note that there are about 30 steps involved in the walk, which is about a half mile in, and a half mile back out.
For more than 25 years, Galaxy of Lights has attracted guests of all ages to see Huntsville’s Botanical Garden turned into a holiday wonderland of interactive light displays, “snow,” music and more.
Galaxy of Lights, which runs through Dec. 31, offers walking, driving and even dog-walking options on dedicated nights, so guests can pick their experience. The attraction features traditional holiday scenery, such as Santa and his sleigh, nutcrackers and snowmen, as well as lighted tunnels, synchronized displays and interactive fun – including faux snow. And if you prefer running to walking, Galaxy of Lights hosts a 5K and 3K Fun Run through the grounds at night each year.
