If ever there were a family that went all out for Christmas, it’s mine. We have an abnormally large collection of Christmas movies on DVD, we send out a hilarious family Christmas card every year and our house is always the most decorated in our neighborhood by a landslide. One of my favorite traditions we incorporate into our celebrating is our annual Christmas lights tour.
It usually doesn’t go far outside of the city limits of my hometown, but every year, we load up the car and drive around to find the most impressive light displays we can. We’ve seen stories-high Christmas trees, entire displays synced to songs on the radio and more inflatable reindeer than I’ve been able to keep count of.
I always love this time at home with my family, but if there’s one thing I could change about our tradition, I would make the tour a road trip to see the most extravagant displays our car could take us to. There are plenty of beautifully decorated Christmas destinations to visit in Arkansas, and if my budget for gas was not restricted to how much I needed between Arkadelphia and my hometown, here’s the top five places I would visit.
Harding
Though they may be one of our rival schools in sports, Harding University in Searcy is well known for its beautiful Christmas light displays. After a ceremonious lighting that much of the Searcy community attends, more than 100,000 lights illuminate the campus and stay on through the New Year. And while in Searcy, you can check out the lights at the town’s courthouse and downtown area as part of the community’s annual Holiday of Lights festivities. For more information on this, visit searcy.com/holidayoflights.
Garvan Gardens
This one may seem like a no-brainer to longtime Arkansas residents. The holiday lights at Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs are not to be overlooked. The display of over four million bulbs across approximately 17 acres attracts thousands of viewers from across the state every year. There’s complimentary hot cocoa and free holiday concerts held in the garden’s Anthony Chapel throughout the season. There is a fee of $6 for adults and $4 for children ages 6-12 to see the lights, but most who have seen the gardens for themselves would agree that it’s worth the cost. And with about a 45 minute drive from campus, this makes for a fun weekend outing with friends before you head home for the break. For more information, visit garvangardens.org.
Fayetteville Square
Northwest Arkansas is well known for its beauty year-round, and it only intensifies around the holidays. Each year, Fayetteville’s Parks and Recreation department decorates the city’s historic downtown square with more than 400,000 clear and colored lights. In addition to the display, spectators can enjoy hot cocoa, pictures with Santa, carriage rides and more.
Conway
In a tradition fairly new to the city, downtown Conway boasts a 54-foot-tall Christmas tree in its downtown square in addition to lights and decorations throughout its downtown area. Children can enjoy pictures with Santa and train rides, and attendees of all ages are invited to enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides and a Ferris wheel overlooking downtown, which is new this year.
Batesville
The White River in Batesville serves as the backdrop for this celebration in the city’s Riverside Park. The park offers a drive-through experience featuring thousands of lights, and it offers ice skating and carriage rides for those willing to brave the cold and leave their cars.
Amidst the stress and anxiety that this time of year can cause (looking at you, finals week), it’s good to take a few minutes to enjoy the beauty in simple things. This is certainly a crazy season, but it can be a refreshing and restoring one, too, and a quick trip around town to enjoy Christmas lights or a road trip to hunt down the most impressive light setup you can find works wonders for stress relief.
Katie Kemp, news editor
