• Home

The Complete Pilgrim - Religious Travel Sites

Howard Kramer's, The Complete Pilgrim, Religious Travel Site

  • AMERICAN RELIGIOUS SITES
  • CHRISTIAN SITES
  • JEWISH SITES
  • CATHOLIC SITES
  • ISLAMIC SITES
  • INDIAN/HINDU SITES
  • HOLIDAY SITES
  • CASTLES
  • BATTLEFIELDS
  • MOUNTAINS
  • NATURE
  • WILDLIFE SITES
  • PHOTO GALLERIES
  • ARCHIVES
  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CHRISTMAS LIGHT DRIVE-THRUS OF THE SOUTH

December 9, 2016 By Howard Kramer 2 Comments

Christmas light drive-thru displays are a relatively new phenomenon, but one which is growing annually in terms of both numbers and popularity of such attractions.  The concept takes the old neighborhood drive-by Christmas light viewing to a much more complex level.  In some cases this has become a massive undertaking involving miles of carefully designed, coordinated displays.  Most of the best known Christmas light drive-thrus can be found in the South, often sprawling over public parks or private resorts.

Fantasy in Lights

Callaway Gardens, Georgia

Web: www.callawaygardens.com/events/signature/fantasy-in-lights

Fantasy in Lights (callawaygardens.com)

Fantasy in Lights (callawaygardens.com)

The Fantasy in Lights display at the Callaway Gardens resort in west-central Georgia is usually counted as one of the top Christmas light drive-thrus in the United States and is often ranked first.  It debuted in 1992 with a handful of displays and has since grown to fifteen major scenes featuring eight million lights over a five mile course.  Scenes cover everything from the March of the Toys to Santa’s Workshop.  The latest addition, the Enchanted Rainbow Forest, is one of the best.  There is also a Christmas village with a nativity light display, Christmas market, and of course a Santa Claus meet-and-greet.  Fantasy in Lights generally runs from Thanksgiving week through the least weekend in December.

Magical Nights of Lights

Buford, Georgia

Web: www.lakelanierislands.com/mnol

Magical Nights of Lights (lakelanier.com)

Magical Nights of Lights (lakelanier.com)

The Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier, also located in Georgia, runs a very close second to its rival at Callaway Gardens, and thanks to its proximity to Atlanta may actually see more annual visitors.  Magical Nights opened in 1994, celebrating its 20th anniversary last year.  The main drive-thru runs an impressive seven miles and counts over a dozen major displays with millions of lights.  Among the unique displays here are the Dancing Holiday House and Christmas Carnival.  The holiday village here includes a live Nativity play and a small midway with rides.  Magical Nights of Lights generally runs from mid-November through the last weekend in December.

Holiday Festival of Lights

Charleston, South Carolina

Web: www.ccprc.com

Holiday Festival of Lights (tripadvisor.com)

Holiday Festival of Lights (tripadvisor.com)

The Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park in Charleston was arguably the first major Christmas light drive-thru in the South.  Debuting in 1990, it predated its rivals in Georgia by a few years.  It is regularly ranked as one of the best Christmas events in the South, and thanks to its accessibility to downtown Charleston one of the most popular.  Running over a three mile course, the Holiday Festival features hundreds of small displays and two million lights.  The festival has local traditions which include huge sand sculptures and giant greeting cards.  The Holiday Festival of Lights is one of the longer such events, running from early November through New Years Eve.

Speedway in Lights

Bristol, Tennessee

Web: www.bristolmotorspeedway.com

Speedway in Lights (bristolmotorspeedway.com)

Speedway in Lights (bristolmotorspeedway.com)

The Speedway in Lights at Bristol Motor Speedway in northeastern Tennessee is a dream come true for lovers of Christmas and Nascar.  Started in the mid 1990s, Speedway puts a twist on the traditional light drive-thru.  Instead of running through a forest or park, it runs the course of the Bristol Motor Speedway, one of America’s premier race tracks.  The four mile course includes a dozen traditional Christmas displays, with a couple of oddities thrown in, such as the Subway Symphony and Dinosaur Village.  Speedway in Lights generally runs from mid-November through the first weekend in January.

Southern Lights

Southaven, Mississippi

Web: www.southaven.org (municipal website)

Southern Lights (memphis.about.com)

Southern Lights (memphis.about.com)

Southern Lights in Southaven is among the best of the smaller Christmas-light drive thru attractions.  Located in northern Mississippi just outside of Memphis, this holiday tradition was founded in 2000 and has been at its current location since 2003.  The 1.2-mile course boasts more than a million lights in displays that include the locally popular Christmas Tree Farm as well as the latest favorite The Night Before Christmas.  Southern Lights runs through the holiday season from Thanksgiving Day thru New Years Eve.

Filed Under: Articles

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    December 14, 2016 at 10:33 am

    When Alex and I were house hunting in Houston, we came across a listing that said it included Christmas lights. We thought that was a strange thing to say in a Real Estate listing, but turns out that the subdivision (Prestonwood Forest) actually required (or strongly requested) all homeowners to put up some sort of outside Christmas/Holiday display. And they’ve been doing this for 39 years! Apparently, during the month of December, thousands of people drive through the subdivision to check out the lights and festivities,

    Reply
  2. Tara says

    December 12, 2016 at 5:32 am

    When I was visiting Oklahoma I was staying in Broken Arrow right when Rhema’s lights opened. They are another must see. http://www.rhemalights.org/

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

THE COMPLETE AMERICAN PILGRIM – NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON

THE COMPLETE PILGRIM

Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

Site of the Week

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

WITTENBERG CASTLE CHURCH

Wittenberg, Germany The … [Read More...]

Friends of TCP Spotlight

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

5 PLACES TO VISIT IN HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA – MUSLIM TRAVEL ROCKS

by Glory Ali The City of Brotherly Love offers tons to see and do and get this, it’s FREE. That’s right you heard it right it’s FREE. Click here for complete article  

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

MOVING THE U.S. EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM – FAITH IN FAITHS

by Mary Neuhauser President Trump recently announced his intentions to move the United States Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, thereby recognizing Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. The purpose of this article is to give you a brief overview of what this decision means and why it matters. Click here for […]

Photo of the Week

BASILICA OF ST. DENIS

Last month, I visited one of the most fascinating churches I have ever been to, the almost completely ignored Basilica of St. Denis in the northern suburbs of Paris.  Almost every French monarch is buried here, and almost nobody goes here.  Here are some pics I took:

Basilica of St. Denis

Tomb of Clovis

Tomb of Clovis

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tombs of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Tomb of Louis XIV The Sun King

Royal Tombs

Royal Tombs

The Crypt

The Crypt

 

 

 

 

Follow us!

Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

Return to top of page
Copyright © 2023 The Complete Pilgrim, LLC || Marietta, GA 30068 || Legal Disclaimers

Website by: Kristina McInerny, Notes From Kris, Inc.