7 best places to see holiday lights in Alabama

With the holidays just around the corner, things are about to get much merrier and a whole lot brighter. Longer nights play inky backdrop to cascades of twinkling lights, giant menorahs, and flickering candles. Whether it’s tasteful displays of yore or over-the-top spectacles that would put Clark Griswold to shame, winter in the Yellowhammer State is going to be lit. And these are some of the very best places to enjoy holiday lights in Alabama. 

Larger-than-life displays and immersive light experiences attract visitors to the Galaxy of Lights, which transforms the paths and hills of the Huntsville Botanical Garden from mid-November through the New Year. Festivities include music, faux snowfall, and special nights dedicated to dog walkers. A 5K run and a family-friendly 3K run round out the fun. It’s no wonder the holiday extravaganza draws fans from across the region.

This year, walking nights take place November 11–27 and December 17–January 1. Or pile into the family car December 1–16 and cruise past dazzling displays, such as fairy-tale castles, candy canes, and towering toy soldiers. Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended.

An already dramatic landscape gets a major glow-up with millions of lights strewn from trees, over bridges, and around mirror ponds at Christmas at the Falls in Gadsden.

Take a twinkling pathway to the North Pole, where Santa awaits in his photo-friendly workshop. Or time a visit for a pond-side light show synchronized with Christmas carols. Kids and kids-at-heart won’t want to miss the petting zoo or the mini-train that zips riders through 25 acres of the 500-acre Noccalula Falls Park for a conductor-narrated tour of the spectacle.

Tickets to this family-favorite event go on sale online November 1. The lights switch on November 24–January 1. Adults, $8–$10.

Whether it’s the warmth of historic homes bathed in candlelight or the cheeky, light-up animations drifting by on boats, tiny Demopolis radiates outsized wattage during the holidays. Four days of festivities, dubbed Christmas on the River, culminate with Alabama’s original nautical parade, a nighttime procession of pontoons decorated with luminous elves, sweet treats, and toys that float along the banks of Lake Demopolis. Don’t miss the fireworks that follow.

All told, a supersized daytime parade, band concerts, tours of landmark homes decked in period decor, and a barbecue cook-off draw a crowd of 25,000 people every year, more than quintupling the town’s population. And the whole shebang, which runs November 30–December 3 this year, is produced by volunteers, says Kirk Brooker, operations director of the Marengo County Historical Society. “We’re a small town with a big heart,” he adds. Most events are free.

For those who prefer lights of the stage variety, Montgomery’s Alabama Shakespeare Festival hosts the perfect holiday heart-warmer with It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.

Five actors portray a few dozen characters in this adaptation of the 1946 film, including an on-stage Foley artist who creates the play’s sound effects for the “radio audience.” Songs and quick character changes accompany the Christmas classic about Good Samaritan George Bailey’s impact on his community. “Audiences will love the inside-the-studio drama that goes on as the characters on stage present the show,” says Layne Holley, director of marketing and communications for the production house. “It’s fun for all ages.”

The curtain rises on the play December 2 and falls December 31. Tickets start at $25.

Leave it to coastal Alabama to boast palm trees that nearly outshine their piney brethren. The palms lining Winter at The Wharf in Orange Beach get the Christmas treatment during twice-nightly laser light shows at the outdoor entertainment district. Red and green spotlights flash over storefronts and LEDs dance up tree trunks in sync with holiday tunes starting in early December.

Carriage rides, vendor pop-ups, musical performances, and appearances by the Big Elf himself dot The Wharf’s Christmas calendar, too. And, lest the vibes lean too beachy, an on-site ice rink invites skaters to take a wintery turn or two November 11–January 16.

Softly lit Santa and angel figures and vintage toys grace Opelika’s northside historic district for 5 festive evenings each year in early December. The Victorian Front Porch Christmas Tour pays homage to its namesake era with 60 lavishly decorated homes spread over 10 city blocks.

Self-guided routes are available evenings from December 9 to 13. Roads close to traffic December 10, when lawns and verandas come alive with carolers, handbell ringers, residents in period costume, and other merrymakers on the stroll. Dive a little deeper into the Christmas spirit with a horse-drawn carriage ride (advance ticket purchase required). Free.

Set the night ablaze and kick off Hanukkah celebrations with the Grand Menorah Lighting at The Summit in Birmingham, where a towering, 12-foot-tall candelabra lit via blowtorch takes center stage. Local Jewish community groups come together each year to throw the epic party, which features music, performances, kids’ activities, and—of course—fried foods (latkes, anyone?) in a carnival-like atmosphere.

This year, Hanukkah’s 8 nights take place December 18, and include other family-friendly events in the area, such as a car parade to wrap up the wintertime festival on December 26, when dozens of vehicles topped with magnetized menorahs will parade down the streets of Birmingham. “It’s a way for our kids and our community to share the lights of Hanukkah,” says Mushka Weinbaum, an organizer with Chabad of Alabama. “It’s really beautiful.” Free.

Travel writer and guide author Jessica Fender made this list and checked it twice. Follow her adventures from New Orleans to the North Pole at travelerbroads.com.