The holidays are a time for traditions: choosing the perfect tree, binge-watching all the Hallmark holiday movies, decorating gingerbread houses... and loading up the family to go see thousands of twinkling lights illuminate attractions, streets + Christmas trees throughout the Midlands.
We asked y’all watts up with holiday lights around Columbia – to help us compile destinations to include in your ultimate lights viewing guide.
We’ve got everything from neighborhoods converted to winter wonderlands, nightly events ft. Santa and lights that sync up to holiday songs.
Photo by @shannabans
To really get into the full festive mood at some of these locations, we suggest you cruise around these events + neighborhoods with the windows down, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” blasting through the speakers, and a thermos of hot cocoa in hand. 👌
Are you ready to get your Clark Griswold on?
✨Special events for holiday lights
Lights Before Christmas | Nov. 17-Dec. 30; 5-9 p.m. | Riverbanks Zoo | 500 Wildlife Pkwy. | $12 adults, $10 ages 2-12, free for children under 2 | one million lights, visits with Santa, parade + more
Holiday Lights on the River | Nov. 21-Dec. 31; 6-10 p.m. | Saluda Shoals Park, East Entrance | 6071 St. Andrews Rd. | $20 per car | 2.5 miles of over 400 light displays + activities to follow
Holiday Parade of Lights | Dec. 8; 5:30 p.m. | begins at Cayce Municipal Complex; 1800 12th St., Cayce | free | 100 floats with a combined one million lights
Elgin Lights | Dec. 15-24; 6-9 p.m. | 2433 Charlie Horse Cir., Elgin | free | antique tractors + trains; all donations go toward Camp Kemo charity
🏡 Neighborhood lights
Here are your suggestions on where to find neighborhoods, streets + houses who really have it going on in the holiday lights department.
📍 West Columbia | house on the corner of Norfolk + Hudson St. that does a “pretty good job”
📍Lexington | Hope Ferry close to Midway Rd. | “one house puts up enough lights to make it worth a little detour to see”
📍 Coatsworth | St. Andrews Rd. | right beside Mathias Sandwich Shop, Finsbury Rd. on the right | “my neighbor starts pulling out his decorations in October because he has that much and it takes him that long to set up his display. Come after Thanksgiving, his yard is transformed into a beautiful light show!!”
📍 Forest Hills | Sheffield Rd. | tune your radio to 97.1 to listen to music that goes along with the lights; “the original Christmas Tree Lane”
📍 Cross Hill | Arbutus Dr. | house with a lights show | “There’s a sign when you pull up that lets you know which radio station to turn on to listen to the holiday tunes sync’d with the lights, and there’s a donation box for a local charity”
📍 Forest Acres
- Shalimar Rd. | lights set to music
- Pinestraw Rd. | “There’s a house on Pinestraw that’s pretty epic”
- Sylvan Dr. + Shannon Springs Rd. | inflatables – “including one on the roof”
- Clemson Ave. | giant (“larger than most”) inflatable Santa
Linbrook Dr. - Stratford St. | “A.k.a. Christmas tree lane!”
📍 Forest Acres/Arcadia Lakes | “the leg lamp house”
📍 Lake Katherine | Portobello Dr. | holiday blowups
📍 Hollywood/Rosehill | along Saluda Ave.
📍 Five Points | Blossom St. | “driving down Blossom Street there are usually some nice houses”
📍 Earlewood | Earlewood Dr. | “There’s a house you can’t miss between Makeway Dr. + Sunset Dr.”
📍 The Woodlands Subdivision (NE Cola) | Valhalla Dr. | moving figures, inflatables + more in the yard | “they don’t get everything set up and turned on until about two weeks before Christmas. It’s well worth the wait though.”
📍 Wildewood (NE Cola) | Oakbrook Village Rd. | lights set to a radio station
See more •lit• neighborhoods in Lexington, West Columbia, NE Columbia + Irmo.