The North Carolina Arboretum, a 434-acre public garden located just south of Asheville, will shine brighter this holiday season with the opening of its second annual Winter Lights holiday light exhibit. From Friday, November 20, 2015 through Saturday, January 2, 2016 from 6 – 10 p.m., visitors can walk through a three-acre tour of the Arboretum’s nationally-known gardens, which will be dressed in uniquely-lit displays and landscapes. Produced in collaboration with Jerry Stripling, former designer and manager of holiday decorations, special projects and events for Walt Disney World®, Winter Lights is designed with artistic aesthetic using special installations, which include more than 200,000 energy-efficient LED (light-emitting diode) lights.
New show features for the second annual event include a special animated 50-ft. tree placed over the Arboretum’s Johnston Pool, which will display a programmed light show every 30 minutes starting at 6:30 p.m. and ending at 9:30 p.m. The “Lights of the Season” Twinkling Tree is a structure dressed in 8,000 LED bulbs. Other event elements include a free children’s craft station inside the Arboretum’s Education Center, nightly holiday entertainment primarily performed by local area school and choir groups, and the Arboretum’s family-favorite exhibit, Rocky Cove Railroad, a G-Scale (garden scale) model train. The Savory Thyme Café is also offering a reservation-only holiday dinner buffet for Winter Lights ticketholders. Guests can make their reservations by visiting www.savorythymecafe.com.
In order to better serve larger families and groups, the Arboretum is hosting a special “Friends and Family” night every Tuesday during the exhibit. Tickets will be offered at a discounted flat rate of $15 per ticket. Additionally, the first 200 children to arrive on Tuesday nights will receive a free pair of 3-D glasses courtesy of the Arboretum’s Winter Lights community partner Black Orthodontics. 3-D glasses will also be available for purchase on other nights during Winter Lights and for those who do not receive a free pair on Tuesday. For more information visit the NC Arboretum website.
Asheville Macaroni Kid has been given a family four pack to award to a lucky family that subscribes to our free e-newsletter. To enter to win this package click here. A winner’s name will be randomly chosen the morning of Dec. 2.
