A Guide to Holiday Lights in SC

One of the things my mother loved during the Holiday season was going out to look for Christmas lights. We would all load up in the station wagon and go out looking for lights.

My brother’s family and my family have continued this tradition in our own way. Every year my brother brings his family, and we visit the Lights before Christmas at the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens. It never fails to delight. We sip cocoa and walk through the lights with our children and often reminisce about those times when we rode all over our small town looking for the best light displays.

There’s no shortage of light displays here in the Midlands and the surrounding areas. Get out there and create your own holiday traditions!

Anderson Lights of Hope at Darwin Wright Park

1000 Anderson Beach Blvd, Anderson, SC 29621

This year is the biggest yet with 3.5 million christmas lights and a larger Santa village than ever before. You and your family can enjoy the Marching Soldiers, the Dancing Ballerina, the Nativity Scene, and explore the magical Santa’s Village.

• November 27-December 26
• $8 per car/$10 Church van/ $20 bus
• 5:30-11 p.m
• Proceeds benefit local charities
• Driving Tour and holiday market

Celebrate The Season Holiday Driving Tour at Santee Cooper

1 Riverwood Drive, Moncks Corner, SC 29461

This Holiday Lights Driving Tour features dozens of brilliantly lit displays, supported by local businesses and organizations, which are sure to delight children of all ages. The weekend Holiday Fair is a place where families and friends can delight in some spirited fellowship set against the beautiful natural surroundings of the Biggin Swamp and the Tailrace Canal.

• November 28-December 29
• $5 per car
• 6-9:30 p.m.
• All gate proceeds benefit charities serving Berkeley County
• Driving tour and Holiday market
• Dress appropriately for the weather and for some walking

Children’s Garden Christmas & Kids’ Walk at Edisto Memorial Gardens

Riverside Drive, Orangeburg, SC 29115

The Children’s Garden Christmas, a drive through display located in the beautiful Edisto Memorial Gardens, hosts thousands of lights including still and animated displays such as Old Man Winter, a river boat, Santa and his elves, a Nativity Scene, and more than 60 lighted cherry trees. Enjoy a stroll through the Kid’s Walk which features interactive displays including a hopping bunny, a squirrel running up a tree, and colorful Christmas trees. Be sure to visit the Twelve Days of Christmas display during your time on the walk.

• November 24-January 1
• Free
• Open 5-10 p.m. (kids walk open from 5-9 p.m.)
• Part Driving and part walking

Christmas in Hopelands

 135 Dupree Place, Aiken, SC 29803

The gardens are illuminated with over 100,000 lights during this free event. This spectacular walk-through exhibit features over 1.5 miles of lighted pathways and holiday displays.  In addition, many special events take place each evening.

The Rye Patch Reception Center hosts a select few local artisans who display and sell their hand created treasures each night during Christmas in Hopelands. The Rye Patch is also a destination for fun holiday activities for children. On select nights, Santa or Mrs. Claus visit the Rye Patch to visit with children. Children are encouraged to make a craft to take home or write a letter to Santa. This free activity requires parents to accompany their children at all times.

Each evening of Christmas in Hopelands, holiday entertainment is provided by local schools, community groups, and church choirs. We will also show outdoor movies on two select evenings. Concerts and movies begin at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted, and are held on the Roland H. Windham Performing Arts Stage. Spectators should bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit on.

• December 12-15, 18-23, 26-27
• Free but donations are welcome
• 6-9:30 p.m.
• Walking Tour

Dove Street Festival of Lights at Shelter Cove Towne Centre

Lights will illuminate the shops and restaurants at Shelter Cove Towne Centre, the soon-to-be shopping hotspot on Hilton Head. This year, visitors can actually get out of their car and enjoy all of the lights and festive fun up close, including entertainment in the plaza off Shelter Cove Lane.

• December 1-January 4
•  6-10 p.m.
• Free but donations will be accepted
• Walking tour

Fantasy of Lights at Swan Lake Gardens

822 W. Liberty Street, Sumter, SC 29150

Part of Sumter’s annual Poinsettia Festival, see Santa and enjoy holiday entertainment, refreshments and more! And kids, remember to bring your letters for Santa! The Santa Express will be there to send them straight to the North Pole! Be amazed as the sun goes down and the gardens come alive with breathtaking light displays symbolizing the holiday season as well as seeing some of our favorite cartoon characters! See Blues Clues, Barney, Bob the Builder, Sponge Bob, Dora the Explorer and more!

• December 1-31
• 6-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 6-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday
• Free
• Driving Tour

Florence Festival of Lights at Hoffmeyer Place

2441 Hoffmeyer Road, Florence, SC 29501

This premiere light display and holiday event will be fun for the whole family on Friday and Saturday evenings for the first three weekends in December. You will be mesmerized by the beauty of the holiday lights as you drive through Hoffmeyer Place.

• December 5-6, 12-13, 19-20
• 5-9 p.m.
• Admission is $10 for car, $15 for van and $30 for bus
• Benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
• Driving Tour

Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park

871 Riverland Drive, Charleston, SC 29412

Featuring over 700 displays and two million lights, the Holiday Festival of Lights is a cherished holiday tradition for many families throughout Charleston and beyond. The Holiday Festival of Lights has been recognized around the country and the world. It was featured as the only U.S. event in Moscow’s Festival of Festivals, Coastal Living recognized it as “One of the Top 10 Holiday Celebrations,” the American Bus Association ranked it as “One of the Top 100 Events in the Nation,” and it was most recently named one of the “Top 20 Events in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society.

• November 14 -January 1
• 5:30-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30-11 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
• Admission:  Vehicles holding 1-15 people-$15, 16-30 people $40, more than 30 people-$100
• Driving Tour, Santa’s Sweet Shoppe, Victorian carousel

Holiday Lights on the River at Saluda Shoals Park

5605 Bush River Road, Columbia, SC 29210

Saluda Shoals Park will come alive in a blaze of more than a million sparkling lights. Holiday Lights on the River features over 400 themed, animated light displays on a two-mile loop of the Park! Enjoy the Dazzling Dancing Forest with its dancing, lighted trees synchronized to classical and whimsical holiday music. See the three dimensional Victorian Village, Old Man Winter, the holiday classic Twelve Days of Christmas and so much more, all in sparkling lights.

• November 26-December 31
• 6-10 p.m.
• Admission: $15 for cars, $25 for vans, $40 for busses
• Driving Tour, Santa’s shop, hayride, walking trail and more

Lights Before Christmas at Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens

500 Wildlife Parkway, Columbia, SC 29210

Nearly one million twinkling lights, countless animated images, dazzling Music in Motion Lights Spectacular, nightly visits with Santa (on-site beginning at 6:00^pm each night through December 23), warm memories and holiday cheer around the Jingle Bell Bonfire; hot cocoa, marshmallows and other festive foods available for purchase

• November 21 – December 30 (closed November 27 and December 24-25)
• 5-9 p.m.
• Admission: $8 Children, $10 Adults, younger than 2 free
• Walking Tour

Nights of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens

1931 Brookgreen Drive, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

See Brookgreen Gardens come to life amid the soft glow of more than 5,500 hand-lit candles and countless sparkling lights. Walk the paths with a warm cup of cider, hear sounds of hand bells ringing, carolers singing and celebrate the season with family and friends. This year’s most exciting new feature is the 80-foot-tall Holiday Fir tree decorated with 60,000 lights. Other new highlights include the Peppermint Forest in the Children’s Garden, the Ice Garden in the Lower Left Wing garden and the addition of a garden by candle light.

• December 4-6, 11-13, 18-20
• 3-10 p.m.
• Admission: Children 3 and under free, 4-12 years old-$10, Adults-$16 until November 30
• Walking Tour

Lights on South Dixie

637 S Dixie Road, Wagner, SC 29164

A lighted hayride drives through acres of large, beautiful Christmas light scenes and the one of a kind Nativity scene that is breathtaking! Concession and smores fire pit!

• November 28-December 24
• Open Wednesday and Friday-Sunday 6-10 p.m.
• Admission: $6 Adults, $3 Kids 3-12, 2 and under free (cash only)
• Lighted hayride

Neighborhoods Lights to Visit in and Around the Columbia Area

In Lexington

• Mallard Lake Drive
• Liberty Farm Blvd (The Farm Subdivision)
• Torrey Glen Drive (Martin’s Grove Subdivision)
• River Birch Drive (Westbrook Subdivision)
• Dupre Mill Road (Parkside Subdivision)
• Mill Wheel Drive (Millstream Crossing Subdivision)
• Crepe Myrtle Circle
• Hope Ferry Road

In Columbia and the Northeast

• Long Creek Plantation
• Lake Carolina
• North Springs Subdivision

West Columbia

• Brookdale Subdivision
• Hamlet West Subdivision

Where is your favorite place to visit holiday lights?