Its official: the fall season is in full swing. All across the country autumn leaves are falling to the ground in assorted yellows, browns, and oranges and students everywhere have geared back up for classes. Perhaps your children are begging you for their favorite colored backpack or maybe driving you crazy with college financial aid paperwork. Either way, one thing is certain: Thanksgiving and Christmas break will be a much-welcomed time of relief from the stresses of the year. And what better way to spend time together as a family than on a vacation trip? This year, make Mobile, Alabama your holiday destination.
Bellingrath Gardens
Mobile offers a wide variety of Christmastime events and spectaculars, the most notable of which is certainly Bellingrath Gardens & Home (www.bellingrath.org). Since their 1972 property purchase and subsequent development of tourist attractions, the gardens have wowed visitors for many years. From nature walks, Oriental gardens, and Mermaid Pool to the favored Mirror Lake, observation towers, and rose gardens, any nature lover could spend hours marveling at the beauty of a vast assortment of gorgeous flowers, trees, and bushes. Throughout the year, the Gardens are host to a number of exciting, family-oriented events, including the Festival of Flowers, a Mother’s Day Evening Garden Concert, Easter Egg Hunt and an Easter Sunrise Service, several classic car shows, and the ever popular Earth Day Celebrations.
However, during the Christmas season, the Gardens host what has affectionately become known as “Christmas in Lights”, beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving and typically extending through New Year’s Eve. Countless tourists have been mesmerized by this spectacular display of well over three million lights, many of which are arranged in the formation of classic holiday symbols and icons. From Santa Clause, Mrs. Clause, and the elves to toy trains, candy canes, and Christmas trees, you’ll find lights in the shape of just about anything and everything.
Admission prices for the Christmas in Lights event vary depending on adult or children tickets and are as follows:
Adults (13 and older): $11.00
Children (ages 5-12): $6.00
Children Under 5: Free
Christmas Light tours combined with the Bellingrath Home Tour have different admission costs:
Adults (13 and older): $19.00
Children (ages 5-12): $11.50
Children Under 5: Free
Christmas at the Fort
As you may or may not be aware, Mobile is home to countless historical battle sites and artifacts, most notably the USS Alabama Battleship and Fort Gaines (see my article here: “Free & Fun Things to Do in Mobile, Alabama”). Dauphin Island typically hosts an annual “Christmas at the Fort” event, held at the historic Fort Gaines, where tourists can “experience the 1861 Christmas with the Confederate garrison,” (“Annual Christmas at the Fort: www.lasr.net), as well as partake in cooking demonstrations, candle dipping, and blacksmith exhibitions. Or, you may be content to have your picture taken with “Papa Noel” (Santa Clause), while your children craft together seashell Christmas tree ornaments. Either way, you’re certainly in store for an entertaining and educational Christmas experience.
So whether you prefer spending Christmas at home with the family or making a holiday trip to strengthen those bonds, Mobile is certainly home to plenty of events to exhibit the Christmastime feeling. Before you know, you might find yourself humming the tune to “Jingle Bells” along with the street carolers.
