Every year at the beginning of December, hundreds of thousands of holiday lights and decorations pop up worldwide. Whether you are looking for lights, ice cycles, inflatables, Christmas trees, or nostalgic molded plastic decorations, in Cobb County, we have many options!
“A great place to look at lights is Life University!” said Carl Eskew. (12) Life University is located at 1269 Barclays Circle, Marietta, Ga 30060. Life University hosts a drive-through holiday wonderland! They have everything from lights to a petting zoo to a train ride and pony rides! They even have concession stands and s’mores-making areas! Buses cost $20, and cars/trucks are only $10! Life will have its lights up until December 31st, so make sure you check it out while you can! They are open from dark until nine at night on Sunday through Thursday and dark until ten on Friday and Saturday. You can find more information at https://www.life.edu/lights-of-life/.
Another place to see lights is the Atlanta Botanical Gardens! The Atlanta Botanical Gardens is located at 1345 Piedmont Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30309. Tickets cost $22.95 per person, and they are open from 5 in the evening until ten at night! This is their eleventh annual Garden Lights, Holiday Nights show. The Gardens’ lights will be up until January 15th. While they don’t offer a train ride and petting zoo like Lights of Life does, they offer daytime viewings of the gardens! You can get more information at https://atlantabg.org/.
One website to check out to find lights and light displays is https://www.atlantaparent.com/christmas-lights-atlanta/. This website is excellent for people trying to find specific things. Whether that be a display in a particular area or depending on price, you can find it all on this website! They show you everything from collections where you can get out and walk through the neighborhood light displays to drive-through displays. Some even have donation boxes for local charities!
The Atlanta Zoo also offers a Chinese Lantern display, which is also very fun and beautiful to watch. The Atlanta Zoo is offering this display until January 16th. You can find more information at https://zooatlanta.org/event/illuminights/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=IllumiNights.
You can also venture to Atlantic Station, where you can enjoy trees, cafe lights, and animated videos, all to a soundtrack from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. You can even play in the snow! These lights will be open until January 2nd, so don’t miss out on the fun! Get more information at https://atlanticstation.com/event/atl-holiday-lights/.
Are you looking for more excitement? Then, head over to Six Flags for Holiday in the Park, where you can see more than one million L.E.D. lights, dozens of Christmas trees, and even visit Santa. You can even ride all the rides! Holiday in the Park will be open until January 2nd! More information can be found at https://travelcobb.org/event/six-flags-over-georgia-holiday-in-the-park/.
If you are looking for more than lights, Pettit Creek Farms offers a country Christmas complete with hayrides, Santa, his reindeer, and a live nativity. For more information, visit https://pettitcreekfarms.com/a-country-christmas-final/.
If you prefer to stay closer to home, check out the Cobb County Parks and Recreation Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt. Information can be found on their website https://www.cobbcounty.org/parks/events/virtual-scavenger-hunt-0.
And, of course, the Marietta Square is all dressed up for the holidays, as is the Smyrna Village. So enjoy dinner, shopping, and stay for the lights! Check out http://www.marietta.com/calendar-of-events and https://smyrnavinings.com/smyrna-vinings-events/ for more information about upcoming events.