For the last two years, Illuminations has made the USA Today’s list of Top 10 “Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights” displays. You could call it the premiere destination in the Midwest for Christmas holiday lights. Located at Botanica at 701 Amidon St, Illuminations is one of the must-see attractions during the holidays.
Illuminations is held in the main Gardens at Botanica. The one-way path is about a mile long with more than two million lights. It takes the average guest an hour or hour-and-a-half to walk through the full display. Illuminations include three different choreographed light displays that dance to music. In addition, there is an underwater scene in the Shakespeare Garden, the funky tree, candy cane lane in the Butterfly House, Santa’s Village, 240-foot walk-under tunnel, hot drinks, food trucks and much more than I could fit into one blog.
The event runs until January 1st nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will be closed, though, on December 24 and 25. Tickets to Illuminations cost $13 for non-member adults, $9 for members and children under 12 and free for children 2 and under.
Tickets must be pre-purchased via their website at www.botanica.org. This is important to note because no tickets will be sold at the gate. When you attend, everything is located at the South Gate Entrance.
If you’ve never been to Illuminations, here are some highlights at what to expect.
New this year at Illuminations is the Children’s Garden Light Show! In the Children’s Garden Meadow, 360 poles with a total of 6,000 lights move to the holiday music.
The carousel is also open. Ride tickets can be purchased for $3 per person. This is a must for us on every visit.
Santa’s also on hand for pictures! If your kids want to write a litter to Santa, there’s a mailbox to drop it off. Don’t worry, adults can write letters too. I’ll be writing one, Eddy needs a new MacBook.
And if you’re hungry or thirsty, there are food trucks, concessions and booze trucks on hand.
It’s a blast for people of all ages. And best of all, it gets you all in the holiday spirit which makes the best time of year even better.
For more on Illuminations, be sure to check out their webpage.
Have an event you would like for us to come cover? Email us with the details of the event. We are always open to suggestions on fun things to do in Wichita!
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