Along with an explosion of Christmas happening in the Montgomery area this month, there are a lot of joyful times to be had in cities across Alabama — festivals, drive-thru light shows, and chances to sneak a last minute wish list in with the jolly man in red. In the spirit of the season, we’re presenting 12 road trips of Christmas in Alabama that are each easily doable in a day — though you could also make it a weekend.

Christmas in Candyland: Outside of the North Pole, you’d be hard pressed to find a city with more Christmas spirit and fun than Andalusia, with their beloved Candyland Village in the downtown Court Square, and Springdale on Ice about a half mile away at 505 E. Three Notch St. Admission is free to both: Kids can play in the Candyland Cottage Village, enjoy the rare sight of snow in Alabama, see pretty Christmas lights and decorations, visit with Santa and meet many of your favorite animated characters, and take a train ride on the Springdale Express. You can also go ice skating ($5 rentals) and snow tubing ($1 per slide). 

Hey Day Holiday: Dec. 7-Jan. 4 — The green space outside Hey Day Market, 211 S. College St., Auburn, has a giant Christmas tree, ice skating, and snow every day at 5 p.m. Free to attend, but ice skating rentals and reservations required. They also have Christmas movie screenings every night at 6 p.m.

Auburn Gingerbread Village: Dec. 8-Jan. 1 — It’s an exhibit so tasty looking, you’ll want to eat it up. But you can’t, because then it wouldn’t be east Alabama’s largest gingerbread village display. It’s free to view at Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center, 205 S. College St., Auburn.

Opelika’s Very Merry Stroll: Now through Dec. 31 — Bring some hot chocolate and go for a free stroll through the living Christmas trees at 1100 Glenn St., Opelika.

The Farm at Rocky Top Country Christmas: Fridays-Sundays — About 20 miles outside of Auburn at 2910 Lee Road 145, Salem. Highlights: Christmas tree lot, train ride, Christmas sweater photo booth, nighttime lights, and many other activities. Admission: 0-23 months are free; 2-64 years: $12; 65 and up $7.

Lights of Noel: now through Jan. 1 at Birmingham Race Course — entrance at Winners Way. It’s Alabama’s largest drive-thru animated light show. Holiday lights synchronized to music. For a family vehicle, it’s $25 weekdays, and $35 Friday-Sunday. Open 5 p.m.-midnight.

Magic of Lights: 4599 Splash Adventure Parkway, Bessemer. Standard family vehicle price is $24 in advance. At the gate it’s $32 on weekdays (5:30-9 p.m.), and $35 on weekends (5:30-10 p.m.). Along with the lights tour, there are free photos with Santa.

Cullman Christkindlmarkt: Now through Dec. 23 at Depot Park in downtown Cullman. It’s free admission, but some activities have a fee. They have ice skating, Alabama’s largest Ferris Wheel, a Christmas carousel, train ride, alpine tubing, Santa’s village, artisan workshops, live music and more. Thursdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sundays noon-8 p.m.  Open 7 days a week starting Dec. 12.

Brightspeed Holiday Light Spectacular: Now through Jan. 1, at the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds, 5622 U.S. 231 South. There's holiday lights and other decorations, plus food trucks, Christmas carols, Santa ad more. $15 per family vehicle in advance, $20 at gate. 

Trawick’s Christmas in the Woodlands: 411 Boll Weevil Circle. Open Sunday-Thursday, 5-9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 5-9:30 p.m. Features millions of lights, homemade character cutouts, and inflatable decorations. The Trawicks have been putting this massive Christmas display together for decades. While it’s free to drive through, they accept donations.

Krieger’s Christmas Lights: Lights from this family-run Christmas lights destination at 3477 Locker Lane, Florence, are lit now through Jan. 1. They’re on every night from 5-10 p.m. Lots of lights, nativity scenes and favorite characters.

Christmas at the Falls: Now through Jan. 4 at Noccalula Falls Park, which is filled with sparkling lights and gorgeous views. Millions of lights shine on paths that wind through the park. Visit with Santa, take a train ride, and enjoy the food vendors. General admission is $10 per person Monday-Thursday, and $15 per person Friday-Sunday. Tickets required for  ages 4 and up. Ages 3 and younger don’t require a ticket. Tickets are only being sold online. Pick a time slot on desired date. No early entry is allowed, but guests may stay at the park as long as they like until the park closes at 10 p.m.

Galaxy of Lights: Now through Dec. 31 at Huntsville Botanical Garden. For 29 years, guests have explored the lights. It’s a unique mix of scheduled walking and driving nights. They even have a few nights when dogs are allowed. Prices vary, and members of the Huntsville Botanical Garden get discounts on admission.

Rocket City Christmas Lights Show: At Toyota Field, 500 Trash Panda Way— It has a mile and a half of nearly one million lights on display, with musical synchronization and a "Santa's Beach Party" theme. The drive-through Light Show is open nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 29. After the Light Show, walk into the ballpark for a Winter Wonderland with holiday activities, hot beverages, fire pits, character appearances, and visits from Santa. Passes are $30 per vehicle, which includes admission into the Winter Wonderland.

Christmas Nights in Lights: Now through Jan. 1 at Mobile International Speedway, 7800 Park Boulevard. It’s a 1.5 mile drive-through with more than a million lights synchronized to holiday classics right on your car radio. General admission for a family vehicle is $7 per person, with 5 or more people max price at $35.

Tinsel Trail: Now through Jan. 1, more than 200 live and beautifully decorated Christmas trees are on display for visitors to view for free at Government Plaza, 2106 Sith St. The trees are decorated by local residents, businesses and organizations

Source: The 12 Alabama Day Trips of Christmas: Road Trips You Can Do in a Day, or a Weekend Montgomery Advertiser (December 10, 2024) Shannon Heupel