A Full Season of Christmas Cheer with Midlands Light Displays in South Carolina

If you are looking to get in the Christmas spirit by enjoying some fabulous light displays, look no further. There are displays in the Midlands of South Carolina that fit every budget...yes, even FREE! And with a range of displays and activities for every age group, you can take the whole family.

Holiday cheer arrives in Sumter, South Carolina on December 1^st as the world famous 150 acre Swan Lake-Iris Gardens becomes a holiday winter wonderland through The Fantasy of Lights! All ages will enjoy the magnificent display of more than one million lights and one hundred lighted figures illuminating the lake and gardens as they come alive like magic!

Every Friday and Saturday night through December 22nd holds a special treat for visitors. Drive through The Fantasy of Lights to the North Pole to "Santa's Village" where the children can visit with Santa. There will also be refreshments for sale and live entertainment on these Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 until 8 p.m. Kids can also fill out their letters to Santa! With the Santa Express, the letters go straight to the North Pole!

This holiday display is open every night during December from dusk until 10 p.m. The best part about this holiday dream world? Admission is FREE. For more information, you can call the Swan Lake Visitors Center at 803-436-2640 or 1-800-688-4748.

Not too far from Sumter, The Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina will light up and sparkle with millions of lights in "Lights Before Christmas." This is one of the South's top displays with an all new Music in Motion Lights Spectacular!

The Holiday Village is filled with festively lit houses and you can even find Santa here! You can also find nightly snowfall at the Snow Palace entrance, warm memories and Christmas carols around the Jingle Bell Bonfire, and hot cocoa and marshmallows for purchase.

But I am most looking forward to The Polar Express 4D Experience now showing in the Riverbanks Adventure Theater. Show times during "Lights Before Christmas" are every twenty minutes beginning at 6 pm.

The display is open from November 23^rd to December 30^th from 6 to 9 pm, closing for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-12, and children under 3 are admitted FREE. For more details, call the zoo at 803-779-8717.

The Midlands largest drive-through light display is "Holiday Lights On The River." Saluda Shoals Park comes alive for forty-one nights this season with over three hundred themed lights displays over a two mile loop through the park.

There are new attractions to look for this year such as the Land of the Polar Bears, the Dancing Forest, and an expanded patriotic section!

But there are ten magical nights of fun between December 14-23 during the Nights of Wonder. You can take a ride on the Red-Nose Express Hayride or take a romantic trip through the park in a horse-drawn carriage. And for the little ones, the Saluda Shoals Choo-Choo will take them through the fantastic holiday display. They can even visit with Santa and have a special photo made to take along with them.

The Holiday Lights on the River display is open from 6 to 9:30 pm, November 21^st through December 31st. Admission is $10 per car, $20 per 15-passenger van, or $35 per bus. Call 803-772-1228 for additional Holiday Lights information!

Merry Christmas and enjoy the show!