Holiday Light Displays in Cary, North Carolina

As Christmas draws closer in this time of recession, many people want to get into the Christmas spirit without spending a lot of extra money. One great way to do that is to take advantage of opportunities to view holiday light displays that people have set up in the area within easy driving distance. In Cary, North Carolina and areas surrounding, there are several of these holiday light displays to see. Here are some of the best ones that I have found.

Starting directly in Cary, North Carolina, there is a wonderful display right off of the Cary Parkway. This is a private residence with a magnificent light display. There is a sign indicating that the radio should be tuned to a particular FM radio station, and, while parked in front of this residence, patrons of this holiday light display can hear Christmas music. This is a corner home, and can be viewed by turning left on Kilarney Drive off of the Cary Parkway. If you take a left in front of this home and continue down the cul-de-sac, a number of other homes have set up holiday light displays, as well.

Another popular set of holiday light displays are across town, but still in Cary, North Carolina. Driving further down the Cary Parkway, and then turning off on High House puts drivers wishing to view holiday light displays directly past one of the best-decorated neighborhoods in Cary: Wellsley. Turning down Widdington Lane and maneuvering throughout this neighborhood gives those anxious to see some wonderful holiday light displays quite an eyeful. There is no one particular house to be on the lookout for in here, but the people of this neighborhood have included everything from magnificent lights to oodles of blow-up figures to bring the spirit of the holidays to the world.

Moving further along High House, crossing over NC-55 to Green Level Road completes this circuit of the best holiday light displays in Cary, North Carolina. Three homes along this stretch have decorated beautifully every year for Christmas. This year was no exception. The first is on the left and includes "trees" made of lights, wooden cutouts, blow up figures and many other festivities for the eyes. The second two are on the right hand side of the street. A sign in front of the second one noted that this would be the last year for them due to road expansion, so make sure to get out there in 2009!

Cutting across town to see the single best privately owned holiday light display near Cary, North Carolina is a trip well worth anyone's time. About a mile east of the intersection of Penny Road and Holly Springs Road, this address is actually a Raleigh address. Known as Happyland Christmas Lights, this home goes all out every year to create a winter wonderland full of absolutely amazing scenes. Look for the UFO and fire truck driven by the Grinch, and be sure to glance in the top right window for a peek at Santa himself! Many people stop and get out to view this amazing holiday light display, and the home owners often come down to hand out candy canes and converse. One clear weekend nights, a snow blower is brought in to create a true Christmas aura in this otherwise snow-free town.

If you want to see something slightly more professional, you have a couple of options. Although, unfortunately, the WRAL display of lights was terminated a couple of years ago, you can see lights at Pullen Park in Raleigh, as well as ride the train with Santa. This particular display occurs the second or third weekend in December and tickets for the train can be purchased in advance through the City of Raleigh.

One of the most popular holiday light displays is at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, North Carolina, just a short jaunt down the road from Cary. The Santa Train tickets need to be purchased in advance and take ticket holders through the outdoor sections of the museum, ending with a visit with Santa. These tickets are available through the museum's website at http://www.ncmls.org/visit/events/santatrain. They are sold out for this year, but look for them to go on sale next November!

There are quite a few options for viewing holiday light displays in and around Cary, North Carolina. Other neighborhoods that generally have good displays include MacArthur Park and Lochmere, but these vary from year to year. The holiday light displays I have listed here tend to be the most consistent must-see displays. Have fun!