Do you still have that Christmas spirit?

Are you, after watching Lord of the Rings again, looking for something else to do?

If the answer to either is yes, then Garvan Woodland Gardens is waiting on you.

The botanical garden in Hot Springs had traditionally offered Christmas lights until the ongoing pandemic came along. The lights returned last year and are back bigger and brighter this year with nearly 6 million twinkling bulbs spread across a roughly 1.5 mile, one-way walking path through the gardens.

Last year’s display had a little more than 5 million lights, and the additions were noticeable on a pre-Christmas visit. Not just on the grounds of the garden, but there’s more lights in the parking areas as well.

The lights are really something. The garden’s rolling landscape, in combination with the lights, gives a layered look that defies description that is anything beyond pretty.

If you want to go, there’s still time as the lights are on and up until this Sunday night, New Year’s Eve. Hours run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Tickets are $20 and have to be purchased in advance, or, pro tip, spring for an annual membership. A dual membership is $75 and gets you into the gardens year around with no admission or waiting in some dumb line.

It also saves you a bit of money if you go back in the spring for the tulips

For more, or to buy tickets in advance, click here.