The University of Georgia Botanical Garden is preparing for its 2024 Winter WonderLights event, a Christmas-themed light show that has attracted thousands of visitors for three years in a row.
Located at 2450 South Milledge Avenue in Athens, the UGA Botanical Garden is a university-run conservatory open to the public for learning and enjoying local and exotic plant life. While over 300 acres of nature trails and space for several different types of gardens, the Botanical Garden explores plants of every season, but has also added the winter light show to attract visitors during the unpredictable cold season.
Though the lights are not currently on, visitors can still visit the gardens without charge during its normal visiting hours to enjoy the season-durable plant life and get sneak peaks of what is to come in the fourth annual event.
With approximately 60,000 tickets available on select evenings of the last week of November and throughout December, visitors can purchase tickets for $15 and choose any time between 5:30 – 9 p.m., giving visitors the option of seeing the lights at night or as it is getting dark.
“I went with my family last year, and we loved it. They put so much work into every detail. My niece loved the unicorn and Cone Tree Forest.” – Ashley Jones, UNG Sophomore and Kinesiology major
“I went to the show last year and absolutely loved it!” said UGA staff member and former UNG student Mary Jordan. “They had s’mores and coffee for sale so I could enjoy a nice hot cup as my husband and I walked the beautifully lit pathways. The parking shuttles went smoothly too and the lights did not disappoint.”
Visitors can expect to see strings of lights covering the ground, wrapped around tree trunks, and hanging in the air alongside giant ornaments and snowflakes dangling high in the trees. There will also be several different animals formed with Christmas lights and a tree approximately 30 feet tall.
In addition to Winter Wonderlights, the Botanical Garden is also bringing back the second annual WonderLights Disco Nights. Between Jan. 2 – 5, the light show will shift from the winter and Christmas theme to the upbeat and groovy feel of Disco to kick off the new year. Ticket times and prices will be the same for both events.
