Bellingrath Decks Halls With Dazzling Light Display

Bellingrath Gardens and Home is all decked out in holiday finery for its annual Magic Christmas in Lights. The 65-acre estate in Theodore, Alabama, boasts some 950 dramatic displays of everything from giant poinsettias to graceful swans floating on the water - more than three million lights in all. The whole family will enjoy this magical light show as well as the live choral performances scheduled nightly and performed on the home’s South Terrace. Supper will be served every evening from 4 to 8 p.m.   at the estate’s Magnolia Café, and Santa will be on hand for photos. The well-stocked gift shop offers plenty of one-of-a-kind items for holiday giving. Admission to Magic Christmas in Lights is $15 for adults (13 and older), $7 for children aged 5 to 12, and free for children 4 and under. The light show and a tour of the house is $24 for adults, (13 and older), $13 for children aged 5 to 12, and free for children 4 and under. Magic Christmas in Lights is open daily from 5 to 9 p.m. except for Christmas Day. Tours of the 10,500-square-foot Bellingrath mansion, built in 1935 by prominent architect George B. Rogers, begin daily at 9 a.m. and run hourly through 3:30 p.m. During Magic Christmas in Lights, tours end at 8 p.m. Discounted tickets are available online, and guests with pre-purchased online tickets do not have to wait in line for admission. They can enter the gardens through the Will Call Station. For more information and to order tickets, go to www.bellingrath.org. Magic Christmas in Lights continues until the end of December. Bellingrath Gardens and Home, located near Mobile, is easily accessible from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. For places to stay and lists of restaurants in the area, click on our Gulf Shores vacation rentals, Gulf Shores restaurants, Orange Beach vacation rentals, and Orange Beach restaurants.  

Published on Tuesday, November 27, 2012