By Casey Phillips
Staff Writer
Sure, the rocks are nice, but for most of the year, one of the biggest selling points of a visit to Rock City is the thousand-dollar view from Lover's Leap.
That usually means keeping your fingers crossed for pristine, sunny viewing conditions. After all, seeing seven states at once is awfully hard to do at night.
If you go> What: Enchanted Garden of Lights.> When: 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, through Saturday, Jan. 3 (closed Christmas Eve but open Christmas night).> Where: Rock City Gardens, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, Ga.> Admission: $19.95 adults, $11.95 ages 3-12 Sunday-Wednesday; $22.95 and $12.95 Thursday-Saturday; $10 additional charge to add daytime Rock City tour (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.). Some secondary activities have a surcharge.> Phone: 706-820-2531.> Website: www.seerockcity.com
But for six weeks each fall, the gardens only truly shine once the sun goes down. During the Enchanted Garden of Lights celebration, guests can view dozens of themed light displays illuminated by hundreds of thousands of LED bulbs.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Enchanted Garden of Lights, and it has become, in no uncertain terms, one of the park's flagship special events, says public relations manager Meagan Jolley.
"It's the only one we've had that's gone on that long," she says. "It's gotten more popular as the years have gone on, and it's become a tradition for a lot of people.
"There's no other place like Rock City, so it's beautiful at any time of year, but adding hundreds of thousands of lights makes it so much better."
Guests to the Enchanted Garden walk through the gardens much like they do during a day tour, but the familiar geological formations transform under the glow of so many bulbs. The walking path is also dotted with dozens of themed exhibits that feature complicated displays that blink to illustrate movement.
Although this year marks a significant milestone for the event, Jolley says guests will not notice any major overhauls of the tested formula. There are a few new attractions this year, including a newly illuminated entrance plaza and a Dancing Forest filled with "many, many trees" that Jolley says have been illuminated with twinkling lights that give them the appearance of gracefully swaying along to a holiday-themed soundtrack.
In addition to the titular lighted displays, guests will be able to engage in the usual crop of secondary activities, which range from cookie decorating and pictures with Santa Claus to concerts at the North Pole Lodge and a chance to warm up at fire pits situated throughout the gardens.
For the last few years, Jolley says, the Enchanted Garden has attracted about 50,000 visitors on its own. Some have even turned the event into a holiday tradition.
"We hear story after story of people who come back every single year," she says. "It's just so festive. It's kind of the perfect Christmas event. Everything about it puts you in the Christmas spirit."
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.