Two East Texas Towns Outshine the Rest
East Texas- East Texans can see millions of lights in the Pineywoods this holidays season. Make plans this December to take a drive to Marshall or Athens where Christmas is in full swing! These two East Texas towns are guaranteed to outshine the rest this Christmas!
Marshall- The Wonderland of Lights in Marshall is a shining highlight for the Christmas season, as the original and largest Christmas festival in Texas. Anchored by the fabulously decorated historic Courthouse and its light shows and the largest open-air ice skating rink in Texas, Wonderland of Lights is a treat for the senses.
Every evening visitors arrive in Marshall to be awed by more than a million lights in hundreds of displays that showcase Marshall’s historic town square, choreographed light shows and the Street of Dreams.
Attractions such as the snow-tubing hill, horse drawn carriage rides, trackless train rides and a giant snow globe bring out the kid inside, no matter how old you are. This year Marshall’s Wonderland is going to be even bigger and better with added live entertainment, an additional ice skating rink, the world’s largest rocking horse, a “double-decker” touring bus, weekly celebrity chef cooking classes, laser light shows, an expanded Toboggan Mountain tubing hill and much, much, more.
Marshall’s Wonderland of Lights is free to the public and open daily from 6:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m., from now until January 4, 2012. Other attraction prices on site vary. For full schedule of events and the many attractions, please visit Marshall’s official website visitmarshalltexas.org
Athens- Every year, about 100,000 visitors travel to Athens from all over the United States and even other countries, to see the Christmas Park Land of Lights in Athens.
Christmas Park Land of Lights, family owned and operated, stretches over a mile through a wooded area on Northwest Loop 7 around Athens, transformed by the glow of millions of lights, tunnels and arches and a surprising array of Christmas scenes.
More than 3 million lights illuminate the jam-packed park. Scattered throughout the park are about 1,500 wooden Christmas cut-out characters. Christmas music appropriate to various holiday scenes plays on about 50 stereos as motorists pass. More than 50 objects are equipped with motion-controlled lights that make them appear to be moving. Every year, the park adds new scenes, new art and new music.
Visitors will drive under numerous arches and through at least five tunnels formed by Christmas lights. The longest tunnel, made of blue lights, extends 120 feet. Many scenes illustrate themes from storybooks, movies and religion or feature well-known icons, such as Elvis Presley and Humpty Dumpty.
The Christmas Park Land of Lights in Athens is open daily through Monday, January 2, 2012. The park opens at 6:00 p.m. and closes at 10:30 p.m. The park is located at 1500 NW Loop 7, in Athens.
Prices
Cars- $20
Pickup Trucks- $30
Commercial Vehicles- $30
Buses- $3 per person
For more information about the Christmas Park Land of Lights in Athens log on to christmasparkathens.net.