There was always this one house in NJ that went all out, it was covered from head to toe in Christmas lights, and Christmas decorations, and the owners always sat out on front on Christmas Eve handing out candy canes to people, who came by. Granted, in NJ, we actually get snow, and Christmas tends to be anywhere from 30 degrees to 0 and below degrees, and occasionally we get snow and have a white Christmas, so we don't really have anything like The Festival of Lights that Texas has.
The Festival of Lights is a yearly tradition held at Moody Gardens from aproximentaly November 16th to about January 4th. It has more than 1 million lights within 100 sound-enhanced animated light display. There's also an ice slide, an ice rink, a bonfire, where you can toast marshmallows and make Smores, a train ride, and also you can visit Santa. Admission is about seven dollars, and the hours are usually from 6 to 10. On Fridays, if you bring a canned good, you can get a two for one admission special.
There are several different scenes within the Moody Gardens' Festival of Lights. The entrance has soldiers, and ballerinas, as well as a Menorah. There's an animated display of the nativity story with sound, music, and lights. It was working this year, last year, that section did not work. There's a Fairy Tale Forest, where there are characters from Fairy Tales such as Cinderella and Pirates. There's an Under the Sea section with fish and Spongebob and Patrick. There's a forest section with lots of different animals, and then the Christmas Village.
It's a lighted trail, about 1-2 miles. It gets very crowded. Last year, fiance and I went on a Monday right before NYE, and we didn't have much of a crowd. We also somehow walked half a mile more last year, we're not sure if it's because there was an additional section, last year, or we just parked further away. This year, we went on a Saturday, and it was VERY crowded. The plus side is that I met about 10 people in Street Pass for my new Gameboy 3ds, HELLO EXTRA LEVELS IN POKEMON X!!!! It was still a good time, I just prefer less people, there's more room on the pathways to walk. If you do go, I recommend, going during the week, and going later on in the night. Usually if you go between 8:30-10:00, there's a lot more parking spaces available and you don't need to park miles upon miles away, and it may still be crowded, but there will be less people than if you go at earlier hours. It is slightly colder at the FoL because Galveston is right on the water, and you get the breeze from the water, but it really is a nice time.
PROS: Pretty Christmas Lights, great opportunities to meet people on Street Pass for Gameboy 3ds, a great family outing, lots of people willing to take pictures for you if you take pictures for them, they don't neglect Judaism [that one Menorah means a lot], and it really is a nice time with friends or family.
CONS: Having gone both this year and last year, the lighting displays were exactly the same, there was no variety between the lights from last year and this year. Lots of People on Weekend Nights, so it can get very crowded. Moody Gardens has plenty of parking, but when it is crowded, you may park far away.
OVERALL: Definitely worth going to, especially if you've never been there before. Moody Gardens also has a lot of other stuff you can also. There's an Aquarium Pyramid, which I have been too before, and is definitely worth a visit. There's this one area of the aquarium, where it's like you're underwater because the fish are swimming above and next to you, if you've ever played Final Fantasy VII, it's a lot like Junon Underwater Reactor, and is pretty cool. There's a Rainforest Pyramid, which I've never been too, so I can't give any personal recommendations for, however it is humid in there, so if you have frizzy uncontrollable curly hair like me, be forewarned. There's also a little water park called Palm Beach, with a few water slides, a wave pool, and a lazy river, but obviously it's not open until Spring/Summer, so Moody Gardens is worth a visit, there is tons to do, especially for a family, or a bored couple, who have nothing better to do over their Christmas/Spring break.
Anyhow, onwards to the Festival of Lights pictures.
DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER, I'M A GIRL, WHO LOVES HER DIGITAL CAMERA, I TAKE THESE PICTURES FOR FUN AND ENJOYMENT, AND MAKE NO PROFIT FROM THEM.
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