It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around Tampa Bay, with some neighborhoods lit up like, well… Christmas trees. And if your neighbor’s icicle lights and giant inflatable snowmen aren’t enough for you, you can check out Wild Wonderland at Lowry Park Zoo. Heck, the zoo will even give you some reindeer and fake snow – for a whopping $13 a person ($11 for kids).
But if you’re looking for some lovely holiday lights without quite so much hoopla (and without quite so high an admission fee), 
head over to Largo to the Pinellas Botanical Gardens. Every night through Jan. 3, for a mere $2 per adult (kids are free!), you can enjoy the Holiday Lights in the Gardens. No reindeer or fake snow, but there are thousands of lights throughout the gardens, and lots more.
Entertainment is provided every night of the week – click here to see the schedule. We were fortunate enough to catch players from the Suncoast Dixieland Jazz Society; you might happen upon a school choir, a singalong, a bell choir, and more. Santa is there each night until Dec. 23, and vendor booths offer snacks and seasonal drinks like hot cocoa.
The main attraction is, of course, the lights – more than 400,000 of them (many of them environmentally friendly LEDs). There are traditional Christmas trees, and light sculptures of butterflies, birds, alligators, and more. If you’re there on an evening when the sea fog rolls in, you’ll get an extra special show as the lights gleam through the mist.
If you have time, go earlier in the day and see the decorated houses at the adjacent Heritage Village, and explore the Botanical Gardens in the daylight – both of these activities are free. You may even want to check out nearby Wilcox Nursery (my favorite local native plant nursery) for a last-minute gift for the gardener on your list. Then head over to the gardens when the sun sets to enjoy the festive lights.
If You Go:
Photograph provided courtesy of Pinellas County Communications Department.
