Play: The Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach

On Sunday we headed out to The Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach with some friends. Let me just start by saying that the "Warm Beach" in the name really isn't that accurate. Boy, oh boy, it was not warm! But that's OK because it was lots of fun!

Do these girls look cold?

We decided to get there right when it opened in case it was busy. So we walked in a little after 5. I was really surprised that it wasn't too busy. It got a little more crowded as the night went on, but it definitely wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. This was a Sunday night, so I'm not sure how it is on a Friday or Saturday or on one of their "Pay What You Can" nights.

There is so much to see and do at this place. We started our visit at the petting zoo. After that we walked past the pony rides. The line was really short so we asked the girls if they wanted to go for a ride. I fully expected Finley would get scared and say no. (She only recently started going down slides at the playground. I think it's safe to say she's a little timid at times.) But the girls surprised us all and both took a turn on the pony. And may I just say that this was not a little miniature pony. It was taller than me. (Or at least that's how I remember it.) I was so proud of both of them!

After that we tried to raise our body temperature by walking around and looking at the pretty displays.

All of the displays were really impressive. (Unlike my attempts to photograph them.)

By this point we were freezing our buns off so we headed to Tinhorn Town for dinner. They have quite a few dinner options and their website says the prices are reasonable. (We did the super frugal thing and brought our own dinner so I can't vouch for that.)

We enjoyed our dinner while listening to a live country and bluegrass performance.

And the kids had fun playing with the ponies and Santa display.

After dinner it was time to hit the train! Grady was so excited for this part. The train takes you on a short ride around the grounds (and right past the elephant ears and funnel cake stand - you know what our next stop was!).

After our funnel cakes (yum!), we continued our stroll through the displays. This was my favorite tree, though again I just don't have the camera skills to capture it. Trust me, it was cool looking.

There were a few fire pits around that were very much appreciated by every one. Did I mention how cold it was? I think it must have been in the low 30's. The sidewalks were getting a bit icy by the end of our night. My recommendation is to dress warmly. And then put on few more layers. There were kids there with snow suits on and I don't think it was over the top at all.

Play, Stay Away or Just Okay
This was such a fun evening so it definitely deserves a Play rating. I used my HeraldNet deal on admission (no longer available) so that made this outing a pretty good deal. Normal prices are $15 for adults and $9 for kids 4 - 12 so it can add up if you're taking a big family. But it's a lot of fun and there's enough to keep you busy all evening. (We spent almost 3 hours walking around and still didn't see everything.)

If those prices are still a bit too much for you, you can always check out one of their "Pay What You Can" nights. They still have two more this month - December 19th and 28th. Or if you have an Entertainment book, you can print a buy one, get one free coupon from their website. Thanks to my friend, Beth, for that tip!

Like I mentioned before (over and over again), it was cold!!! Hand warmers and extra layers would have been nice. So just keep that in mind when you go. And have fun!

If you're looking for a light display a little closer to home and a little closer to $0, check out the Garden d'Lights display at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. Admission is $5 (or free for kids 10 and under). They also offer a bunch of free admission nights --- even better!