A Visit to Brookgreen Gardens Needs To Be at the Top of Your Holiday List!

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I’ve always been in love with Christmas lights since as long as I can remember. There’s just something magical about them. One of my favorite memories from when I was younger was driving through different neighborhoods and looking at all the houses that were colorfully lit up for the holidays. Does anyone else feel like people just don’t decorate as much anymore?

Well, if you share my love for dreamy lights, hand lit candles, and Spanish moss-filled oak trees, look no further! All you need to do is visit Brookgreen Gardens during A Night of A Thousand Candles!

Brookgreen Gardens is located in Murrell’s Inlet, South Carolina (near Myrtle Beach). The gardens are encompassed by over 9,000 acres of local southern landscape and horticulture. There are also numerous reflection pools, sculpture gardens, and even a labyrinth.

During A Night of a Thousand Candles the gardens and sculptures are lit up by 5,500 hand-lit candles and hundreds of thousands of string lights. It is absolutely beautiful and like nothing that I’d ever seen before.

Floating candles in one of the many pools.

The event starts in the late afternoon around dusk. Once it starts to get dark, volunteers walk the grounds and hand light the thousand of candles. Even the candles in the reflection pools! (It was kind of funny to see people in giant wellies, wading out to the middle of the pool to light the floating candles)

One of my favorite exhibits was the reflecting pool in the sculpture hall. The entire pool was filled with real cranberries! I’m not sure on the history behind this practice, but it was definitely pretty. There were also white poinsettias and of course more candles around the edge of the pool.

Cranberries fill the pool in the sculpture hall

I decided to get the chicken bog and the fried shrimp platter because I couldn’t decide. Also pictured, one of my many cups of hot apple cider.

Oh, and you can’t forget the food! OMG, southern food is my weakness. I actually ordered two different dinner plates because I couldn’t decide which I wanted to eat. (Holiday calories don’t count – right?) Beer and wine are available throughout the grounds, but my drink of choice was warm apple cider, which I think I had about a gallon of…

In addition to thousands of lights and delicious food, A Night of A Thousand Candles also has live entertainment. Each night there is entertainment by different local bands, performers, and even bag pipes! I almost felt like I was back in Ireland for a second.

I lived in Myrtle Beach for five years prior to going to A Night of A Thousand Candles this year and I am absolutely kicking myself for waiting so long. I always thought it was more of a ‘couple-y’ date night activity, but its 2017 and I’m a strong independent woman who don’t need no man. Believe me, if you’re on the fence, buy the tickets! Its worth it! Even if you go alone – like I did 😊

Night of A Thousand Candles runs from the end of November though December. Tickets must be purchased in ad.vance they often sell out quickly so be sure to buy them as soon as possible! Brookgreen Gardens also offers a New Year’s Eve Stroll Under the Lights

More info on tickets and times can be found here.

Also, outfit details can be found here.