The Gardens of Southeastern North Carolina — Attraction in Burgaw

My husband and I decided to give this a try on a Friday evening when we had no other holiday plans (a minor miracle). It was great! The drive from Wilmington took longer than it should have only due to the 5:00pm battle to get out of town - once on I40 it was an easy drive. All of the staff on site were super helpful, seemed to enjoy being there, and wanted us to have a good time as well. We had the wood-fired pizzas for dinner but also could have enjoyed the food truck on site that night. Plenty of beverage options, too, from hot chocolate and soda to wine, beer, and coffee drinks. The lights display was nicely laid out and small-ish but probably appropriate for the first year this is happening - staff told us that there are already plans to expand next year. We really enjoyed the "kids" activities halfway through the walk through the lights: there were 5 fire pits with fires blazing, Santa Claus is Coming to Town playing on the big screen, and a chance to make smores or munch on popcorn while sitting on big logs around the fires and watching the movie. We probably spent about 1.5 hours here and had a wonderful time. We'll be back next year, bringing family and...

Our family visited the Southern Lights for the first time last year. It began with quick and easy access into the gardens with a QR code as well as seamless and organized parking with attendants. We were in awe of the beautiful light show- with lights extending all the way up the tall trees. It was magical looking. We stopped to get hot chocolate for the kiddos and an adult beverage for the parents. There was a beautiful indoor bar and seating area as it was on the colder side that night. We wrote letters to Santa in here too .Picture opportunities with Santa, snowball fights, lighted mazes to run through, fire pits, s'more kits, and other snacks all at an affordable price were available. We took a fun hay ride around the gardens looking for elves. It was unique and animated! We ended with a pizza dinner! We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and hope to return this holiday season! Everyone was so...

We went to see the Southern Lights at the Gardens of Southeastern North Carolina. My experience at the Southern Lights Christmas show left much to be desired. Despite the $12 per person admission, the lights display was disappointingly short, taking only 5 minutes to stroll through. From the very beginning, the end was visible, and the entire experience felt rushed. Even though we tried to make the most of it by taking pictures along the way, the overall value was lacking. After driving 40 minutes from Wilmington, the underwhelming display made it clear that it wouldn't have been worth it even if it were free. What was intended to be a charming night out turned into a regrettable feeling of being robbed of our money. We would not recommend this...