Nights of Lights — Attraction in Saint Augustine

Review: Saint Augustine Night of Lights

Well, bless their hearts for trying, but I have never in my life experienced anything quite as stressful as the Saint Augustine Night of Lights. Everyone raves about how magical it is, but honey, let me tell you—this was a night straight out of a Southern mother’s worst nightmare.

First of all, let’s talk about the trolley. Oh my word. It was like being trapped in a never-ending game of red light, green light. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Over and over and over again. My nerves were shot before we even made it halfway through the display. The trolley barely crawled through the streets, and pedestrians were darting out everywhere like it was some kind of chaotic Frogger game. You’d think the city would have a better plan for all this mess, but apparently, crowd control isn’t their strong suit.

And then—the driver. Y’all, I don’t know what sort of qualifications you need to lead a trolley tour, but apparently “screaming at the top of your lungs” is a requirement. This man (or was it a woman? I couldn’t tell over the shouting) had the kind of voice that cuts straight through you, rattling your very soul. Every two seconds, it was “LOOK TO YOUR LEFT!” or “Y’ALL READY FOR SOME HOLIDAY CHEER?!” Well, no, I wasn’t, not after that! The constant yelling wasn’t charming or entertaining; it was downright exhausting. I get that they’re trying to keep the mood upbeat, but good heavens, it felt like a never-ending cheerleading routine shouted directly in my ears.

And the noise—sweet Lord above. The Christmas music was blaring from every direction like they thought we couldn’t hear it the first ten times they played “Jingle Bell Rock.” Combine that with the guide’s shouting and the loud chatter from fellow passengers who were also trying to be heard over the racket, and it was a full-blown sensory assault. If I have to hear Mariah Carey one more time, I might just lose it completely. Could we at least mix in some peaceful instrumentals? Something calming for those of us about to snap from the noise pollution?

But the sensory overload didn’t stop there, no ma’am. Between the flashing lights, the blaring music, the freezing cold, and the constant stop-start motion of the trolley, I felt like I was on some kind of Christmas-themed amusement park ride from you-know-where. The lights, while pretty in theory, were so bright and overwhelming that my eyes could barely keep up. Every corner we turned was another wave of glowing displays, blinking patterns, and reflections bouncing off every surface. It wasn’t magical—it was too much.

Oh, and let’s not forget the freezing cold. Now, I love a good brisk winter evening as much as the next gal, but this was ridiculous. I was bundled up in layers, clutching a blanket, and I still couldn’t feel my fingers or toes. The open sides of the trolley let in every icy gust of wind, making it feel like we were on a sleigh ride straight to the Arctic. And don’t even get me started on the poor pedestrians. They were shuffling around like popsicles on parade, trying to navigate the overcrowded sidewalks while snapping blurry photos of lights they’d already seen a hundred times.

By the time the trolley finally dropped us off—nearly three hours later, mind you—I was about ready to toss my Christmas spirit out the window. Sure, the lights are pretty, but at what cost? My sanity? My hearing? My ability to ever enjoy holiday music again? No thank you.

So, if you’re thinking about hopping on a trolley for the Saint Augustine Night of Lights, let me just say this: save yourself the trouble. Unless you enjoy gridlock, sensory overload, frostbite, and being yelled at by a tour guide who thinks they’re running the halftime show at a football game, you’re better off staying home with a cup of cocoa and a Hallmark movie. Trust me on this...

NOT just a night activity- Not from the area and decided to check this out on Christmas Eve. Arrived in town around 7pm. Parking and traffic: traffic was bumper to bumper . We Waited about 30 minutes to enter the parking garage. $20 fee. DO NOT park in the parking garage if arriving late or planning to be there after 7pm. Organization is terrible, you are directed to upper floors even if lower floor spots are available. We ended up on the top floor. Then when we were ready to leave there is NO one directing traffic, we waited over 45 minutes before we were even able to start inching toward the exit. Took us over an hour to get out of the garage. Very Poorly organized. $20 for the day and arriving early to stay the entire day and parking on ground floor is the only way this garage is worth it. Shops:Most shops were closed by our arrival time. Food: some food places were open with long lines. Streets were packed. Lights: lights along the river front were the best and wonderful to see.( which we could have just drove by these lights) The rest was just OK, mainly white lights just wrapped around trees and buildings. Not sure how this “night of lights” is world renowned. Wouldn’t recommend the trolly. Way over priced. Saw lots of carriages which looked fun. Over all- our intent was to walk around and view a world renowned light show, it was not the lights we were expecting , it was just ok. We spent more time trying to park and get out of the parking garage than we did viewing the light show. I would only recommend this attraction if you arrived early and viewed the historic sights of the city along with visiting the shoppes and making a day of it. This is NOT something to do just at NIGHT for a...

I’m sad to leave a 2 star review but this attraction has gone downhill. This was my fourth year (not consecutive) doing it and it wasn’t what I was used to from years past. I’ll start with the good. They have a great stroller system where they tag and hold your stroller for you while you are on the tour. We weren’t sure if we could have our stroller and how it would work so this should be mentioned on their website. It was much more organized than I have experienced in the past. The check in lines were clearly visible and marked with the tour times. My kids got candy canes while waiting in line and then we got warm apple cider and sugar cookies after the tour which I wasn’t aware of but a nice surprise. What didn’t work as well was the lack of holly jolly spirit. I have memories of the driver and all the riders singing out loud and being very enthusiastic and fun. I also remember hearing about the city a bit throughout the tour. I didn’t experience any of that fun this time. The only time the driver said anything was to ask people not to hop off the trolley but honestly I can’t blame them! The ride took much longer than planned - the traffic was terrible when we went. I know this is not controlled by the driver but they could have at least tried to entertain the guests through the holdups. It was so boring this year that both of my kids fell asleep. I should have saved my $70 and turned on Christmas music in my van and drove around. We won’t be doing this again. The Grinch and golf cart tours definitely looked...