Arboretum plans drive-through winter lights feature

The North Carolina Arboretum’s Winter Lights holiday light show will be converted into a drive-thru show, allowing guests to navigate through a one-mile stretch of the Arboretum’s campus and see unique exhibits covered in thousands of holiday lights.

As the Arboretum’s largest fundraising event of the year, proceeds generated from Winter Lights will directly support the Arboretum’s mission-driven programming.

Designed with an artistic aesthetic, Winter Lights features beautifully lit displays and glowing landscapes nestled along the Arboretum’s woodland edge and garden areas. As part of the show’s redesign, visitors will enjoy several new nature-themed displays, including winter wildlife, colorful butterflies, a special insect lantern exhibit and a giant daisy “garden.”

Beyond this year’s safety measures, the Arboretum has also extended the show’s dates and times. Winter Lights will now be held November 20 – January 10, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. (incoming gate closes at 10 p.m.). Pre-sale admission is $25 per personal vehicle and $30 at the gate the night of the event. Arboretum Society members will receive $3 off pre-sale tickets only. Space is limited, and tickets will go on sale September 1.

The arboretum was established as an affiliate of the University of North Carolina System by the General Assembly in 1986, nearly a century after Frederick law Olmsted, the Father of American landscape architecture, first envisioned a research arboretum as part of his legacy and plan for George Vanderbilt at Biltmore Estate.

The arboretum is located at 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, south of Asheville.