Rock City is one of the most unique attractions that Chattanooga is home to, and the Enchanted Garden of Lights is perhaps it’s best event of the year. There’s certainly no better place to see Christmas lights in Chattanooga, that’s for sure. Visitors and locals alike are always in awe from their visits to the Enchanted Garden of Lights. A visit this year is even better since it is the 30th anniversary of the Enchanted Garden of Lights, with new areas lit up for visitors!
Important Details about Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights?
Rock City is located on Lookout Mountain, which, you guessed it, looks out over the city of Chattanooga. From Downtown Chattanooga it takes about 10-15 minutes to get to Rock City, which is just across the state line into Georgia. If you’re coming to Chattanooga for a weekend, then you could start your day at Ruby Falls and the other attractions on the mountain before heading to Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights in the evening!
The Enchanted Garden of Lights is a light display that transforms Rock City each year. Rock City is In 2024, the light display will run from November 15th to January 4th (with the exception of Christmas Eve). The gardens open up at 4:00pm each day, and close at 10:30pm most nights (11:30pm on peak nights). The last admission is 45 minutes before close, and tickets are tied to specific entry times. Don’t arrive too early for your window, or show up too late!
Santa also makes an appearance each year during the Enchanted Garden of Lights. However, in order to deliver all his presents he has to leave on December 23rd. If you’re wanting to get photos with him, make sure you visit before he has to leave for work!
Tickets are available directly from the website, and you’re encouraged to purchase ahead of time. They can sell out of slots during the busiest days/times. Prices are either $31 or $35 depending on if its a “peak” date or not, so take a close look at their calendar when purchasing.
What to Expect When Visiting
The Enchanted Garden of Lights at Rock City is a wonderful display that perfectly blends Christmas spirit with Rock City’s usual charm. While visiting at night can make it hard to appreciate the non-lighted aspects of the park, that unique charm still shines through.
For 2024, you’ll find five separate paths which have been lit up for the show. Each of the paths brings it’s own charm and design, so be prepared to do some walking! With this being the 30th anniversary of the Enchanted Garden of Lights, there are two new sections that are opening up. The first section is that the Swing-a-long Bridge will be opened for visitors, providing some of the best views in the entire park!
The second new section is perhaps the most exciting. Carter Cliffs will welcome visitors to the original home of The Carters, the founders of Rock City. This is where Santa will be located, and you’ll get a chance to see him and his team hard at work in their workshop located at the home. It’ll be a really unique experience, that I hope they’ll continue to bring back each year as this is an area normally closed to visitors.
Rock City does have some accessible areas. However, it was built well before this was a priority of any kind and does traverse the side of a mountain. Visitors need to be aware that there are stairs, inclines, and tight spaces which might not be navigable for everyone. The entrance does follow their main accessible path, which lets you get down to the Seven States Overlook and see the incredible views of Chattanooga and the area below at night.
My Experience at the Enchanted Garden of Lights
When we first moved to Chattanooga, we had JUST missed being able to attend the event. So, of course, I immediately put it on my to-do list of events for our first year in town. In fact, we bought annual passes in the summer to get free admission to the Enchanted Garden of Lights later that year!
The light displays totally transform Rock City. We had visited a couple of times during the day, but were in awe at how amazing it all looked lit up. I remember telling my wife that it was just so cool to see how much effort was put into making all the displays and stringing all those lights!
We arrived well after dark, which wasn’t that late since it gets dark pretty early in December. You can walk the paths in pretty much any order that you want, though most have a single direction of travel. There is also a suggested route, which we didn’t realize at the time and caused us to walk though one area twice.
I was pretty much in awe at every display, but there were a couple I really enjoyed a lot. Everything “underground” was really neat, being lit up in neon or fluorescent colors which isn’t the usual Christmas lights. I also liked the sledding snowman they setup, which was an “animated” series of lights that I managed to capture in a long exposure.
We really took our time when visiting as well. We ate at the restaurant on-site, got to meet Mrs. Claus, and enjoyed hot chocolates at the Seven States Overlook. It was honestly a perfect little date night for the two of us! We spent two and a half hours enjoying everything Rock City’s Enchanted Garden of Lights had to offer us. I can’t wait to head back there again this year! To see more pictures I took, check out the slideshow below!
Extending Your Visit Beyond Rock City
If you’re a local who’s visiting the Enchanted Garden of Lights, then you’ll be plenty familiar with what else to do in town. However, visitors might be wondering what else there is to do! Chattanooga is a fantastic location for making a visit. Rock City is paired really well with the other attractions on Lookout Mountain. Ruby Falls is one of the most unique waterfalls in the country, and the Incline Railroad is the steepest in the country! I also highly recommend checking out the Tennessee Aquarium for anyone visiting town! Then finish your day at the best light show in the entire area!
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