Amazing Christmas Light Displays in Oregon
The Grotto, ZooLights and Shore Acres SP Light Up the Holidays
Oct 19, 2008
Oregon is a great place to discover the magic of holiday light displays at Christmas. From The Grotto Christmas Festival of Lights, to ZooLights in Portland and the Holiday Lights at Shore Acres State Park in Coos Bay, the state of Oregon offers excellent opportunities for viewing Christmas light displays.
Christmas Festival of Lights
The Grotto in Portland, OR
Walk through the Christmas Festival of Lights at The Grotto, featuring over a half million lights, nightly concerts, caroling, and more family fun. Set at the beautiful grounds of this Catholic Shrine and botanical garden, the lights provoke good moods as its guests experience the spirit of the Christmas season. Celebrating its 21st year in 2008, the Christmas Festival of Lights volunteers and staff have already begun preparations for the holiday presentations. Community members and school join the long list of choir performers singing in concerts at the chapel.
The Grotto Christmas Festival of Lights runs November 28th through December 30th, open each night from 5-9:30pm, but closed Christmas Day. General admission is $7.50, children 3-12 are $3.00, with free parking. Guest should dress for cool, night temperatures and wear appropriate shoes for walking. The Grotto is wheelchair accessible but guests should be cautious as it is dark, with possibly wet weather. Advanced tickets and group discounts are available by calling The Grotto at 503-254-7371. The Grotto is located at NE 85th and Sandy Boulevard, just a short distance from downtown Portland.
Oregon ZooLights
Portland, Oregon
Another exiting holiday lights display in the Portland area is the Oregon ZooLights. With over half million lights, visitors enjoy a walk through the zoo or take a ride on the zoo's train. This year's display highlights the polar bears with a Northern Lights theme. ZooLights run November 29th through December 28th, open Sun-Thu 5-8 p.m. and Fri-Sat 5 - 8:30 p.m. nightly but closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Oregon Zoo is located along the Max Light Rail line and zoo guests riding the Max get a discount on admission. Zoo admission is $9.75 for adults, $6.75 for children and $2.00 for parking.
Holiday Lights - Shore Acres State Park
Coos Bay, Oregon
Celebrating the 22nd Annual Holiday Lights display in 2008, Shore Acres State Park gets ready for another 45,000 visitors. The Holiday Lights display runs from Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve, open every night from 4-10 pm, including holidays. The walk through display is bound to awe its guests with a quarter million LED lights, set in traditional and artistic displays in the garden. Past displays have included a jumping frog, leaping orca and many other animals and flowers lit by magnificent light displays. This year the staff aim to have even more displays and surprises for park guests. Guests enjoy hot cider or cocoa and cookies served by friendly volunteers at the Garden House. The park is located 13 miles SW of Coos Bay/North Bend and U. S. Highway 101 on Cape Arago Highway. Parking is $3 per vehicle and there is no additional charge for admission to the Holiday Lights display.
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