The State Botanical Garden of Georgia at The University of Georgia is set to transform their garden into a dazzling light show for their fifth annual Winter WonderLights event. This highly anticipated celebration, presented by the UGA Office of the President, is a must-see for all ages. Stroll through the garden along illuminated pathways to enjoy a half-mile walk of twinkling lights, festive music, family photo op spots, and s'more roasting over an open fire.
🎁 Hey, readers! Learn how you can win a set of 5 tickets + VIP Parking below.
Dates, Times, and Tickets
When: The light show will run on select nights starting Friday, November 21 through Tuesday, December, 30 2025.
Time: Time slots available from 5:30pm through 9:00pm.
Where: 2450 S. Milledge Avenue Athens, GA 30605
Tickets: $15/person, children 3 and under are free.
New! Ticket Flexibility Add-on: For an extra $5 per ticket, you can reserve the option to change dates (subject to availability) if needed. If you have purchased VIP parking, it will be transferred to your new ticket date.
Tickets can be purchased online at wonderlights.uga.edu.
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Parking
There are two parking options:
1. Free off-site parking is available at the Turner Soccer Complex located at 2330 S. Milledge Avenue Athens, GA 30605. UGA Transportation and Parking Services will provide a free shuttle service from these lots to the State Botanical Garden. The first shuttle bus leaves at the parking lot at 5:25pm.
2. On-site VIP Parking is available for $25 per vehicle and leads you directly to the garden's entrance. The VIP Parking Passes can be purchased online during your regular ticket purchase.
* A limited number of accessible parking spaces are available at the State Botanical Garden. To request accessibility parking, please email wonderlights@uga.edu or call 706-614-1752. Shuttles from the free parking area are also ADA-accessible.
Event Features
- Over 2 million lights are displayed throughout the garden, creating the local-favorite Winter Wondercave, Jingle Bell Lane, Northern Lights display, and Cone Tree Forest.
- Hot cocoa and other seasonal drinks are available for purchase to keep you warm while you wander.
- Enjoy photo op spots throughout the garden. Friendly staff members are nearby to help to capture a memory or two on your phone.
- Marshmallows are available for purchase to roast s'mores over an open fire.
- The Alice Hand Callaway Visitor Center will offer a Holiday Market for visitors to pick-up unique gifts and souvenirs before you head home.
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Know Before You Go
- Grab your tickets early! This event tends to sell out quickly.
- It takes approximately 45-60 minutes to walk through the entire light show.
- All of the paths are illuminated and are wheelchair and stroller accessible.
- Public bathrooms are available along the trail, and inside the Visitor Center.
- Once you have completed your walk through of the garden, you are unable to re-enter and complete an additional walk-through as ticket times are time sensitive and limited to prevent overcrowding.
For more information, visit the State Botanical Garden of Georgia's website and be sure to connect on Facebook and Instagram. Use the #UGAwonderlights❄ and #botanicalgarden_ga.
WonderLights Disco Nights
Can't make it during the holiday season? Don't worry - the garden will also offer an additional event to ring-in the new year: WonderLights Disco Nights, set to run January 2-3 and January 9-10, 2026. Visitors will enjoy the light show trail while grooving to disco tunes. Ticket prices and times will be the same as Winter WonderLights.
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Community Sponsors
A special thank you to the community sponsors who helped make this event possible:
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A personal thank you to the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at UGA for hosting this amazing event, but also for your support for Macaroni KID Athens and its readers.
>> This giveaway has now ended. Thank you to those who took the time to enter! << |
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Enter for your chance to win a set of 5 FREE Tickets + VIP Parking to the fifth annual Winter WonderLights holiday light show!
There's 2 chances to win starting Monday, November 10th through Monday, November 24th:
🎁 5 Adult Tickets (children 3 and under are free) + 1 VIP Parking Pass for
Friday, December 5th at 6:30pm
Please carefully read and fill out the entry form here.
Winner will be selected on November 24th.
🎁 5 Adult Tickets (children 3 and under are free) + 1 VIP Parking Pass for
Saturday, December 13th at 6:30pm
Please carefully read and fill out the entry form here.
Winner will be selected on November 24th.
