Dazzling Nights at the Jacksonville Arboretum & Botanical Gardens
✓ Last confirmed for the 2025 season
Where: Jacksonville Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida
When: typically late Nov – early Jan (check before visiting)
Hours: typically dusk – 10 PM
Cost: free
3/4-mile light trail30-foot Christmas tree65-foot light tunnelfalling snowfog and aurora effectsfood and beverageilluminated forest walkinteractive holiday experienceinteractive walk-on lightslight sculptureslive entertainmentattraction
A ticketed three-quarter-mile walking journey through the arboretum featuring a 30-foot Christmas tree, a 65-foot tunnel of light, interactive ground lights that respond to footsteps, and a fog-filled forest walk styled like the aurora borealis. Live entertainment, holiday food and drink, and falling snow round out the evening.
Best time to arrive. Sunset in Jacksonville is around 5:28 PM in mid-December, fully dark by about 5:54 PM. A typical December night here bottoms out near 48°F, so dress for standing around outside.
Other displays nearby
There are 10 other displays within 5 miles of this one, and 16 within 15 miles. Most people make a loop of it rather than driving out for a single house.
- Arbor Glade Subdivision
- Blackhawk Bluff Subdivision
- Downtown Jacksonville Holiday Lights (Laura Street)
- Go Tuk'n Holiday Lights Tour
- Greenwood Subdivision
- Loretto Road
- Luminaria in Riverside-Avondale
- Smith's Lights on Rue
Make a night of it. This is stop 3 on our 14-stop Jacksonville lights loop — about 30.6 miles and 129 minutes of driving in total.