Callaway Gardens Fantasy in Lights Bike Night - 2024/11/16

Continuing our trip to Atlanta. We've already been to Truett's Luau, which was wonderful. Met with RV friends at Chattahoochee Bend and had a lot of fun hiking. But the main reason for coming up to Atlanta was this, Callaway Gardens Fantasy in Lights!

Our friends from Atlanta, Ryan, Jessica, Camille, and Cambridge, were visiting Orlando and Theresa and Jessica got to talking about their favorite Christmas Lights. Jessica told Theresa about this great garden they have in Atlanta that decorates their grounds with millions of lights. During most nights, this is a drive-through exhibit, but at the very start of the season, there are two nights where it's a bike ride instead! Sounds perfect! 

We can't just ride plain bikes around a big Christmas event though, so after arriving in Atlanta, we hit the Dollar Tree to get decorations. 

Then it was over to Callaway Gardens where they've got decorations up for the season. Love this giant tree made of poinsettias. 

Along with our ticket to ride tonight ($25 adults, $20 kids), we're allowed to visit the grounds during the daytime. A short time after we arrived, our friends from Atlanta made it. The kids have a lot of fun playing together and started off by racing each other. 

With just a few minutes to go before they started closing all the roads for cars, we made it to the butterfly pavillion. 

It's nice and warm in here. It'll be a little chillier on the ride tonight. 

Along with our friends and their two girls, Jessica's brother, his wife, and their two kids are here for the bike ride. 

Holding extra still, hoping a butterfly will land on them. 

No luck today though. 

But there were some pretty butterflies. 

Next, it was time to go to where all the festivities will kick off tonight. There's a giant inflatable tent with lots of Christmas things inside. 

I guess they're partnering with Rankin/Bass and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Bumble, the Abominable Snow Monster, had a game where you could throw snowballs into his mouth. And there was even an opportunity to meet Rudolph and Yukon Cornelius, though we were off on our bike ride when they came out. 

You could even meet Santa! 

Driving from Orlando, we could have brought the truck and thrown everyone's bikes in the back. The Beast doesn't get amazing gas mileage though, so instead, we brought the new which gets 45 mpg! It doesn't have nearly as much storage space though, but luckily Theresa and I have folding bikes, which still fit in the hatchback along with all our luggage.  

The kids will need to rent bikes tonight, which was something the gardens was already set up for. I paid online ahead of time ($15 each) and very quickly we were good to go. 

Looking festive for our ride. 

I love the festive outfit Jessica! The nose even lit up! 

There's not much reason to keep lots of cold weather clothing in the RV in Florida, so we're making due. The kids are wearing their full body Pikachu costumes from Halloween. They were so hot then, but they'll be wonderful tonight. 

I see a Pikachu hiding in a bush! 

Bike ride tickets are sold for different times, starting at 4:30pm. We opted for the 5:30pm tickets, and didn't get out on the roads until after 6pm, when it was finally getting dark. That'll make the lights look even better. 

Having bike lights was supposed to be a requirement (though many did not). We've got front lights, tail lights, and even our light-up vests! Let me tell you, those vests were great for knowing where my family was. In the dark, without lights along the sides, all the bikes with red tail lights look the same. The colorful vests helped me pick out where the kids were. 

And we're off! Ryan had Christmas music playing from a speaker for those sections where there's no music playing. 

Fantasy in Lights began in 1992 with just 5 lighted scenes. Now, it has grown to 18 scenes and over 10 million lights! 

I love these monochrome trees all in time with the music. 

Eli is impressing everyone with his wheelies. Seriously. He would ride beside Ian for 30 seconds, holding a wheelie. That'd be a fun skill to learn, though maybe not on this little folding bike. 

The gardens include some large ponds, which look beautiful as the Christmas lights reflect off the water. 

My favorite area was this grove of trees with curtains of lights everywhere you looked. 

The whole crew, minus Ryan who was taking the photo. 

It was a great place to stop and marvel. 

And a good place for photos too. 

Love the reindeer outfit Kailynn.

This was a cool giant wreath we got to ride though. 

And I love all the red and green trees on the lake. 

And this giant light tunnel that everyone got to ride through was awesome! 

One of the last big showpieces on the ride was this giant tree and a field of LED lights in front of it. Definitely worth stopping at. 

Mesmerized. I've gotta give Cambridge props tonight. She's one a small bike, but she rode all 7 miles with no complaints, and we never had to slow down for her. She's was leading the pack with the kids! 

When there's a big open field, why not do gymnastics in it. 

Or roll down a hill doing somersaults. 

Most of the 7 mile loop is one-way riding, but Theresa and Ian's favorite part happens to be in the two-way traffic section. So, we get to ride through it again! 

Who is up for a second lap? Anyone? Anyone? No takers? 

After the ride, everyone headed back to the Christmas village. Jessica planned ahead and had a giant thermos full of hot chocolate ready to go, along with whipped cream, cocoa powder, and crushed peppermints. Hot Chocolate Bar! Amazing! 

Definitely a welcome treat after a cold ride. 

All the lights around Callaway Gardens were fun to see. 

It was a really great way to start the holiday season for us. 

Thank you Jessica for the invite to come join you this year! We had a great time!