Fabulous Financials

[all images, courtesy of Watkins Regional Park in Upper Marlboro, MD]

BabyGirl and I are going to kick off our December mommy/daughter day weekend 9 day holiday vacation by viewing the Christmas light displays all over the city.  But where oh where shall we go?  A quick search on these here innernets resulted in the following:

Celebrate the holiday season with a drive or a stroll through one of the Washington, DC area’s spectacle of lights at a local park or along the water in Washington, DC, Maryland or Virginia. These Christmas light displays are beautiful and a great way to share the magic and joy of a winter wonderland.

• ZooLights at the National Zoo
  Rock Creek Park. Washington, DC. Friday-Sunday November 28 – December 14, 2008 and every night December 18 – 30, 2008 (Closed December 24 and 25). The National Zoo presents a seasonal display of thousands of sparkling animated lights, winter-themed crafts, ice sculpting demonstrations, choral groups, and storytellers. See Photos of ZooLights
• Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights
  Old Town Alexandria Marina and Washington Harbour. December 6, 2008. See dozens of festively decorated pleasure boats light up the sky along the Potomac River. The parade begins at Alexandria’s waterfront and culminates at Washington Channel at Water St. off of Maine Avenue, Washington, DC. See Photos of the Alexandria Boat Parade
• Festival of Lights at the Mormon Temple
  9900 Stoneybrook Dr., Kensington, Maryland. (301) 587-0144. December 6, 2008 – January 1, 2009. Dusk to 10 p.m. nightly. View more than 450,000 lights and a live outdoor Nativity scene each evening from 6 to 9 p.m. Live musical performances begin at 7 and 8 p.m. See Photos of the Mormon Temple Festival of Lights
• Winter Lights at Seneca Creek State Park
  11950 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, Maryland. November 28, 29 and December 5, 2008 – January 3, 2009. Closed Christmas and New Year’s Day. $10 per car Sunday-Thursday 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. $12 per car Friday and Saturday 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Winter Lights is a magical Christmas light display including more than 350 illuminated displays and along a 3.5-mile drive through the park. See Photos of Winter Lights at Seneca Creek
• Winter Festival of Lights at Watkins Regional Park
  301 Watkins Park Drive, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. November 28, 2008 – January 1, 2009. HOURS: 5-9:30 p.m. daily. $5 per car; $15 for mini-buses and limos; $25 for buses; $10 for multi-visit passes for cars and vans (good for three visits). The festival is FREE on December 25. You may bring canned food items to donate to local food banks for the holidays. Winter Festival of Lights is Prince George’s County, Maryland’s spectacular drive-through Christmas light display featuring more than a million twinkling lights. See Photos of Winter Festival of Lights at Watkins Regional Park
• Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens
  1800 Glenallen Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland. November 28, 2008 – January 4, 2009. Closed December 24 and 25. HOURS: 5:30 to 9:00 p.m., last car admitted 8:30 p. m. $20 per car Fri-Sun, $15 Mon-Thurs. Pedestrians cannot be admitted due to safety regulations. (Visitors must drive to the entrance gate, paying at the gate, drive into the parking lot, park their car and walk through the light show display. Garden of Lights Hotline: (301) 962-1453. This illuminated outdoor winter garden walk includes a whimsical monster, an enchanting persimmon tree, a walk through kaleidoscope caterpillar, an animated flying cardinal, and swimming geese over sparkling water. See Photos of Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens
• Bull Run Festival of Lights
  7700 Bull Run Dr., Centreville, Virginia. (703) 359-4633. November 26, 2008 to January 4, 2009. Hours: Monday – Thursday & Sunday: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays & holidays: 5:30 to 10 p.m. This festive display of lights features penguins, snowmen, deer, candy canes and Santa. $15 per car. After viewing the lights you can visit the new Winter Wonderland Holiday Village that includes amusement rides, an ice skating rink, entertainment, shopping, contests, food, and more.
• Symphony of Lights in Columbia
  Symphony Woods, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland. (410) 740-7570. November 24, 2008 – January 4, 2009. Hours: Sunday-Thursday 6-10 p.m., Friday, Saturday and holidays 6-11 p.m. $20 per car. Symphony of Lights is a spectacular drive-through display of more than 75 animated and stationary holiday lights. All proceeds from the Symphony of Lights benefit the services of Howard County General Hospital. See Photos of the Columbia Symphony of Lights
• Eastport Yacht Club Parade of Lights
  Annapolis Christmas Lights Boat Parade, Annapolis City Harbor (410) 267-9549. December 13, 2008, 6-8 p.m. Enjoy a parade of lights when more than 70 power and sailboats show off their holiday decorations. Free event. See Photos of the Parade of Lights
• Lights on the Bay at Sandy Point State Park
  Route 50, Annapolis, Maryland. (410) 481-3161. November 14, 2008 – January 1, 2009, 5-10 p.m. An annual scenic drive through holiday lights show sponsored by the Anne Arundel Medical Center. Drive along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay and see more than 60 animated and stationary displays illuminating the roadway. $12 per car. See Photos of Lights on the Bay

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Most are either free or less than $20.  Not a bad price to entertain the entire family (and a few friends) – especially if you have a large vehicle.  So over the next week or two, we plan to check out a few of them.  Does your family enjoy viewing Christmas light displays?