A riverfront walk in Clarksville has no admission charge. At Discovery Park of America, $20 covers a carload. Cheekwood’s illuminated gardens total $105 for two adults and two children on a non-peak evening, including listed service charges and parking, before any additional applicable tax.
Those are different evenings—and different budgets. These 11 displays across Tennessee include three free options, drive-through routes, garden walks, and a full theme-park visit.
If a holiday train ride is also on your list, our guide to Christmas train rides in Tennessee compares 2026 dates, prices, and what each ticket includes.
Cost comparisons use two adults and children ages 6 and 10, traveling in one car, with nonmember pricing. Taxes and fees are noted below; food and optional purchases are extra.
1. Christmas on the Cumberland — Clarksville, Middle Tennessee
The Cumberland River provides the backdrop for this free walking outing at McGregor Park and the Cumberland Riverwalk.
Follow the decorations beside the water without buying four individual tickets. Admission for the family of four is $0.
The city’s event page lists nightly operation from November 21, 2026–January 2, 2027, giving you an option after Christmas as well as before it.
Weather matters here: the lights are turned off during rain or high winds. Check the city’s updates before driving over, particularly if this is the main reason for your trip.
2. Gatlinburg Winter Magic — Gatlinburg, East Tennessee
Forty-three decorated, three-dimensional snowpeople give a downtown lights walk its own scavenger hunt. Gatlinburg’s public decorations spread through town rather than following one ticketed route.
The November 5, 2026–February 15, 2027 season also extends well beyond Christmas. Explore on foot or view displays from your vehicle, using the app or printable map on Gatlinburg’s official Winter Magic page to plan stops.
Viewing the public lights has no admission charge. Meals and admission to individual attractions cost extra; a decorated business is not necessarily a free attraction.
If you plan to walk and take photographs, decide where to park before arriving. The lights can fit around an existing Smokies trip without requiring another attraction ticket. For ideas beyond the decorations, our guide to Tennessee locals’ favorite places to visit includes Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and the Smokies.
3. Winter Wonderland — Springfield, Middle Tennessee
Holiday scenes fill J. Travis Price Park, where Springfield offers another free lights outing at 4155 Wilks Road.
The city’s Winter Wonderland schedule lists November 28–December 27, 2026, from 5:30–9 p.m., closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Admission for the family of four is $0.
Choose the date by experience: the event offers drive-through viewing, with designated walk-through and activity nights on December 5, 12, and 19. Those Saturdays include scheduled activities such as Santa visits, a petting zoo, and carriage rides, with carriage availability first come, first served.
Food and other purchases cost extra.
4. Drive-Thru Christmas Lights at Clarksville Speedway — Clarksville, Middle Tennessee
More than a mile of lights can be seen from inside your vehicle at Clarksville Speedway. This is a paid driving route, separate from the free riverfront display across town.
Admission is $30.08 per car, plus taxes and card fees, for a standard car carrying seven or fewer people. That covers the family of four in one vehicle.
The organizer’s event page advertises November 24, 2026–January 2, 2027. Confirm the January 2 final night before making a late-season trip.
Published hours are dusk–9 p.m. Sunday–Thursday and dusk–10 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and holidays. December 27–30 closes at 8 p.m. The main experience stays inside the car, without a separate walking ticket.
5. Let It Glow at Discovery Park of America — Union City, West Tennessee
Separate driving and walking displays let you choose how to spend the evening—and how much to pay.
Let It Glow tickets for nonmember drive-through admission are $20 per vehicle. Walk-through tickets are $10 per adult and $5 per child ages 4–17; children 3 and younger enter free.
For the family of four, that is $20 to drive or $30 to walk, before any additional taxes or fees. Each figure covers the selected experience; these are not combined tickets or daytime museum admission.
Both operate November 13–December 30, 2026, from 5–9 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Choose the walk-through if stopping among decorations for photographs is part of the plan. Choose the drive-through to keep everyone inside one vehicle.
6. Food City Speedway in Lights — Bristol, East Tennessee
A lap around Bristol Motor Speedway’s concrete oval anchors this approximately four-mile drive through the Speedway and Dragway property.
The published season is November 20, 2026–January 2, 2027, from 6–10 p.m. Admission is per vehicle.
The official price calendar lists Monday, November 23, 2026, at $25 for a standard car, covering the family of four before taxes and fees. Prices vary by date; check the official event and ticket page.
The route also offers access to the infield Christmas Village. Budget separately for purchases and any paid activities there.
Optional Fast Lane admission uses a quicker entry line on selected busy nights and requires a specific 30-minute arrival slot. It costs more; the regular November 23 example does not include it.
7. Starry Nights: Arctic Adventure — Memphis, West Tennessee
Animated displays synchronized to music turn Shelby Farms Park into a drive-through Arctic Adventure.
Shelby Farms’ event page lists November 21, 2026–January 3, 2027; the producer lists November 20 as opening night. Confirm availability before planning an opening-night visit.
Producer World of Illumination advertises admission starting at $39.99 per car, covering the family of four in one vehicle before taxes and fees. Its ticket listing currently says “coming soon”; check the official ticket calendar for your date’s price when sales open.
Tickets must be purchased online in advance for an entry slot; there are no gate sales. The event generally runs rain or shine, except in extreme weather.
Afterglow access is included on selected nights, but Glow Grove charges separate per-person admission. Igloos, food, and other purchases cost extra.
8. Holiday LIGHTS at Cheekwood — Nashville, Middle Tennessee
An approximately one-mile garden walk connects Peppermint Path, Star Field, the 28-foot Pixel Pine, and the holiday TRAINS! display.
The season runs November 20, 2026–January 3, 2027, closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Timed entry runs from 4:30–8:30 p.m., with closing at 10 p.m.
For nonmembers, Gardens Only admission costs the family of four:
- Non-peak: $105—two $26 adult tickets, two $20 youth tickets, $8 in advance service charges, and $5 parking.
- Peak: $117—two $29 adult tickets, two $23 youth tickets, the same service charges and parking.
- Late Night LIGHTS: $93—four $20 tickets, $8 in advance service charges, and $5 parking.
All three are before any additional applicable tax. Youth pricing covers ages 3–17.
Late Night LIGHTS applies to selected non-peak Monday–Thursday dates at 8:30 p.m. Closing remains 10 p.m., leaving 90 minutes. Mansion admission and refreshments cost extra. Advance reservations are required through Cheekwood’s Holiday LIGHTS ticket calendar. Review the admission rules and closures before booking.
9. Glow Wild at Nashville Zoo — Nashville, Middle Tennessee
Glowing wildlife displays and an 85-foot synchronized Christmas tree lead this walking event, with select animal exhibits open late.
Glow Wild is scheduled nightly November 13, 2026–January 3, 2027, from 5–9 p.m. It is the zoo’s new holiday light show, replacing Zoolumination for this season.
Single-night admission costs $27 per person ages 2 and older, plus $10 nonmember parking. Four admissions and one car total $118 before any additional applicable fees or taxes.
Nonmember skating at Smashville Ice Rink costs another $12 per person, including skate rental and a 45-minute session. All four skating would add $48. Other paid attractions and refreshments are separate.
For animal viewing, arrive before the evening winds down: tiger, bear, and flamingo viewing is listed until 8:30 p.m. Most daytime animal exhibits are not open throughout the event.
10. Memphis Zoo Lantern Festival — Memphis, West Tennessee
Illuminated animal-shaped lanterns and walk-through tunnels make this a walking lights experience, distinct from a daytime zoo visit.
The Memphis Zoo Lantern Festival calendar covers selected nights November 13, 2026–February 14, 2027, from 5–9:30 p.m., with last admission at 8:30 p.m. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day are not listed as operating nights.
Nonmember tickets cost $25 per person ages 2 and older. The family of four pays $100 in admission, with event parking included, before any additional online fees or taxes.
The current season description includes the Farm Train and China Carousel, while the FAQ gives conflicting information. Confirm those inclusions if the rides matter to your visit. Ziplines and refreshments cost extra. The ice rink and Ferris wheel are not part of the festival.
Buy online in advance. Tickets are nonrefundable and cannot be exchanged for another date; daytime visitors must leave before evening admission begins.
11. Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood — Pigeon Forge, East Tennessee
More than six million lights share the park with holiday shows and operating rides, making this a broader attraction visit with substantial outdoor walking.
Smoky Mountain Christmas runs November 6, 2026–January 3, 2027, on scheduled operating days. Use the park operating calendar for closures and daily hours.
For Friday, November 6, 2026, the official one-day ticket calendar lists $94.99 for ages 10–61 and $84.99 for ages 4–9 or 62 and older. The family of four needs three adult-category tickets and one child ticket: the 10-year-old pays the adult rate.
That is $369.96 in admission plus $25 standard parking—$394.96 before taxes and fees. Prices vary by date; check the official ticket calendar.
The lights, included shows, and operating rides share the admission ticket; food, tasting passes, and optional upgrades cost extra.
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