MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — A local holiday lights attraction is once again up for national recognition.

Bellingrath Gardens and Home’s “Magic Christmas in Lights” in Theodore is in the running for USA Today’s “Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights” list. Bellingrath made the list back in 2018.

People can vote on the USA Today website for Bellingrath and other botanical garden holiday light displays from across the country.

Guests get to tour a “dazzling light display” spread out across Bellingrath Gardens’ 65 acres. Bellingrath Gardens and Home is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the last tickets to Magic Christmas in Lights are sold at 9 p.m.

“Magic Christmas in Lights is a made-in-Alabama production,” says the Bellingrath website. “Each year, the set pieces for the holiday lights are designed, welded, painted and lamped by members of Bellingrath’s staff. Three of our employees work full-time all year on the light display.”

More details from the Bellingrath Gardens and Home website:

Magic Christmas in Lights Details

  • Dates and times: November 25, 2022, to January 4, 2023, open nightly (closed December 25 and January 1)
  • Admission: Tickets may be purchased online in advance or at the door upon arrival. If purchasing online, please note that timed tickets are not required at this time. As long as tickets are purchased for the correct date, you may enter the Gardens at any time during open hours. 
  • The Tour: Magic Christmas in Lights is a walking tour of the Gardens and takes about an hour to complete.
  • Wheelchairs and wagons: Available for a $6 rental fee on a first-come, first-served basis
  • Group Rates: Available for groups of 20 adults or more; details below
  • Parking: Free
  • Food and beverages: Hot cocoa and snacks available for purchase on Live Oak Plaza; hot evening meals available in the Magnolia Café nightly from 4 to 8 p.m.; beer and wine are available for purchase in the Magnolia Café and on Live Oak Plaza, as well as Irish coffee at the midpoint of the walking tour.
  • Where’s Santa? Santa will be at Bellingrath Gardens & Home nightly from 5:30 to 9 p.m. through December 23rd. He is available for pictures in the Magnolia Room, adjacent to the Café. See map for details.
  • Guided tours of the Bellingrath Home: Open evenings from 4 to 8:30 p.m. with tours every 30 minutes; guests may also tour the Home during the day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with tours on the hour.

Bellingrath isn’t the only Alabama botanical garden to make the cut. Huntsville Botanical Garden’s Galaxy of Lights is also up for consideration.

Over in Florida, two botanical garden displays are up for consideration. “Dazzling Nights” at Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando and “Lights in Bloom” at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota are on the list.

Two George botanical garden displays are in the running. “Garden Lights, Holiday Nights” at the Atlanta Botanical Garden is also in consideration, as is “Fantasy In Lights” at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga.