Enchant Nashville Looks to Turn Your Christmas Light Experience Into a Hallmark Movie
Fast Facts
Dates: Now through Dec. 30
Location: First Horizon Park in Nashville, Tennessee
Ticket Prices: $34 for adults, $20 for children, $31 for seniors and military, $25 for "night owls" who only want to be there for the final two hours
Upgrades: ice skating, VIP line and guided tours available
Main attraction: "The Great Search" Maze, an elaborate walk-thru maze (complete with giant tree centerpiece) made up of 4 million multi-colored lights
Other attractions: ice-skating trail, photos with Santa Claus, singing acts, vendors, stadium-quality food and various beverages
prevnextOur Experience
The arrival: We parked in one of the State Parking Lots, which open up to the public after 5:30 p.m. and are very close to the stadium. There was a sizeable line, but we made it into the park within 30 minutes.
After entering: We passed by some giant reindeer sculptures and made our way around the stadium concourse. Lots of vendors, but we only stopped in for some hot chocolate. It was $6 for a small cup, which is overpriced in the grand scheme of things but expected for these kinds of events. There were also these light-up bulb cups you could get your drink in that we didn't get, but they looked really neat!
The main event: We eventually made our way down to the main maze area, which is pretty stunning. The main tree is incredible, and all the various sculptures and arches displayed throughout are beyond photogenic. Being as it's a maze, it can be a bit confusing to navigate and we're pretty sure we missed a structure or two. Regardless, it's still a very scenic way to spend an hour or so.
prevnextThe Drawbacks
Some drawbacks to note:
- Even though our experience lining up was OK, the lines were terribly bad on Night 1, leading to a fleet of 1-star reviews on Google/Facebook. Event organizers have since claimed they've fixed the ticketing issue that caused the slowdown.
- The Christmas Village that's advertised is set up differently than other Enchant attractions. Santa, musical acts and most vendors are set up along the concourse and are visibly separated from the maze portion. It feels a little lackluster and ruins the overall experience immersion.
- The maze is a maze! It's not guided, meaning you can miss things. I get the gimmick, but it's annoying to choose between missing out on a portion of the experience or battling crowds in an attempt to find the parts you missed on your second go-round. Most attractions like these are simply laid out, meaning you can see it all with a standard. route.
- There's a scavenger hunt to inspire you to hunt down all the reindeer sculptures in the maze. The reindeer sculptures, while objectively neat, do get a tad old after seeing a few. Plus, this hunt is even just for a sweepstakes entrance. That could be disappointing for kids, especially with all the twists and turns needed to navigate the attraction.
Overall
While there are obviously some imperfect spots, Enchant Nashville delivers on its main purpose: showcasing a bunch of Christmas lights in elaborate designs. You might think it's overpriced or not the best activity for an impatient child — but that's only a call you can make. As someone without kids who just wanted to walk around with a date, drink some hot chocolate, and see a bunch of cool holiday lights while drinking hot chocolate, I thought it was fun.
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