“I received tickets for my family to attend Luminaria in exchange for my honest opinion.”
Oh my gosh you guys. If you live in or are planning on visiting the Salt Lake City or Utah County area any time in December, you MUST visit Luminaria at Thanksgiving Point. I was so impressed and I loved every little thing about it.
This post is going to be filled with pictures because after every turn there was something new and beautiful to take a picture of. I took 110 pictures. Yep. My family and I had such a great time. I was so impressed with the Life of Christ display with lanterns everywhere. Look for those pictures a little farther down. I’ll post these pictures in order of how we walked through the display.
Let me start by telling you a little bit about Luminaria, where it’s located, and a little about Thanksgiving Point.
Thanksgiving Point is a non profit farm, garden and museum that draws upon the natural world to cultivate family learning. It’s located in Lehi, Utah close to Traverse Mountain. There are endless options at Thanksgiving Point for families. The Dinosaur Museum of Ancient Life is one of my kids favorite places to visit. The 55 acre Ashton Gardens is where they hold the Tulip Festival every spring and now in the winter it hosts Luminaria. There are farm animals, Cornbelly’s in the fall, and many shops and restaurants to visit while you are there. Family passes are available to Thanksgiving Point and well worth it.
Luminaria is located at Ashton Gardens in Lehi, Utah. Just a short 20 minute drive from Salt Lake City. This light show is something I guarantee you’ve never seen before. It’s unique and breathtaking. The mile walk with transport you to a beautiful holiday world. There is a sweeping hill right as you enter the garden that is filled with 8,000 programmable luminaries that dance to the music that is being played. Make sure you watch as “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is played to see the amazing pictures created from the luminaries. I could just stand there all day long watching the luminaries dance to the Christmas music. At the bottom of the hill is the 120 foot tall tree with lights that also dance to the music. It truly is breathtaking.
You can get your tickets here. One of my favorite things about this event is that everyone chooses a time to come so it’s not so crowded. It was amazing.
As you make your way through the amazing light displays you’ll be met at the bottom of the hill by Cupid and Donner. Santa’s real reindeer that you can actually pet.
Warm up by the fire place then make your way to the peaceful nativity scene perched right under the 120 foot Christmas Tree.
Luminaria gives you an amazing opportunity for quiet reflection on the life of Christ in the Light of the World Garden. This garden is filled with glowing lanterns lighting 35 of the most amazing statues depicting scenes of Christs life from the New Testament.
This was my favorite part of the night. The peaceful music playing in this garden and the glowing lanterns bring a spirit of peace and love. Love, love, love.
After reflecting on Christs life you work your way through the twinkling forest and on to some fun family games, fire pits, s’mores, hot chocolate, and even peppermint scented mulch.
Don’t forget to get a picture with frosty on your way out.
And then stop one last time to stand in awe at the luminaries dancing to music.
What an unforgettable night. We will be there year after year, making this a new family tradition.
Great review of Luminaria at Thanksgiving Point. It sounds wonderful.
One question that was not well addresses–if you were not given your tickets in exchange for a fair review, would you go visit? Would you pay to go again? I have 4 kids, and it would cost us over $100 to talk that Christmas walk. It seems a bit pricey, especially since Temple Square is free.
I don’t mind paying, but $20 each–and $15 for kids as young as 3?? Is it worth it???
So, it really was amazing. Seriously. It was a fun experience with the kids and the statues of Jesus really brought in the real reason for the season. There were a lot of activities for the kids to do and it really was awe inspiring. I want to be able to take my family there every year so it will be a tradition. It is pricey, but if you think about how much it costs them to keep those lights on, it makes sense. Temple square uses the church’s money, and they have a lot of it. It is definitely a different experience than Temple Square. WAY less crowded because you make an appointment to come. That’s what I liked most about Luminaria. We felt at times that we were the only family there. So, if you plan on going each year, I suggest using an app like Acorn, that rounds up every purchase you make throughout the year and use that as your savings towards going.