One of the prettiest light displays in North Texas, Vitruvian Lights in Addison occupies the trails of Vitruvian Park, and the lights reflect off the lake for some breathtaking views! People fill the trails to walk through the lights, and on special evenings there is live music, food trucks and even Santa! But the lights are on from November 23rd – January 1st, and it’s a great place to visit to just enjoy a walk in the lights! Here’s my top tips for making the most of your visit!
Vitruvian Park in Addison is an upscale living/shopping/working community, with a large park surrounding a lake. It’s a beautiful place to visit any time of the year, but full of festive cheer during the holidays when the trees in the park are all shimmering with lights!
Tip #1 Parking
Vitruvian Park is FREE to visit, parking is FREE, and it’s about an non-commercial as you can get. It’s beautiful for a simple evening with your friends or family without hurried events or lines!
The suggested parking lots are Bella Lane Parking Lot, Park Road Parking Lot, and Ponte Avenue Parking Lot. We also found plenty of free parking along the road. Click HERE for a map.
On Special Event evenings, there is a $10 parking fee, so check the calendar before you go. For 2018, it was 11/23, 12/1, 12/8 and 12/15.
Tip #2 You’ll Want to Walk
Because Vitruvian Lights is set in a park around the lake, it’s meant to be walked. You really can’t appreciate it from a car, unless you just stop at one of the overlooks for a quick peek.
We had a wonderful time just enjoying the walk. We walked about a mile but the trail is just over 2 miles, and of course you can make it shorter if you prefer.
There are stairs and ramps for viewing from the top or at ground level.
It’s all sidewalk so it’s very stroller friendly. You’ll want to watch small children around the water, of course.
Tip #3 Don’t Feed the Ducks
It’s normal to want to throw out a few pieces of bread when you see ducks, but it’s really not good for them, and it’s illegal in Addison. Click HERE to read more about it.
The only ducks we saw were asleep on one of the smaller islands where people couldn’t reach them.
It’s really stunning!
Tip #4 Show Your Holiday Spirit and Take Pictures for Others
It’s hard to catch all the lights in a selfie, so offer to help others with a picture and you’ll be rewarded by their help, too!
Tip #5 Dress for the pictures and Know When to Go
If you’re wanting to take pictures of your family, try to avoid wearing darker colors, and go for lighter colors and creams, which will stand out better.
While we went much later, the photo gurus all say the best time for Christmas lights is from dusk to about 30 minutes after. It’s a short window so be ready!
Tip #6 Play with the camera on your phone
I’m never going to give photography advice, and I really struggle with Christmas lights and faces! In fact, I didn’t even know you could take an i-phone camera out of auto mode until I read this! Here’s a couple of links for photo help to keep in mind before you go take pictures.
How To Take Better Holiday Photos with your Smartphone.
How to Lock Focus, bias exposure, enable grid and geo-locate with camera for i-phone.
Tip #7 It’s Very Dog Friendly
I loved seeing so many dogs during our visit, and it’s a great place to go if you want pictures of your pet in the lights! Dogs must be on leashes no more than 6′ and controlled at all times. Please pick up after your pets. I was really impressed with how clean the park was kept!
Tip #8 Visit Addison Ice House
We stopped for a snack and drink at the Addison Ice House, which was crowded but fun! There aren’t a lot of other options for dining, so you might want to eat before or afterwards. The outdoor dining was dog friendly! Scroll to the EAT section at the bottom for more suggestions.
Tip #9 Glow Sticks
Grab some glow sticks to put on your kids, to help find them in a crowd.
Tip #10 Bring Water
Aside from the Addison Ice House, there wasn’t anywhere to grab a drink on a Thursday night, so bring some water and maybe snacks for the kids!
Tip #11 Rolling Down the Hill
Vitruvian Park doesn’t have a playground, so the kids had created their own fun, as kids will do when we don’t hand it to them! They were all rolling down the hill! After a quick check for mud, ants or animal droppings, my son was rolling right along with them! They were all having so much fun!
Tip #12 Bring a volleyball or sand toys for the kids
I really can’t think of a better way to spend the evening then with friends playing volleyball on a mild winter evening! There were a couple of kids with sand toys playing, too!
More Things To Do in Addison (and nearby)
Play
I really enjoy the Cavanaugh Flight Museum! Click HERE to visit their facebook page.
The Galleria is only a few miles away, and we love ice skating around the big Christmas tree! Click HERE for more information.
Eat
We went in to the Addison Ice House for a snack, and it’s fun with a pool table and indoor and outdoor seating, overlooking Vitruvian Park. The outdoor seating was very dog friendly! Click HERE to visit their website.
We love Kenny’s Italian Kitchen, and it’s just a short drive. Click HERE to visit their website.
Make an evening of it with a short drive over to Magic Time Machine on Belt Line. It’s a great experience, with costumed waiters and fun for the entire family! Click HERE to visit their website.
Vitruvian Lights
3966 Vitruvian Way, Addison
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
Having Fun in the TEXAS Sun is on PINTEREST! Use it as a quick resource to find activities in different Texas towns! Click HERE!
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