Uptown Sedona
Uptown Sedona will have an array of lights sprinkled throughout. See a few at a time if you’re shopping or stroll around until you’ve seen them all. Here’s what to specifically expect: a lit, walkthrough ornament at Chipotle; spiral trees at the Jordan Road roundabout; a tree at Canyon Breeze Restaurant; a 30-foot lit tree at Apple Avenue and AZ-89A; lit critters in front of Bearcloud Art Gallery; and an elevator shaft that’s also completely wrapped and glowing.
Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village
We love a stroll through Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village just about any time of year, but during the holidays might just be our absolute favorite. Head here at night when most of the stores have closed for a truly private, magical experience. You’ll see the entire place bedazzled in lights. Tlaquepaque North features a large Christmas tree that is a beautiful site. All of the sycamore trees on property are wrapped up in lights. You also can look forward to seeing holiday decor in the fountains and around the Church at Tlaquepaque. The whole place just literally glows in a way that will get you into the holiday spirit.
Flagstaff
About 30 miles north of Sedona, Flagstaff has a few spots visitors can check out if they want to see lights. The Little America Hotel always goes all out for the holidays, and this year is no exception. Expect to see about one million lights throughout – making the entire place a winter wonderland. Our favorite part is seeing all the trees wrapped in multi-colored lights after a recent snowfall. The fresh, white snow makes those lights that much brighter. Lights at the Little America Hotel are up now and will remain on through Jan. 10. If you happen to be in downtown Flagstaff, you also can see lights at both the Amtrak Visitor Center and at Two Spot, a locomotive that sits on Route 66 just east of the train depot. Warner’s Nursery is another Flagstaff Christmas destination that’s one of our favorite hidden gems. Inside, you’ll find decked-out Christmas trees and lights just about everywhere. Plus, the smell of all the different trees is always pleasant.
Prescott
You can count on Prescott to live up to its name as Arizona’s “Christmas City.” The downtown Yavapai County Courthouse will be entirely lit up in multicolored lights. The Prescott Resort and Conference Center will have its annual Gingerbread Village in the lobby where you can see, you guessed it, gingerbread houses of all kinds. In past iterations, you could have spotted gingerbread models of the Prescott Fire Department and even a casino. The Gingerbread Village will be on display starting on Thanksgiving weekend and continuing until Jan. 1, 2021.
Lake Havasu City
Located about 232 miles from Sedona, Lake Havasu City’s The London Bridge Resort hosts the city’s Festival of Lights. Visitors can look forward to more than 500,000 holiday lights that are displayed throughout the city’s English Village, a collection of shops, bike rentals and restaurants. The city’s signature London Bridge – it once was in London until it was purchased by Lake Havasu City’s founder and chainsaw magnate Robert P. McCulloch Sr. – is also all lit up. Start your light journey here to see the granite bridge lit up. You may spot oversized wreaths and trees on the bridge too. Lights will be on display from Nov. 27 through Jan. 5, 2021. One thing to look for? On the “island side” of the bridge – the English Village is on the city side – you can typically see Santa and his sleigh on the roof of Barley Brothers Brewery. If you still want to see more lights, head to about one mile from the London Bridge to Main Street to see décor from select merchants. Specifically, Main Street lights are from McCulloch Boulevard N. in between South Smoketree Avenue and North Acoma Boulevard.
World of Illumination in Metro Phoenix
If you’re up for a road trip to Phoenix and you’d rather see lights without ever having to leave your car, the World of Illumination is where you’ll want to be. With two locations in metro Phoenix – one in Glendale at the Westgate Entertainment District and another in Tempe at Tempe Diablo Stadium – visitors can drive through and literally under millions of Christmas lights that are synced to music. Choose from two different Arizona theme parks: the polar-themed, Arctic Adventure at the Tempe location and Rockin’ Christmas, featuring top holiday tunes set to lights, in Glendale. The entire experience takes about 30 minutes. One thing to note: Ticket must be purchased ahead of time at worldofillumination.com as there is no drive-up ticket sales. Ticket prices start at $29 for as many people as you want in one vehicle. On the way back to Sedona, be sure to stop at one of our favorite places in the entire state: legendary Rock Springs Café for some pie.
