Visitors can glide into the holiday spirit at a synthetic ice skating rink with views of Batesville's White River Wonderland. Courtesy of Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Category: Cover Story

More light-tastic displays

Here is a sampling of other notable light displays in Arkansas. Most are now underway and will continue at least through Christmas Eve. Some have admission fees. Details are available at the listed websites.

Blytheville’s Lights of the Delta. This driving tour on the periphery of a former Air Force base passes close to 60 illuminated displays on 40 acres.

Fayetteville’s Lights of the Ozarks. Fayetteville’s historic downtown square is all aglow and decked out with Christmas cheer through Jan. 1.

Hot Springs’ Garvan Woodland Gardens Winter Garden Festival. This walking route passes twinkling lights in the 210-acre botanical venue.

Jonesboro’s Christmas at the Park. It’s an unforgettable holiday experience with over 400,000 lights and 450 festive displays.

Little Rock Zoo’s GloWild. The zoo’s display of silk lanterns that depict animal species has extended its run to 45 nights, continuing through Jan. 5.

Mountain Home’s Coulter Celebration of Lights. Enjoy the enchanting campus of Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, and experience thousands of twinkling lights and beautiful displays through Dec. 29.

Pine Bluff’s Enchanted Land of Lights and Legend. Visitors can drive past 250 scenes, some of them animated, in Pine Bluff Regional Park.

Sherwood’s Enchanted Forest Trail of Lights. It is necessary to reserve online ahead of time to drive the illuminated circuit in this Little Rock suburb.

The ‘Christmas Capital of Arkansas’ shines brightly

White River Wonderland can be viewed by vehicle or by foot, and admission is free. Courtesy of Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Batesville bursts with pride each holiday season as the “Christmas Capital of Arkansas.”

That bold assertion is amply affirmed by the Independence County seat’s cornucopia of seasonal events and activities, highlighted by the White River Wonderland show. This after-dark extravaganza features millions of twinkling lights that create a scene of yuletide merriment along the riverfront.

“There are a lot of places around the state that have lights,” says Chris Hill, communications director for Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. “But what makes Batesville unique is that our millions of lights are on display free, interwoven with a number of other holiday-themed attractions, creating a tapestry of nostalgia and tradition.”

Big glow-up

The city’s White River Wonderland (whiteriverwonderland.com) began in 2007 with a few small light displays at at the 35-acre Riverside Park. In 2022, the month of activities was proclaimed “Attraction of the Year” by the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. Last year, the events were named “Festival of the Year” for the eight-county Ozark Gateway Region.

Hill says that Batesville’s holiday extravaganza is more than a local event: “Last year, of the more than 99,000 visitors to White River Wonderland, 28% came from outside Independence County, and 9% were from outside Arkansas.”

A recently created source for holiday visitors is a free app from the City of Batesville Advertising and Promotion Commission. The Batesville Area app can be downloaded at app stores or at https://batesvillearea.com/visit/batesville-insiders-pass/.  Hill calls it “the go-to tool for discovering local attractions, planning weekend getaways or finding the best dining and shopping spots.”

Visitors can tour White River Wonderland at no charge on foot or in their vehicle. Hill points out “a drive-thru light tunnel and two walking bridges make incredible spots for selfies, family photos and even marriage proposals. Also great for photographs are themed face-in-the-hole props featuring Santa, snowmen and other holiday scenes.”

A fee is charged for viewing the lights from a Ferris wheel, tourist train or horse-drawn carriage. The 70-foot-tall rotating wheel will operate only from Dec. 13-21, offering panoramic vistas of the million-plus lights below.

The train rides are “great for all ages, and children love them,” Hill says. “The cars are open-air, pulled behind a custom-built tractor. They are handicap-accessible and feature an on-board speaker to hear the music as the lights dance.”

When not at the North Pole, Santa and Mrs. Claus can be seen at Pocket Park in downtown Batesville. Courtesy of Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Festive events

Complementing the light displays is an array of special events.

Catch a classic holiday movie at the historic Melba Theater in downtown Batesville. Courtesy of Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Open and operating through Dec. 30 is a synthetic ice skating rink with views of the holiday lights. Dec. 6 brings a self-guided Main Street Art Walk, sponsored by the Batesville Area Arts Council and Lyon College arts students.

Runners can take part Dec. 7 in Hope for the Holidays 5K and half-marathon races. Dec. 7-8 are the dates for the Holly Volley Christmas Youth Volleyball Tournament, sponsored by Playmaker Sports Academy, at Batesville Community Center.

On Dec. 11, Old Independence Museum’s annual Christmas Crafts Day will welcome Santa Claus as its guest celebrity. On Dec. 14, the Kiwanis Christmas parade will step off at 6 p.m. on Main Street in Batesville’s historic downtown.

A jolly occasion set for Dec. 12 is the Main Street Wassail Walk. A number of downtown merchants will serve this traditional yuletide beverage of mulled cider spiced with ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Main Street Batesville is the sponsor.

The Melba Theater, in a Main Street building with roots dating to 1875, is continuing “A Very Melba Christmas,” with its popular annual showing of movies with holiday themes. The schedule can be viewed at melbatheater.com.

To amplify the pride Batesville takes in proclaiming itself “Christmas Capital of Arkansas,” the city has trademarked that designation to claim sole use of the jolly seasonal title.

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