Brookgreen Gardens’ Nights of a Thousand Candles again shining in national contest

Brookgreen Gardens’ Nights of a Thousand Candles again shining in national contest

Once again, Brookgreen Gardens’ Nights of a Thousand Candles is in the running to be named “Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights” in America.

The event, a perennial favorite holiday event on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast®, is one of 19 gardens across the United States vying to be named the top in a USA Today/10 Best contest.

The winner of the contest will be determined by an online vote that runs through noon on Monday, Dec. 2. People can vote daily by clicking here. The top 10 finishers will be announced Dec. 6 at noon on 10Best.

While the competition is strong, Brookgreen Gardens‘ Nights of a Thousand Candles’ nomination is not exactly a surprise. The event, open to the public for multiple nights, from 4 to 9 p.m., on select nights in November, December and January, is one of the most popular events on South Carolina’s Hammock Coast®. Tickets must be purchased in advance. You can do that here.

In the 10Best contest, Nights of a Thousand Candles is competing against holiday light shows from 18 other locations, ranging from Washington, D.C., to Flint Ridge, California.

This is not the first time Nights of a Thousand Candles has been in the running for the coveted award. In 2023, the Murrells Inlet-based Brookgreen finished fifth in the contest, while claiming fourth place in 2022. In 2021, it took third place, its highest-ever placement, while in 2019, it finished in 10^th place.

“We are excited to be nominated again and appreciate everyone who has voted for us,” said Page Kiniry, Brookgreen Gardens’ president and CEO. “The staff and volunteers take a great deal of pride in this recognition.”

With holiday music playing and live performances nightly, Brookgreen comes to life under the glow of more than 2,800 hand-lit candles and countless twinkling lights throughout several acres. Guests enjoy a serene evening at one of America’s best public gardens while enjoying warm cider or hot cocoa and spending time with family and friends.

“This year, we are hoping to get Brookgreen Gardens and Nights of a Thousand Candles to No. 1,” said Mark A. Stevens, director of tourism development for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast®. “It’s just not Christmas without a visit to Brookgreen Gardens and finding yourself immersed among thousands upon thousands twinkling lights. Locals and visitors to Georgetown County all love this annual event.”

Each year, it takes weeks — and a dedicated group of staff and volunteers — to make Brookgreen come alive with a dizzying display of lights. The work to transform the gardens into a dazzling holiday dreamland begins several weeks in advance.

Brookgreen Gardens is celebrating its 93rd anniversary this year. Founded in 1931 by Anna Hyatt Huntington and Archer Huntington, Brookgreen is home to  the  largest and most significant collection  of American figurative sculpture in the country and is a leader in sculpture conservation, environmental conservation, and the protection of the plants, animals, and history of the South Carolina Lowcountry.

The Hammock Coast is often in the running – and many times, the winner – in the USA Today/10 Best contests. For example, earlier this year, three Hammock Coast beaches made the Top 5 in a contest to name South Carolina’s Best Beach. Pawleys Island came in at No. 1, while Litchfield Beach place fourth and Huntington Beach State Park placed fifth. In 2028, historic Georgetown took the top spot in a contest to name the Best Coastal Small Town.

Located between Charleston to the south and Myrtle Beach to the north, the Hammock Coast® features the best Palmetto State has to offer, providing vacationers stunning natural beauty and abundant eco-activities. The beach communities of Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet, Litchfield, and southern Garden City and the historic towns of Georgetown and Andrews make up the Hammock Coast and collectively deliver an unforgettable vacation experience.

Once again, vote for Brookgreen by clicking here. You can vote once per day through Dec. 2.