If you have ever experienced Nights of a Thousand Candles – the now-famous holiday festival at Brookgreen Gardens – you are familiar with the “after hours” magic of SC’s top outdoor attraction. Summer Light: Art by Night is a second dusk-and-darker opportunity to be seduced by Brookgreen’s innumerable charms.
From 6 to 10 PM, ten lighting installations feature upcycled everything, upwards of eight hundred upcycled chandeliers, hundreds of wine bottles, Chinese lanterns, handblown glass and more. Peppered throughout the historic sculpture garden, each display is as impressive than the last. On the night I visited, a friend and I arrived at six and ambled through the Gardens for a couple of hours, well before dusk began falling.
We lingered on the lawn where live music played, and I ordered a gourmet Brie and jam cheese sandwich. The food truck fare – and there are several to choose from – was made perfect by a crisp Chardonnay. As darkness settled in, we chose a different path then looped over and back, through the enchanting Children’s Garden, and past the Oak Allee, now awash in color and light. The illuminated Conway Glass display was otherworldly.
In truth, I cannot think of a more pleasant, and relaxing, way to usher in a summer evening, and the excursion proved to be an opportunity to enjoy Brookgreen twice – first in daylight, then transformed in darkness. Here, there, and everywhere, lights and live music spilled into the summer night. It was magical.
Although Summer Lights began in the middle of May, there are only about a half dozen Wednesdays and Saturdays left through August 13 to enjoy this uniquely beautiful evening affair. With live music on tap every night, it is an event that is perfect for families and for date night. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children twelve and younger. Ages three and younger are admitted free. All tickets must be purchased in advance. (Members receive a $5 discount, and Brookgreen Memberships are a no-brainer.) Purchase tickets at Brookgreen.org/events.
Act fast and visit while you can! Full of history, natural beauty an accredited zoo with indigenous animals, and the largest assemblage of American Sculpture in the nation, Brookgreen Gardens is one of our Lowcountry’s finest resources. Young and old will be mesmerized by seeing it in a whole new light!
