Traveling to a new destination during the holidays has been a tradition in my family since I was old enough to remember. A tradition that has carried on into my marriage as we travel quite often during the holidays. This year, we decided to go to St. Augustine for Christmas to check out the Nights of Lights, and we did this with Ripley’s Red Train Nights of Lights Tour.
Update: I’ve now experienced this tour twice – once with my husband and more recently with my mom. Since I’ve had two separate experiences, I’ve included updated thoughts from my second visit below.
Ripley’s Red Train
There are many different tours you can take in St. Augustine, and while many offer something unique, what I love about Ripley’s is that in just 30 minutes on the Red Train Tour, I can see the two million lights throughout the city. I’ve always loved their museum, so I knew I had to try out the red train tours – which I’ve now done twice.
First Experience (with my husband)
On our first visit with my husband, we decided to take the Ripley’s Red Train Nights of Lights tour. This tour took us around the city to view the lights and we even got some fun glasses that allowed us to see reindeer shaped lights. Although the tour lasted for 30 minutes, it was a fun experience.
The tours were from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The general admission in 2018 was $11.99 for adults and $5.99 for kids, making this a very affordable option. Parking was also free for customers, but it was on a first come, first serve basis.
On our first visit, it was difficult to find parking because the parking lot was full, but they did have the option to park at the Old Sugar Mill. The only inconvenience was that they had no one in that location, so we had to get an Uber to take us back to Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum and then back to the parking spot. Essentially, we paid for parking, which wasn’t the smartest move.
Second Experience (with my mom)
This year, visiting with my mom, the experience was quite different! We had no trouble finding parking at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not location, though they did start charging for parking. In hindsight, I spent more on the Uber during my first visit than I did parking this time. If you want to use the free lots (most of which offer free shuttles), the Nights of Lights app can help you locate them. Personally, I preferred paying the $5 for convenient parking rather than waiting in long lines for the free options.
Since we had arrived early, we were able to take photos on site at the various photo ops and check out the gift shop. Ripley’s also offers free movie nights, which happened to be running when we visited, though we didn’t stay for that. The check-in process was smooth, and we received the magic glasses that let us see gingerbread men throughout the display.
Getting on the train, however, wasn’t as smooth as my first experience. We were initially seated in the second row with a great view, but a staff member moved us to the last row to accommodate a family of six. While we still enjoyed the views of the Nights of Lights, being moved to the back impacted the overall experience. I was especially bummed because I had been hoping to take incredible photos from the front!
While this visit wasn’t quite as smooth as my first experience, I love that we were able to find parking right away and avoid the crowds.
Tours are $69.99 per row, and each row accommodates up to four guests.
Things to know before you go
- Ripley’s has different tours. If you’re looking for the Nights of Lights tour, make sure to click the Nights of Lights tour.
- The reservations are by row, and our row number was provided when we checked in on-site. Unfortunately, we did experience a bit of an issue with the row assignment as we were placed in the front, and were later moved by a staff member to the back to accommodate a family of 6.
- Parking is $5 per hour on-site , but it’s completely worth it! Especially since the tours are 30 minutes long.
- While we were there, a few of the staff members handed out some fun balloon animals/swords.
- Make sure to get there a few hours early! Saint Augustine gets many visitors during the Nights of Lights. We were lucky to find parking on-site.
- I cannot emphasize this enough. It does get crowded during the holidays! It almost looks like New York during the Macy’s Day Parade or when visiting Times Square. Make sure to get there early, use the app to find parking and make sure to get to your tour on time.
Tips
- The city of St. Augustine offers a free park and ride shuttle on select peak dates in November, December and January. The shuttle operates from 1-11 p.m.
- Most of the Nights of Lights tours are not hop-on, hop-off, so if this is something you are looking for, make sure to ask the company if this is something they offer.
- The Nights of Lights is a wonderful experience and it absolutely lights up the city. The event is free, but you do need to pay for parking if you do not do a tour.
Restaurants and Bars
St. Augustine has plenty of restaurants and bars. On my previous visit with my husband, we went on Christmas Eve and found that many places were closed, though a few were still open. This time with my mom, we decided to eat in Jacksonville before making our way to St. Augustine, which was a much better plan, since everything in the city was packed and long lines had formed outside many restaurants.
Christmas in St.Augustine is so much fun, and the city feels absolutely magical with all the lights illuminating the streets!
Disclaimer: I received complimentary passes in 2018 and 2025 for the Ripley’s Red Train, however all opinions are my own.
