White (Light) Christmas in St. Augustine, Florida
Deaming of a white Christmas? Head to St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest, European-settled city in North America. There's no snow, but the 29th annual Nights of Lights celebration illuminates 20 blocks of the historic district with 3 million white Christmas lights, an awe-inspiring extravaganza that National Geographic named as one of the top 10 holiday light displays in the world.
The fun kicks off November 19 with Light-Up Night festivities as Plaza de la Constitucion, the site of a larger-than-life glittering Christmas tree, and runs until the end of January 2023.
Founded as a Spanish colonial outpost in 1565 - decades before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock - the Ancient City feels like a fairy tale village during the holidays when it sparkles from the lawns to the rooftops.
Chris Fitts, owner of Angels in the Architecture lighting company, is the guy that produces this Christmas miracle - with a little help from his elves. In August, when the rest of the country is looking forward to back-to-school and Labor Day, Fitts and his team are hard at work designing Christmas lights.
The historic district is an enclave of regal Spanish Renaissance architecture built in the late 1800s by wealthy railroad and hotel magnate Henry Flagler {1830-1913) as a Gilded Age playground for America' s affluent blue bloods. It's Fitts's job to ensure these majestic buildings with their towers and terra-cotta clay tile roofs are holiday ready.
The Gilded Age was defined by excess in everything from fashion to decor, but gaudy, over-the-top holiday displays aren't Fitts's thing. He keeps it tasteful, using lights as a tool to accentuate each building's architectural details.
"I think of it like my wife getting dressed to go out to dinner. She may accessorize with a diamond bracelet, but she's already beautiful, so she doesn't need to be covered in a truckload of jewelry."
For instance, the Lightner Museum built in 1887 as the luxurious Alcazar Hotel, has two levels of graceful archways and is crowned with a pair of elaborate belvederes. Fitts illuminates the silhouette of these features but doesn't blanket the waI!s in lights because it would detract from the most striking architectural elements. To amp up the dazzle, he drapes lights in the surrounding palm trees and shrubbery.
Flagler College, a National Historic Landmark, is another showstopper. Built by Flagler in 1888 as the exclusive Hotel Ponce de Leon, this opulent architectural masterpiece was the inspiration for Fitts's company name. There are literally sculpted angels in the architecture from the ground level to the top of the towers.
Carefully placed, custom cut lights brighten balconies and towers, making them pop against the night sky. These semi-permanent lights don't have to be put up and taken down every holiday season. That's good, because constant tinkering with lights could compromise the structural integrity of the historic property, but Fitts does have to inspect them to make sure they work. The lights shine brilliantly during the holidays but are designed to be inconspicuous the rest of the year.
Decorating the Bridge of Lions that spans the Intracoastal Waterway is a tall order. Fitts and his crew install more than 5,000 lightbulbs on the 1927 drawbridge named for an imposing pair of white marble lion statues (two more were added in 2015).
When the last light is hung, you might think Fitts breathes a sigh of relief and kicks back with a mug of hot chocolate, but his job is just beginning. The whole twinkling spectacle must be maintained for more than two months.
"It's not like Disney World where the display is in a gated, guarded area with strict opening and closing times," Fitts said. "Here, people are on the streets 24-7, and the lights (at ground level) can be touched by anybody."
But that doesn't turn him into a Grinch. After 26 years, there's not much he can't fix. He calls his job a "labor of love."
The city and local businesses along Matanzas Bay also hang eye-catching lights. It all comes together for a holiday bonanza that draws thousands of visitors from far and wide.
The glowing city can be viewed by land, sea or air.
Get jolly on the Old Town Trolley. A one-hour tour through the best of the glowing lights often inspires riders to break out their favorite Christmas carols.
Or hop aboard Ripley's Red Train for a 30-minute St. Augustine Boat Tours offers and opportunity to see the holiday lights reflected on the water, and First City Helicopters provides a flying reindeer's view of it all.
Villa Zorayda Museum Candlelight Tour
After seeing the exteriors of the city's architectural wonders, you may be curious about the inside.
Villa Zorayda Museum is one of the grandest of the grand dames, and the holiday season presents a rare opportunity to admire the interior of this Moorish Revival home by candlelight.
When wealthy Boston hardware merchant Franklin Webster Smith built his winter estate in 1883 as a one-tenthscale reproduction of a portion of the Alhambra Palace in Grenada, Spain, he set the standard for the rest of the Gilded Age historic district that would grow up around it.
An audio tour informs about the antiques, paintings and other treasures, including the supposedly cursed Sacred Cat Rug. Most noteworthy is the lighting of a soaring Christmas tree in the Court of Lions, the lavish epicenter surrounded by two levels of Moorish arches. But don't get so dazzled by the tree that you miss the hand-made nativity scene or the vintage mechanical Santa.
For those who appreciate the splendor of the Gilded Age, happy holidays start in St. Augustine.
Activities and Tours
Nights of Lights. This free annual holiday event is open to the public.
www.floridashistoriccoast.com/nights-lights
Lightner Museum. Houses an impressive collection of artifacts from America's Gilded Age. 904-824-2874, www.lightnermuseum.org
Flagler College. After seeing the exterior lit up at night, book a daytime tour for a peek inside. A domed rotunda is adorned with elaborate murals, and the dining room hosted several U.S. presidents. www.legacy.flagler.edu
Villa Zorayda Museum. Holiday candlelight tours are offered November 26 through the end of December on select evenings.
904-829-9887, www.villazorayda.com
Ways to See Nights of Lights
Old Town Trolley Tours. 844-388-6452, www.trolleytours.com/st-augustine
Ripley's Red Train. 904-829-6545, www.ripleys.com/staugustine/riple;s-red-train-tours
St. Augustine Boat Tours. 904-687-8297, www.boattoursstaugustine.com
First City Helicopters. 904-824-5506, www.tirstcityhelicopters.com
WHERE TO STAY
The Collector Luxury Inn & Gardens. This award-winning, adults-only inn decks its halls in a big way.
It's perfect for a romantic getaway and is within walking distance of some of the city's most visited attractions. 904-209-5800,
www. thecollectorinn.com
Casa Monica Resort & Spa. This luxury hotel in the historic district is decorated for Nights of Lights and is close to Christmas festivities. 904-827-1888, www.kesslercollection.com/casa-monica
work designing Christmas lights. The historic district is an enclave of regal Spanish Renaissance architecture built in the late 1800s by wealthy railroad and
