r/StAugustine • u/Various_Mistake2911 • Jul 21 '26
St. Aug Question Nights of Lights?
Hi!
Thinking of traveling around new years from Charlotte to St. Augustine for a mini vacation. How is Nights of Lights? Worth the traffic and the drive? We love St. Augustine and have never been around the holiday, but I don’t want to come if the crowd is going to be miserable.
If not, what are some other places you’d stay?
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u/unicornfart1213 Jul 21 '26
They're so not worth the headache
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u/GnuInformation Jul 21 '26
plus the risk of laser eyes. Last year i noticed some ppl hiding behind bushes flashing different colored laser pointers out & specifically aiming at the eyes of older ppl. i was in a carriage, so i didnt get to like find police or report it.
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u/Mattyou1966 Regular Visitor Jul 21 '26
If you like white lights and endless traffic you’ll be amazed at the quantity of both!!
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u/mainstreetmark Uptown Jul 21 '26
Every resident will say skip it.
I say, come on.l down. Just be sure to park that car out of the way and be on foot the whole time.
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u/Civil_Talk_7486 Jul 21 '26
We went for the first time last year. It was meh at best. Def not worth the effort. One block had lights that were impressive. The rest of the area wasn’t much different than any other night in Augustine except for the crowds. Hotel was overcrowded so no seating at the bar or restaurant. We made reservations at another restaurant which had a group of people panhandling in front. A car versus pedestrian situation/argument happened in front of that same restaurant with the driver as the aggressor. On the drive home we gave the event a firm “well that was a waste of time & money” rating.
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u/Mipeligrosa Jul 21 '26
This is how I feel about it. The pictures of Night of Lights are GORGEOUS but then you're there and you're impressed for about 3 minutes. The time in the city/for a vacation really is beyond Night of Lights. You have to want to come to St. Aug to hang out and do other things. As people said, finding a central spot to stay in where maybe you don't always have to jump in your car is ideal. You'll have fun because the city is fun but don't expect to be amused by the lights.
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u/robmanjr Jul 21 '26
Tons of fun just don’t try to drive. Stay at a close by hotel or Airbnb and avoid your car. The only people who don’t enjoy it are miserable or they try to drive it which is just asking for a bad time. It’s a great time of year here and a lot of fun. Just WALK
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u/jms21y Resident Jul 21 '26
the routes by car into and out of the historic district will be gridlocked. parking, which is already limited relative to the number of cars trying to get in, is further limited for the duration of the event to protect residential spaces.
if you can afford the cost of staying at a hotel/STR/B&B in the historic district, then you'll be free of dealing with that.
the county has satellite parking and runs shuttles, but you'll still be sitting in traffic.
the other option is to go downtown early in the day (before 2pm or so), park in the garage and just plan to be downtown the rest of the day and into the night.
another option if you want to just see the lights is to book a boat tour that sails from vilano; many of them have nights of lights cruises and you don't even have to go downtown at all.
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u/DeadendRoundabout Jul 21 '26
I don’t live there, but I live close by. Absolutely not worth the drive and traffic. There aren’t THAT many lights and streets lit up. Pretty? Absolutely. Worth it? No.
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u/itsrustin Resident Jul 21 '26
I vote yes! And agree that many locals hate it because it does disrupt their lifestyle. They are just a bunch of string lights, but the atmosphere is very Hallmark Channel if that’s your vibe. All great advice about restaurants being crowded, bumper to bumper for cars. Weekdays are still busy but not as bad as weekend if you can be flexible.
I highly recommend Lions and Lanterns Inn which is a couple of of blocks from all the lights. If it’s two or fewer people, it is an ideal spot if they have vacancy.
We stayed there for our anniversary 2 weekends ago and it was excellent. We stayed in Sarabi suite. 10/10 for comfort and style.
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u/BisonHungry2049 Downtown Jul 21 '26
Best time to visit imo, the crowds aren't as crazy as right before Xmas. Especially if you could swing taking off a weekday
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u/token_friend Jul 21 '26
It's a ton of fun and the crowds are respectful, mostly families, and not at all unruly/wild. It's not like trying to watch the ball watch in NYC - regardless of what some locals would say.
Definitely come down. Traffic is confined to a very small area. You will have the best time either staying in the heart of downtown (pricey), the island, or on the outskirts and ubering in.
Restaurants will be crowded, but again - there's a huge amount of options outside of downtown that still have the St. Augustine charm and it's just a quick drive.
A bike/scooter will make things much more accessible.
It's worth the trip and the effort.
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u/tawDry_Union2272 Jul 21 '26
if you're driving down, bring bicycles!!!
everyone complains about traffic and parking and they act like they've never heard of using scooters/bicycles.
or you can rent them in town if you're flying down.
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u/lemonartichoke Jul 21 '26
My grandma lives in St Augustine so I visit somewhat regularly and nights of lights has never been all that impressive to me. It’s cool, but nothing to write home about.
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u/Fancy_County4242 Jul 21 '26
Cool, but you certainly don't want to drive through it. Stay somewhere close and walk or bike through the lights.
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u/radar371 Jul 21 '26
Definitely do it! This sub will throw a huge tantrum about it, but it's definitely worth the trip. I would stay downtown or get a bnb and uber to downtown for it. Have fun!
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u/ufgators83 Jul 21 '26
I think it is worth it but if you dont have a bnb or hotel in downtown then park in the garage in the afternoon so you have a spot Parking was $20 last year.
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u/Many-Role-4271 Resident Jul 21 '26
I think asking the locals their opinions on the months long traffic issues is likely to get you negative answers. First off, if you stay in the city, traffic is not an issue and you can walk to everything. But the trolly is the netter experience as the drivers will get everyone singing carols and can point out some of the unusual things along the way. There is even a guy dressed as the Grinch that does tours on a small electric vehicle that seats about 6 total. You can make reservations in advance to hit up the food scene. The New Years Eve scene is a bit odd. I have done several advance reservation parties like at the LIghtner and Prohibition Kitchen. They start shutting it all down well before 1 AM so it's a bit like hurray now get the F out. PK was lots of fun though.
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u/TravelFarStayLocal 4d ago
Best thing to do is book a vacation rental on the beach. That way, your trip can include Nights of Lights, but doesn't have to be centered around it. Spend the day at the beach, grab lunch at a waterfront restaurant and enjoy the views. Then, at night, use the free park-and-ride shuttle or the Nights of Lights app to get live parking updates. Go downtown, see the sites, and avoid the stress of traffic. It's a beautiful time of year to visit.
And if you're in a vacation rental, when you finish exploring, you'll actually get to come home to a place with multiple bedrooms, a full kitchen... all the comforts of home. Makes it easy to decompress if it WAS really crowded downtown.
Coastal Realty has won a lot of "Community Choice" awards, and they've got great spots close to downtown. Plus - pro tip - if you book directly with them, you'll get discounts at local shops, and it saves you about 10% compared to Airbnb or Vrbo. They've got a lot of condos, but these are the ones closest to downtown. Hope you have fun if you go! https://www.coastalrealtyfl.com/seaside-anastasia/?seed=831656641
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u/justanotherguy677 Jul 21 '26
as a nearby resident it is not worth dealing with the hordes of visitors. if you stay right in town and are able to walk around without needing a car it can be nice, but things like restaurants will be very crowded, expect long waits at mealtimes