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It's beautiful and a wonderful small-town tradition. We get there right at 5:30 on a Thursday and we can go through several times in about 45 minutes. No lines. Then we have a nice dinner out. It's a small mill town, not Vegas. If you read about how many lights there actually are and how long it takes the volunteers to do, maybe it would enhance your expierence.
The lights at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden are nice as an alternative.
I am the post originator, and I didn't post this to slam anyone who likes the McA lights. I just wanted to make others aware so they could weigh the wait vs. the rewards.
Also, all I've ever heard is about the "lights", so that's what I expected to impact me. I guess that's why I was disappointed. Had I known that folks mainly go there for the other things mentioned, we might have appreciated it more.
I also like the small town atmosphere... we often buy a house in the outlying areas/towns of a large city instead of in the city itself just because we like that whole dynamic better.
Thanks for helping me understand what the McA lights are all about.
I went last Sat night and really enjoyed it although I did elect to walk rather than drive through. I walked across thr bridge and around town to see the lights. The thing I enjoyed the most is that it was all nicely done and rather than Chevy Chase/Griswald style. I'm not a fan of traffic in any situation so driving it would have ruined it for me.
McAddenville is a small town just South of Charlotte on I-85. They put up Christmas lights on many of the homes along the main street. You stay in your car and just drive through the town.
I grew up in western SC, and always heard of the McAddenville Lights. People really loved them. Well, we went to them this year and it was quite a waste of time, in my opinion. It's really just a bunch of homes that have been decorated, and also some large trees on the streets have been lighted as well.
We got off on the Lowell exit, because it said the normal McA exit was closed. There were enough signs to point us in the right direction.
We started waiting in line at 8:45pm and finally reached McA at 9:22pm. That's 37 minutes of bumper-to-bumper, stop-and-go driving. We found 102.something, on the FM dial, which was giving us some good Christmas tunes, so we made the best of the wait.
The bumper-to-bumper driving continues through McA, as you view the lights. In 23 minutes we had completed the tour, and we couldn't understand why these lights were so infamous. It was a waste of time and gas. Even though it all only took one hour, both my wife and I said that it felt like twice that.
If I lived within 30 minutes of McA and knew there would be no traffic, I might make the trip to drive through and see the lights. But a wait of 37 minutes is way too long for what you finally get in return.
Find an upscale neighborhood in a nearby town where everyone decorates their houses and you'll get just as good a time from that.
You don't mention in your email which day of the week you drove through. If it was a Monday thru Friday night, then I think I understand your disappointment:
If you arrived in McA at 9:22 and completed it in 23 minutes (thus making it 9:45 when you finished), then you missed at least half of the lights. I tend to think this is the case because you described McA as having only "some" trees decorated. I don't know anyone who would describe McA in its full Christmas glory as having only "some" trees decorated (the lake alone is ringed with dozens of lit trees most of which are over 30ft tall).
The lights are set on automatic timers and shut off mercilessly like clockwork. On Mondays thru Fridays, the lights go off at 9:30 and on Saturdays and Sundays they go off at 11. I would like to see the lights stay on till 11 on Fridays but I understand that it has something to do with clearing traffic in time for a shift change at the mill (although it seems they could devise a solution to this by letting the workers have access across Castarphen bridge).
Anyway, if you were there on a Saturday or Sunday night, then I'm sorry you were disappointed and would love to know the name of any place you've been to before that offers more. On the other hand, if you were there on a Monday thru Friday night, then you really didn't see the McA Christmas lights in its full glory and I recommend trying again next year with the shut off times in mind. One great time to come without any waiting is Sunday night after 9pm - most families are home trying to get their kids in bed for school the next day - meanwhile, you have up to 2 hours to drive back and forth freely with hardly any waiting.
Last edited by thecandymancan; 01-04-2008 at 07:50 AM..
Reason: left something out
Anyway, if you were there on a Saturday or Sunday night, then I'm sorry you were disappointed and would love to know the name of any place you've been to before that offers more. On the other hand, if you were there on a Monday thru Friday night, then you really didn't see the McA Christmas lights in its full glory and I recommend trying again next year with the shut off times in mind. One great time to come without any waiting is Sunday night after 9pm - most families are home trying to get their kids in bed for school the next day - meanwhile, you have up to 2 hours to drive back and forth freely with hardly any waiting.
It was on Christmas Eve, which means it was a Monday.
Thanks for your post. We'll keep the times in mind for next year. I think some of the trees turned themselves off right before we got to them.
we are new to the Charloote area having moved to Union County in July. I have heard of the McAdenville light from this web site and decided to make a trip to the town to see the lights. We went on Sunday Dec. 23 (my birthday). We went early and had dinner at a Greek family style restuarant. The food was good with plenty of leftovers to take home. We got to the starting point just past 5:30, the starting time. Initially it was barely a crawl but shortly we went in a slow pace. It was a mild night so we had our windows down and sunroof open. We found the homes to be tastefully decorated, not over done as seen on these hoilday shows. It was evident that the Christmas spirit was present. Many smiling faces, Christmas music, and greetings being exchanged. It was a pleasant diversion from the holiday hustle and bustle and something I plan on doing again. THANK YOU to all of the people of McAdenville for inviting us into your town for a 'Bedford Falls' experience.
Like the original poster, when I went on a Sat night in the middle of Dec, I was very disappointed. We waited almost an hr, to make what amounted to a 25 min drive through just to see lights. It made no sense that it gets so much publicity. I can understand though if it is a tradition thing for long time Charlotteans. I won't waste my time w/ it again. I can drive through any neighborhood and get almost the samething.
Like the original poster, when I went on a Sat night in the middle of Dec, I was very disappointed. We waited almost an hr, to make what amounted to a 25 min drive through just to see lights. It made no sense that it gets so much publicity. I can understand though if it is a tradition thing for long time Charlotteans. I won't waste my time w/ it again. I can drive through any neighborhood and get almost the samething.
We got to the lights on a Monday night at 7:50 p.m. and at 9:45 p.m. (about 5 cars in front of us) the police closed off the line and made us exit. So basically, we waited in line for 2 hours for nothing. I thought it was very disorganized. They should have had a sign up telling you that if you were at a certain point, to turn around because you would not be seeing any lights.
Another pro tip for going to McAddenville: If you are coming up 74 (the best way, IMO), make sure you get over to the right as soon as you see traffic backing up. You will be screwed and have to make a U Turn otherwise. Happened to me both years.
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