Starry Nights

There's rarely any snow (and sometimes not even cold) to get one into the holiday spirit. So when an annual event like Starry Nights - the amazing, holiday-themed, drive-through tour of lighted displays - pops up in Shelby Farms Park, rest assured that everybody in town will make tracks for a festive way to put the ho-ho-ho into the holidays. Running every evening through Dec. 28,, Starry Nights features more than 1.5 million lights in a display that winds through the vast park. Fanciful images of animals, stars and planets, holiday images and more lead guests through the park. Be sure to look for the buffalo lights, too; there's a herd that makes its home in the park so that's a fun tribute to them. Guests have the choice of driving through in their cars, or signing up for a horse-drawn carriage or hayride through the light show. A Christmas-y village called Mistletoe Village is a must-stop for hot cocoa, visits with Santa and the chance to ride a camel or go to the petting zoo. Parents can do a little holiday shopping in the artists' market in Mistletoe, too. Choirs from local schools perform on select evenings.