Christmas Kingdom Brightens Muskogee
CHEERFUL EVENING: The Castle of Muskogee’s Christmas Kingdom will be the largest display of holiday spirit in northeastern Oklahoma.
The largest display of Holiday Spirit in northeastern Oklahoma can be found in Muskogee. At the Castle’s Christmas Kingdom, you can take a slow drive through a Christmas wonderland filled with thousands of lights plus more than a thousand lighted inflatable displays with many new ones for 2009. In nearby Honor Heights Park, the Garden of Lights has been a popular event, attracting thousands of viewers to enjoy millions of lights displayed throughout the park.
For a change of pace, you can choose to view the Christmas Kingdom from a Horse Carriage Ride which travels through a very special part of the village that is not accessible to cars. Carriage rides are available Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., starting Nov. 29 through Dec. 31. Carriage rides will be $10 per adult, $5 per child, or take advantage of the Family Four Pack, which includes two adults and two children for $25.
Tractor Drawn Hay Rides will also give visitors a unique view of the lights each evening. This ride begins in the parking lot of the Castle and travels through a very special part of the village that is not accessible to cars and is different from the carriage ride as well. Visitors will see special scenes that they do not get to see on the normal routes via car or carriage. Tractor rides will be $5 per person and children under 13 are free.
Santa’s Workshop is open Friday and Saturday evenings where children can make small gifts. The Garden Room is open nightly from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. where visitors can enjoy beautifully lighted displays. Cookies, hot chocolate and more are available nightly as well as self-guided tours of the Castle. Some of the area’s finest artisans will be showing unique hand made gifts.
Father Christmas will be on hand to greet children, which will provide a great photo opportunity. He will be at the Castle Nov. 28, Nov. 29, Dec. 5, Dec. 6, Dec. 12, Dec. 13, and Dec. 19 through Dec. 23 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Christmas in the Garden Room will also be located in the Castle. Visitors will have the opportunity to walk through the Garden Room and enjoy the lighted displays including many of their favorite inflatables.
The 2009 Christmas Kingdom uses only top quality Gemmy Airblown Inflatables. They range from four feet in height to a towering 20 feet tall. Visitors will see all of their favorite Christmas characters including Santa, the elves, many snowmen, reindeer, penguins, polar bears and more. Also, visitors will see many of their favorite fun characters including Mickey Mouse, Snoopy, Scooby Doo, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, the Grinch, Elmo, Frosty the Snowman, Homer and Bart Simpson, plus many more. This is the world’s largest display of inflatables.
Nearby the castle, The Garden of Lights celebration includes a free drive-through display of over a million shimmering lights displayed throughout the park. Honor Heights Park, internationally known for its annual Azalea Festival, draws up to a half million visitors annually. The park’s 122 acres are planted with more than 30,000 azalea bushes and thousands of trees, beautifully situated among the park’s scenic hilltop drive. Christmas lights are placed on trees, bushes and structures throughout the park to enhance the natural beauty of the gardens, waterfalls and ponds.
Gates open at 5:30 nightly from Thanksgiving to New Years Eve. Admission is free while donations are accepted. For more information visit www.okcastle.com.
Updated 11-23-2009
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