Drive-thru holiday display lights up Nay Aug Park in Scranton from Nov. 20-Jan. 7
In a time where social distancing is so important, the annual holiday light display at Nay Aug Park is the perfect event for families and their loved ones looking for a safe way to celebrate the season.
Scranton’s largest park will begin hosting the Christmas light spectacle a week earlier this year, starting this Friday, Nov. 20. Over 100 holiday light displays will illuminate the drive-thru road every night from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. until Russian Christmas on Jan. 7, 2021, and drivers can tune into 96.7 FM to hear festive music to complement the ride.
The display, which is free and open to the public, stretches throughout the entire park. Visitors can spot all their favorite Christmas characters, including Santa, snowmen, gingerbread men, and reindeer at this little show.
Donations are accepted to support operations at Nay Aug (1900 Mulberry St., Scranton), and hot cocoa, coffee, and doughnuts are available for purchase at the concession stand.
According to the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau, 30,000 new LED lights have been installed for the 2020 season. It also noted some special features:
- Santa Claus will make appearances at the park on Thursday-Sunday evenings.
- Free photo opportunities are available at the Santa’s workshop photo prop station near the concession stand.
- Tractor hayrides are offered on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 5 p.m. until closing at 9 p.m. for $5 per person. Only one family can ride at a time to ensure social distancing.
- Brookvalley Farm from Carbondale will be at Nay Aug with horse-drawn carriage rides seven days a week from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Rides, which are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under (with paying adult), begin in the parking lot to the left (behind the Everhart Museum) just after entering the light display.
The Scranton Municipal Recreational Authority and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department make this yearly tradition possible. After exiting the park, the nearby Arthur Avenue houses also have their own incredible light displays that locals drive by year after year.
Nay Aug Park grants residents and visitors a touch of nature amid the city landscape. Walking trails, picnic areas, kid-friendly rides, two playgrounds, two Olympic-sized swimming pools, and a waterslide complex number among the attractions. The Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science, and Art is also located within the park.
A rock-strewn gorge with a series of waterfalls is the centerpiece of the park. The Nay Aug Gorge is a National Natural Landmark. A pedestrian footbridge opened in 2007 to access parkland across the Roaring Brook, untouched for many years.
The David Wenzel Tree House in Nay Aug Park is the first of its kind in Pennsylvania. It opened on May 25, 2007 and overlooks the gorge 150 feet below. The tree house was constructed by Forever Young, Inc. with public and private donations, setting the stage for additional tree house construction in other cities across the United States.
