OK, Road Trips Gardeners, perhaps the plants are a bit obscured by the holiday dazzle — but, still, it’s fun to walk through the VanDeusen Botanical Garden during the annual Festival of Lights. The central acres of the garden are transformed into a holiday wonderland with more than one million sparkling lights wrapped around trees and trellises. Every night (through December 24), Santa can also be found wandering the garden, or in his living room reading stories to kids of all ages.

Hours are 4:30 to 9 p.m. December 10, 2010, through January 2, 2011 (except for December 25, when it’s closed). The VanDeusen Botanical Garden is located at 5251 Oak Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.