FORT BRAGG, Calif. – The Mendocino Coast is a beautiful area to visit during the holiday season.

Quaint neighborhoods and main streets are drenched in aromatic garlands and sparkling lights. A warm feeling and sense of tradition washes over each small shop, diner, and local watering hole.

Perhaps best of all, the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens transforms into a luminescent winter wonderland for its annual Festival of Lights.

An unbelievable show of glittering color draws people into the Gardens for a stroll along the twinkling pathways lined with inventive displays.

After dark, the succulent garden morphs into a fantastic underwater scene of seaweed and floating jellyfish. A sailing brig that struck nearby reefs back in 1850 is reanimated with dazzling lights amidst the Gardens’ nationally recognized Heath and Heather Collection.

A beautifully decorated tent offers visitors a place to warm up and wind down. Each night the tent comes to life with live music, hot cocoa, cider, sweet treats, craft brews, and some of the best wine Mendocino County has to offer.

This year’s event will run rain or shine each Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening from Nov. 24 through Dec. 17.

Adult tickets are $10 and children age 16 and under are free, thanks to the funds raised by an annual benefit gala.

Make a break for the Mendocino Coast this winter, where crisp air and crashing waves mix with good cheer for a unique experience you won’t soon forget.

For more details or to purchase tickets to the event, please visit www.gardenbythesea.org/fol.