UMPQUA VALLEY FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, SUSAN CREEK FALLS, AND MORE!!

Who doesn't love going to see Christmas lights?  We usually get the kids dressed in their jammies, get our thermoses full of hot cocoa, and make a whole evening of it!  It is so enchanting, and it really adds to the "magic" of Christmas.  It is so fun to watch our childrens faces light up with happiness and wonder as they take in the displays that are especially awesome on Cherry Lane and Greystone Court in Medford.  Well, last year we decided to venture out of our own neighborhood and took a little road trip up to Roseburg for their Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights.  Even on the rainy evening that we went it was beautiful and the kids had a blast!

For $10 a car we were able to drive through viewing all of the beautiful light displays.  And we got to see the World's Largest Nutcracker which will soon be recognized as the largest in the world by Guinness World Records. 

My personal favorite was the carousel and toy solider with rocking horse that actually rocked.  Ilias loved the Grinch and Olivia loved the mermaid.

We were able to drive through as many times as we wanted so that we could catch all of the details we missed the first time.  Ilias decided to make a game of counting all of the elves that were hidden throughout the park.  They would pop out from behind the trees randomly with a mischievous look in their eyes. 

We only drove through twice but we could have driven through a couple more times, our three year old just wouldn't allow it. :). Our only regret is that we didn't make it up there sooner.  When it opens in November they have a Holiday Village set up where you can visit with Santa Claus, munch on holiday treats and have fun making arts & crafts and more if you can believe it.    It only runs through Christmas Eve so we missed out.  The last bit of fun we missed out on was the Wagon Ride.  They offered the option of taking an old-fashioned wagon ride around to see the lights instead of driving ourselves.

If you are visiting from a ways like we did, travelling from Medford, we stayed at the Best Western Inn Lodge in Sutherlin.  The rooms were clean and cozy, they had an indoor pool (which the kids loved, of course) and they had a complimentary breakfast complete with chef prepared omelets.  Oh, and they gave us each a yummy homemade cookie.

For dinner we ate at McMenamins Roseburg which was perfect for a family meal.  The kids could talk without disturbing the next table, using their normal high pitched kiddie voices.   The beer was great which is expected of any McMenamins establishment and the food was tasty.  If you have never been to a McMenamins a visit to any of their establishments is visually and historically intriguing.  They take over old buildings that need some love, and polish them off to become beautiful pieces of architectural art.  It's fun to read the history behind each building that they choose.

After eating breakfast and getting in one last swim we decided to take a little adventure on highway 138 and visit the Umpqua River and headed to Susan Creek Falls.  It was well worth the detour to take the two mile hike to the falls.  The kids were able to get out some energy so that the ride back to Medford went quite smoothly.  MAP to Susan Creek Falls

We will definitely make sure to get up there earlier in the season to enjoy every bit of holiday fun this year.   It is only an hour, fifteen minutes away and it was a fun-filled packed one day excursion that left us wanting to repeat again and again!

If you want to go to the Umpqua ValleyFestival of Lights, they open this Sunday, November 20th until Sunday, January 1st at 530pm every night!  MAP to River Forks Park

For all of the Holiday Festivities in Southern Oregon you can go here.  We also have a page for Holiday Bazaars.

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