Have you visited Sara’s Farm Adventure? What began in the 1970’s as Sara simply selling peaches from the trunk of her Cadillac, has grown and evolved into an agritourism gem that even Sara herself likely never even imagined. This holiday season Sara’s is full of holiday lights and festive fun. We got a chance to visit with the kids, read on for all the details and things we loved.
Santa’s Southern Lights is happening now through January 3, 2026!
Mom Review: Sara’s Farm Adventure
Sara’s Farm Adventure was clean, by far the cleanest I’ve seen. There is so much thought and intentionality that went into building this place. The folks at Sara’s have traveled around the country doing market research to learn what works best and it really shows.
When we arrived the parking lot appeared to be alarmingly crowded, But despite all the cars, there were nearly zero lines and we never felt crowded. We were able to move about and play on things with plenty of space and never felt rushed to move on, which is really a credit to their thoughtful planning.
They have restrooms, actual restrooms with running water. There were 2 sets of these “outposts” and a long line of port-o-potties, also.
There is animal feeding available but you can purchase right there with cash or card, no need to go back to the entrance to purchase or worry about having cash on hand. There are hand sanitizer stations right there and each pen is labeled with what animal it is, facts and a QR code, what a great learning opportunity! There are several types of animals including rabbits, Mini Zebu, Donkeys, chickens, goats, ponies, and a pig who really enjoyed being pet!
All the staff we encountered were friendly, laughing, happy and having fun.
Kidding Around Kid Fav Activities
Our kids’ favorite Sara’s experiences were:
- Go Karts
- Snowglobe
- Light trail
- Apple Cannons
Things to Do at Sara’s
Snap some great pictures at several photo opportunity spots, both in daylight and in the dark with everything and I mean EVERYTHING lit up with holiday lights. It was so beautiful, and we wished we had time to visit all the play areas all over again at night to enjoy them in the dark, too.
Warm beverages and winter treats including cotton candy and popcorn are available for purchase
Go inside a snowglobe! This was a lot of fun, and we recommend socks as you do need to remove shoes to go in. The line forms around the back of the globe and there is a staff member there to assist in getting in and out.
Warm up at a firepit. Not far from the snowglobe are some firepits.
Go on a wagon ride and visit the illumination theater. The illumination theatre plays a few songs on rotation. It’s fun to stop and watch for a few.
Shop! The farm store offers lots of farm fresh goodies and gifts. You do exit the farm through the farm store, which is entirely wrapped in red lights around the outside, and it’s very pretty inside with a lot to browse and shop.
And, you can shop for Christmas Trees! Sara’s sells Frasier Fir trees, garlands, and wreaths. No admission is necessary to look at or purchase trees.
Places to Play
- Bubble station with room for lots of kids.
- Corn pit with trucks and buckets in it for engaging play
- Apple cannons and target-shooting paintball
- There are numerous play structures like swings, slides, and a tractor that are all very well-lit at night and fun to play on with all the festive lights
- Turbo Track: Our kids loved the turbo track as the cars were lots of fun to ride. They had both small ones for kids and larger teenage/adult sized ones with staff there to supervise and help.
- Jumping Pillow
Santa’s Village
Santa is available select days and times. While Santas village is beautiful by day it is absolutely stunning by night. The entire structure is completely covered in lights and there are so many great photo ops in and around Santa’s Village. The giant blue ornament and giant snowman are photo spots you won’t want to miss.
Near Santa’s Village there is a large covered area with tons of tables to sit, eat, or take a break They also have multiple shelters available for birthday parties.
Lighted Walking Trail: Santa’s Southern Lights
Santa’s Southern Lights is a 1/2 mile lighted walking trail. It is extremely beautiful with multiple light tunnels that display moving, color-changing lights as you walk through. One tunnel even has a surprise snowfall at the end.
There is a section of the trail where some of the trees tell jokes. The kids are still using them on us.
Tips for Visiting Sara’s During the Holidays
Check the weather and dress appropriately. We dressed in layers and made trips back to the car to add layers on. In the afternoon kids were hot from running around and playing but got colder as the night went on and their activity level decreased.
Check their schedule ahead of time if you plan to see Santa or the snout races as those run on specific days/times
There are food trucks on the weekend, and there is cotton candy, popcorn and warm beverages. Prices are very reasonable.
No outside food or drink is allowed but families can bring snacks and leave them in car, play for a couple hours, take a break in the car with snacks to warm up then go back out to play and walk the light trail.
Plan to spend at least 4 hours, or more if you want to take your time and do everything without rushing the kids along. Since it is about an hour from Columbia, you’ll likely want to do it all in one shot. Although we would totally go back again during the Santa’s Southern Lights this season.
Bring a camera and make sure your phone/camera is fully charged so you can capture all the fun. They didn’t even have to hear the “okay, now smile” from me, smiles were all natural!
Kids must be wearing socks for jumping pillow and no shoes are allowed inside the snowglobe so I would recommend socks for that, too.
Check out the Kidding Around holiday lights driving tour on your way home (the big sensational drive-through display at 2482 Wire Road in Aiken is not far from there.)
Admission
Tickets to Santa’s Southern Lights at Sara’s online are $34.99 per person and at the gate are $38.99. This includes all the farm activities (including the walkable trail of lights) except the apple cannon, paintball, gem mining, and the animal feed. Kids 2 and under are free.
General Admission (without the walkable trail of lights) is $19.99 per person online and $23.99 at the gate.
Sara’s Adventure Farm
100 Greenhouse Road
Trenton, SC
Want more lights? Here’s our full Kidding Around Columbia Guide to Holiday Lights Displays in the Midlands.
