Are you looking for something to do outdoors this November and December? Evendale’s restaurant, bar, driving range, and mini golf destination The Acres brightens up the shorter days with a new lighted forest attraction. Visitors can experience a a 2.5 acre illuminated forest with giant sculptures from area artists, including a milk crate skunk that was on display at BLINK. Guests can even play 18 holes of mini golf with LED-illuminated holes when they purchase tickets for the lighted forest trail.
The Acres partners got the idea while staring at a stand of trees largely guarded by
honeysuckle along their property on Reading Road. On the parcel of woods near the Mill
Creek, old sycamore and oak trees had taken root after a hotel was torn down. Alexander Fee and Bill Roberts took the entire summer and fall building trails and installing
lights with simplicity and art in mind. “We had an old rusty canoe that we thought belonged as a sculpture in a golden pond,” says Fee. Bringing LED light and various
forms of sculptural art to an old patch of woods was the goal of this project. Fee adds, “There is a theme at play as you walk in the woods. It came together magically, but wasn’t planned.”
We aren’t going to spoil it—you’ll have to visit to see the theme for yourself. In this one-of-a-kind setting for experiencing the outdoors in fall and winter, there are hands-on activities to keep you moving, including an LED teeter totter and zip line plus the lighted mini golf.
But the forest trail is the star of the show. There, you’ll find:
- A 10-foot-tall skunk sculpture crafted from milk crates and illuminated from within that appeared as part of zoOTRopia at BLINK
- A giant mastodon skull made of duct tape by local artist Jake Brinkmann, paying homage to the Mastodon jawbone found on property 35 years ago
- A neon-painted field of 100 giant flowers by local muralist Dave Rickerd
- 10 foot tall botanicals by local artists Tabb Harrison and R. Diller
Plan your visit! Visit the website to purchase tickets
The Lighted Forest is open Tuesday through Sunday evenings. Tickets are $12 for ages 10 and up, $8 ages 4 to 9, and free for children 3 and under, and must be purchased online in advance. Admission includes a round of mini golf and tickets to the trail.
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