Is Enchant worth it?

[Anonymous]

Kids are free on Wednesday and my tween wants to go. The only reviews I see are old, people with little kids and that’s it’s not worth it. What do you think? She’s 12. Is it just lights to walk through? The skating will probably be really crowded.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not

[Anonymous]

It’s packed, sooooo many people. A crowded maze of lights to bump into people through, then a line a mile long for ice skating, and the opportunity to buy a $12 hot dog.

Not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Only go if you have tickets in the very first time slot of the evening. It gets incredibly crowded. We got nice photos a few years ago but only in the first 20-30 minutes. After that it was impossible, every photo op is mobbed with people. It's a nice idea and we had a good time doing the scavenger hunt. But be prepared for crowds.

[Anonymous]

Not worth the crazy price but we still did it anyways since the Santa part was well done and my kid liked it. Just go in knowing that it’s a rip off so you won’t be disappointed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only go if you have tickets in the very first time slot of the evening. It gets incredibly crowded. We got nice photos a few years ago but only in the first 20-30 minutes. After that it was impossible, every photo op is mobbed with people. It's a nice idea and we had a good time doing the scavenger hunt. But be prepared for crowds.

I ended up buying tickets for Wed since she was free. We will go when it first opens and if it’s too crowded at least we only paid for 1 and we can leave and get dinner elsewhere. Thanks, all. -OP

[Anonymous]

We went and if your 12 year old wants to go, I would take her…for free. It is not worth the price. You can go to other Christmas lights walk throughs for much less. Food and drink prices are insane. $9.00 hot chocolate if I recall.

Double check the Wed free thing. I recall it was only 2 specific Weds ending last week. If I had to pay separately for DC I wouldn’t go.

Take this with a grain of salt as I took a 4 year old which is a much different experience than your age DC.

[Anonymous]

I’m a blogger and I had free tix to review it last year. When we attended it was empty. If there’s no non-peak time to go I’d say skip it.

What I liked- it was a cool way to see National’s stadium all lit up like that. My 6 yo got into the scavenger hunt, and there was a cool dance floor thing in the middle. The lights sculptures are quite lovely but not some bucket list must-see. We didn’t ice skate and I heard it’s just ok. I liked the novel (but expensive) drinks. They also have a huge soft play area for little kids and my kid enjoyed the Nats playground.

Here’s the thing- for a free and uncrowded experience it was an absolutely super-fun night. I guess I would do it if my 12 yo was really wanting to do so, but only if it were not crowded and I came ready to expect it was overpriced but still fun. And childhood is fleeting and it’s nice when kids want to do something with you.

Nothing there is worth standing in long lines in the cold, so if that is the only option I’d skip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a blogger and I had free tix to review it last year. When we attended it was empty. If there’s no non-peak time to go I’d say skip it.

What I liked- it was a cool way to see National’s stadium all lit up like that. My 6 yo got into the scavenger hunt, and there was a cool dance floor thing in the middle. The lights sculptures are quite lovely but not some bucket list must-see. We didn’t ice skate and I heard it’s just ok. I liked the novel (but expensive) drinks. They also have a huge soft play area for little kids and my kid enjoyed the Nats playground.

Here’s the thing- for a free and uncrowded experience it was an absolutely super-fun night. I guess I would do it if my 12 yo was really wanting to do so, but only if it were not crowded and I came ready to expect it was overpriced but still fun. And childhood is fleeting and it’s nice when kids want to do something with you.

Nothing there is worth standing in long lines in the cold, so if that is the only option I’d skip.

Also I wanted to add for other readers, I think this is great for elementary school kids and older. it’s a really big venue and it does take time to get through it. I wouldn’t waste money with a younger child like a four year old, who is going to be equally delighted by some fun neighborhood lights. They won’t have the stamina to get your money’s worth.

[Anonymous]

OP back with an update. We went tonight and my daughter loved it. Kids were free tonight and are again next Wed with a paid adult. We got there at opening and paid for the parking, which was worth it and convenient. It wasn’t crowded and she loved it. At this age, she wants to take selfies every minute so this was the perfect place.

I was prepared for the food prices but we ate there anyway. It ended up being about $20 each for a cold cheeseburger, fries and drink but it was more than either of us could finish and I justified it as amusement park prices. We didn’t get the $7 hot chocolate and I wasn’t drinking any alcohol. I noticed a can of beer was $16.

Overall, it was definitely worth it for her. I have an older teen son who had no interest in coming and I don’t think he would have liked it, unless he was there on a date. I also think it would be expensive and not with it for little kids.

We left by 7 and at that point it was starting to get very crowded and a lot colder.