This holiday season, more than 500,000 lights brighten Longwood Gardens.
Friday, the lights were named the best in the country.
The Kennett Square site won the best botanical garden holiday lights in USA Today's 10Best Readers' Choice contest. This is the fifth year the garden won the contest.
Longwood Gardens competed against nine other gardens with holiday lights, from Gardens Aglow at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens to River of Lights at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A panel of experts and 10Best editors picked the nominees. The top 10 were selected by public voting.
Longwood Gardens’ holiday lights have a botanical splendor theme. They’ll be up through Jan. 8. Here's a look at the lights plus a quiz.
Longwood Gardens celebrates the holidays with lots and lots of lights: lining a tunnel, wrapping tall trees, floating in the water and dangling overhead.
Also, Dutch Wonderland made the cut for best theme park holiday event for the second year in a row. The site's Dutch Winter Wonderland placed 10th in the competition.
Lancaster County has a few winners in past readers’ choice awards.
- Green Dragon in Ephrata was named one of the top farmer's markets.
- Lancaster Central Market was named one of the top public markets.
- Bulls Head Public House in Lititz was named top beer bar in the country.
- Dutch Winter Wonderland at Dutch Wonderland is one of the best theme park holiday events.
- Cherry Crest Adventure Farm is one of the best corn mazes.
- Strasburg Rail Road is one of the best scenic train rides.
- Field of Screams is one of the best haunted attractions.
- Beau's Dream Dog Park at Buchanan Park is one of the best dog parks.
- Lancaster was also one of the best towns for antiquing.