Last month, I was lucky enough to experience Astra Lumina at Anakeesta while visiting the area. Today, I thought I would provide an overview of that experience to help others decide if it’s worth their time and money.
Astra Lumina at Anakeesta
Let’s start by going over the basics of this event. Anakeesta is a mountain top adventure park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. While I’ve never done a post dedicated to Anakeesta, I have mentioned it in Spring in Pigeon Forge, TN, What To Do in Fall in Gatlinburg, TN, and Christmas in the Great Smoky Mountains posts as a place to visit during those seasons. In the springtime one, I even mentioned Astra Lumina when it first arrived at Anakeesta. So, it was nice to finally be able to return to the location and see this event for myself.
Astra Lumina bills itself as “an enchanted night walk amongst the stars.” Astra Lumina has set up various night time lighting shows around the world for over 10 years. Back in 2022, Astra Lumina arrived to Anakeesta. Currently, they have installations in Gatlinburg, Istanbul, and Gold Coast.
Considering this is an event put on by an outside company, this is an upcharge event at Anakeesta sold as an add-on to your regular day ticket. A regular ticket to Anakeesta costs around $33-40/adult. Astra Lumina costs an additional $18.99 per person and you purchase a ticket for an arrival window. Arrival windows begin around sunset.
The Night Walk
Astra Lumina at Anakeesta features 9 different light experiences. Each one tells a part of a story about stars falling to Earth, regenerating, and rising back up. Each installation has additional music or sounds with a short show. Most of the stations have seating for you to enjoy the show. It took us about 50 minutes to see all 9 spots, but we could have taken longer.
My mom and I weren’t sure what to expect with this experience. However, we both really enjoyed it. I think our favorites were the Stardust Rays and Stellar Visions. Each part was enjoyable and unique. My mom initially compared it to viewing Christmas lights, but I think that’s an over simplification. It’s a chance to connect with nature and enjoy being outdoors. It’s a chance to think about how vast the universe is and how small we are. This experience can be enjoyed with loved ones or alone. It was the perfect ending to a hot summer day.
Tips
- Take a break – Most sections have benches to sit on. I highly recommend sitting down to view the shows when you see a bench. It’s also great for folks who tire easily since you don’t have to walk too far to the next area. Bonus: no stairs.
- You can purchase tickets ahead of time – We didn’t buy tickets online because we weren’t sure of our plans. In fact, we ended up at Anakeesta because I got a text message at 4 PM notifying me that the restaurant we were supposed to eat dinner at was closed due to technical difficulties. We pivoted and ended up going here. I’m so glad that we did.
- You can enter early – Anakeesta allows you to enter Astra Lumina 30 minutes prior to your arrival time. Since we bought tickets the day of, we ended up with the last time slot of 9:45. However, they allowed us to enter at 9:15 PM.
- Take your time – I was worried that things would be crowded since we had the last time slot. However, I think it worked out to our advantage. Most of the people had cleared out by the time we came through. There were some people around, but it definitely wasn’t crowded.
- Wear comfortable closed-toe shoes – I wore sneakers and was very happy with that decision. While you are on walking paths, you are still out in nature. Plus, there was a bit of an incline at the end.
Is Astra Lumina at Anakeesta worth it?
I think Astra Lumina at Anakeesta is worth the added cost for most folks. I think it’s perfect for older children and adults. Young kids may not get the story or get bored. Younger folks may get tired as well with the event taking place at night. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and were happy we experienced it.
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