Where do you spend a December evening by the river in Littleton this year? Hudson Gardens is lighting its grounds on Santa Fe Drive. A short drive south on the same road, the South Platte at Reynolds Landing is closed to floaters, and the greenway there is detoured while the park is rebuilt.
That split shapes the whole season. Littleton's river holidays this year come with tickets, start times and parking plans, because the free, open version of the riverfront is being rebuilt for 2027.
A light show with a calendar inside it
Hudson Holidays runs on select evenings from Nov. 27, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, at Hudson Gardens, 6115 S. Santa Fe Dr. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m., except Dec. 24, when the show closes at 7. You walk the gardens, get through a lighted maze, pass large themed displays, and can take a photo with Santa. Warm drinks and cocktails are for sale.
The any-day presale was $15 for adults and closed Nov. 8. Dated tickets went on sale Nov. 9. They cost $20 for adults, $18 for seniors 65 and up, and $15 for youth ages 3 to 12. Children 2 and under get in free. Tickets aren't timed, so you can arrive any time during show hours on your reserved night. There's no re-entry, which matters if you're thinking of leaving for dinner and coming back.
Not every show night is the same. The calendar has several theme nights, and picking one is the easiest way to give the evening a focus:
- Dec. 2: sensory-friendly night and a character story night
- Dec. 3 and Dec. 11: gourmet s'mores
- Dec. 5, 9, 12, 16, 19 and 23: more character story nights
- Dec. 22: Christmas movie trivia
- Dec. 27: holiday bingo
The gardens also hold two separate events that same weekend. Pancakes with Santa has seatings at 9 and 11 a.m. on Dec. 5, and Chaos Christmas runs from 7 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 6, according to the Hudson Gardens special events page.
Parking is free at the gardens. There's an overflow lot at Arapahoe Community College, and ADA parking and drop-off use the Denver Seminary entrance on W. Weaver Ave.
What's happening at 6745 S. Santa Fe
Head south on Santa Fe and you reach Reynolds Landing at 6745 S. Santa Fe Dr., a park and trailhead listed by South Suburban Parks and Recreation. The City of Littleton describes it as a 13-acre parcel on the South Platte. It holds open space, an abandoned house the city bought known as the Superchi property, and a stretch of river the city calls ecologically degraded. The city has been working with Mile High Flood District, South Suburban and Arapahoe County on the site since 2016, and river restoration planning started in 2020.
That work is now in the water. South Suburban says the river section through the park is closed for in-river construction. Anyone floating it has to get out upstream and portage about a quarter mile around the site. The closure is needed because of in-river hazards such as sheet pile diversions, and it lasts for the whole project. On land, the Mary Carter Greenway has a detour that sends all trail users through the interior of the park for as long as construction lasts. The parking lot is still open.
So a winter walk from Reynolds Landing still works, but along a different route than usual. If your normal greenway loop runs past the water there, expect to be pointed inland at that stretch until the work is finished.
What the fencing is for
The contractor, Naranjo Civil Constructors, states the project's goal in one line: "Provide a place to gather, play and explore the waters of the South Platte River." The planned improvements explain why this winter's closure covers both the trail and the river:
- A float loop. Access trails and a looped in-water route, so you can float downstream, walk back up and float again.
- Smaller drops. Three large existing drop structures replaced with smaller ones and low-hazard features for tubers, kayakers, rafters and paddleboarders.
- Habitat. A reshaped low-flow channel with boulder drops, deep pools, riparian terraces and new wetland and upland plantings to improve fish passage.
- Split trails. A realigned Mary Carter Greenway with a land bridge that lets cyclists skip the busy center of the park, and a soft-surface path for walkers and runners near the river.
- Park additions. Interactive art, new trail connections, more parking and trees, and removal of structures at the south end to make room for future amenities.
Naranjo's page, published Oct. 28, aims to finish Phase 1 by spring 2027. South Suburban expects the river to reopen in spring 2027. The city's project page lists a fall 2027 goal for this phase and says the park is funded through 2028 in the Open Space fund. Either way, the river sits behind construction fencing for this entire holiday season. If the rebuild goes as planned, next winter's walk along this stretch of the South Platte will feel quite different.
The rebuild has company farther south. The city has announced 1st Street Farms, a five-acre public-private project at Santa Fe Drive and Mineral Avenue. Plans include a restaurant and event venue, a public turf field, accessible green space, and trails linking to South Platte Park and the Mary Carter Greenway. Put together, these projects point Littleton's south river corridor toward more public places to gather along the water. For now, though, the ticketed evenings carry the season.
The other lit evening is a 19th-century farm
Littleton's second ticketed river-area evening skips the light displays. Holiday's Evening at the Littleton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., is Sunday, Dec. 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. It takes place outdoors on the museum's living history farms. The evening includes a wagon ride, cornbread and cookies, hot cider, live music, and costumed interpreters demonstrating how winter holidays looked in the 19th century. The Smithtonian Handbell Ensemble is on the entertainment list.
General admission tickets go on sale Friday, Nov. 13, at 9 a.m. They cost $15 for adults and $7 for ages 2 to 16, and children under 2 are free. All activities and refreshments are included, and tickets are nonrefundable. You can buy online or at the museum's front desk during regular hours with cash or check. Members of the Friends of the Littleton Library & Museum have been able to buy since Nov. 6 at $10 for adults and $5 for children.
If you visit the museum before the holidays, it also has an artist talk with David Ocelotl Garcia on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m., with doors at 5:30. The "Cover to Cover" exhibit opens Dec. 3 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Timing dinner around a 9 p.m. close
The corridor around Hudson Gardens has plenty of places to eat. The thing to plan around is when each kitchen closes compared with the show:
- Farm House at Breckenridge Brewery, 2990 Brewery Lane, is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. On Saturday a late dinner after a 5 p.m. arrival at the gardens works. On Sunday, Dec. 13, it closes at 8, the same time Holiday's Evening ends, so eat before the farm.
- Platte River Bar & Grill, 5995 S. Santa Fe Dr., serves until 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, midnight Friday and Saturday, and 10 p.m. Sunday. It's the corridor's after-the-lights option.
- The 49th Food & Spirits, 5350 S. Santa Fe Dr., Unit F, opens daily at 11 a.m., and its kitchen closes at 9 p.m., right when the lights go off. Go before the show.
- Los Portales, 5350 S. Santa Fe Dr., #D, is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. It's another pre-show stop in the same center.
With no re-entry at Hudson Holidays, the simplest plan is dinner first, then the gardens, then Platte River Bar & Grill if anyone still wants to talk it over.
If you're working out how the riverfront changes around Reynolds Landing might fit into your own plans for next year, Brian Grace is glad to talk it through. Call Brian and start with a conversation about your home.
