Can’t score a Longwood Gardens reservation this week? See these other festive Philly-area options.

Deanna Baker made reservations for A Longwood Christmas in late summer.

The 32-year-old Downingtown resident has been gifted a Longwood Gardens membership each of the past five years, but even the member reservations for the annual holiday light show book up well in advance. So she secures her family’s time slots while the weather is still warm.

“Yes, it’s ridiculous this time of year,” she said of the Longwood demand at Christmastime. But “yes, it’s worth it.”

Baker, who works in operations for Victory Brewing Co., said there is “a magical element” to the experience, whether she’s going with her toddler or her adult friends and relatives. She went once in early December and plans to return in the afternoon on Christmas Day.

Every holiday season, hundreds of thousands of people visit A Longwood Christmas, which serves as an “economic engine” for the business communities in Kennett Square and surrounding towns, as Cheryl B. Kuhn, CEO of the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce, recently described it.

» READ MORE: Brandywine Valley businesses are getting a Christmas bonus — from Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens’ holiday attendance has increased nearly 42% since pre-pandemic times. Last year, 650,000 people visited the gardens at Christmas, up from 609,000 the prior holiday season and from 458,000 during the 2019-2020 event (the show ends in the beginning of January).

Many of these guests book months in advance, leaving last-minute planners few options for afternoon and nighttime visits during the holiday week.

“We open ticketing in July, and there are always a few early planners that buy tickets and make reservations then,” Longwood Gardens spokesperson Patricia Evans said in a statement. “By late Octoberish, the most desirable evening time slots on the weekends and the week of and following Christmas tend to be sold out.”

But as of Monday, Evans noted, some tickets were available for time slots before noon and after 8:30 p.m. for the remaining days of December. Availability opens up in January, she added. The holiday lights stay on through Jan. 11.

If nonmembers snag tickets, the experience will cost $45 a person for adults and $25 a person for kids, which Evans said is a $2-$3 per person increase from last year. Children 4 and under are free.

For Philly-area residents who want to enjoy a festive experience before 8 p.m., or at a slightly lower price point, other options have availability this week.

As of Monday afternoon, the ice skating rinks at City Hall and Penn’s Landing had online reservations available for any day this week, though spokespeople said some time slots can sell out around the holidays. Both cost about $20 per person for admission and a skate rental.

LumiNature at the Philadelphia Zoo also still had tickets available every operating night through Jan. 3 as of Monday afternoon.

“While tickets are available, the most popular times that guests reserve their tickets for are from 5-6 p.m., and it is likely that that particular hour will sell out on our most popular nights,” zoo spokesperson Maria Bryant said.

Last year, LumiNature saw nearly 70,000 guests, according to Bryant, and it is on pace to exceed that number this season.

Depending on the day, tickets cost between $25 and $29 per nonmember 12 and over, and $20 and $24 per child between the ages of 2 and 11. Younger children are free.

In the suburbs, the Elmwood Park Zoo’s Wild Lights “will not sell out,” with “plenty of tickets for each day of the rest of the event,” marketing director Kyle Gurganious said. Guests can buy at the gate, he added, or book online to save $1 per person.

For nonmembers, online tickets are $27 per person 13 and older and $24 per child between the ages of 3 and 12. Children under 3 are free.

Last season, the Norristown attraction brought in about 50,000 visitors, a number Gurganious said the zoo is “on track to eclipse … significantly” this year.

Throughout the region, there also free events, such as the Wanamaker Light Show and the Comcast Holiday Spectacular. But be prepared: They can come with long lines and large crowds at popular times.

At least one other Philly-area holiday attraction is completely sold out this week: The Holiday Garden Railway Nighttime Express at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens.

Because it’s “so popular and because we only have a limited number of nights, the Nighttime Express sells out every year,” said Christopher Dorman, the director of visitor experience for the arboretum, which is part of the University of Pennsylvania.

Those looking to snag tickets for next year may want to mark their calendars: Holiday tickets go on sale at the beginning of November for arboretum members and a week later for the general public.

Added Dorman: “While the Nighttime Express is sold out, folks can still see the trains all lit up [and the rest of the garden] during normal daytime hours through Dec. 30.”

And for those turned off by the planning — and expense — required for these paid festivities, there’s always the low-cost, low-commitment option: touring your neighborhood’s home light displays.