Enter lottery to see synchronous fireflies at Congaree National Park

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Congaree National Park in Columbia, South Carolina is one of the only places in North America where people can see synchronous fireflies -- fireflies that light up at the same time.

In 2020, the park did not allow visitors for the annual event due to COVID-19.

This year, the park will be open for an extremely limited number of people. Only 25 vehicles will be allowed in the park on the peak viewing evenings of May 20-22 and May 27-29, 2021.

Tickets will be required to entire the park on those evenings.

Congaree is holding a lottery to award tickets for the firefly viewing event. It opens April 15 and will remain open through April 19. To enter, everyone must pay $1. Winners will be contacted April 23 and will be charged an additional $19 for their parking pass.

To learn more about the lottery and enter it, click or tap here.

There are strict rules in place for those who do get a ticket in order to protect the habitat that attracts the synchronous fireflies. For more information on the fireflies at Congaree, visit the park’s website.