This Is Why You Should Visit Botanical Gardens in the Winter (Photos)
Not all gardens hibernate during the winter. From synchronized light displays to intricate plant sculptures, these botanical gardens are decked out for the holidays.
Denver Botanic Gardens
Holiday Train Show
November 16 to January 12
You've never seen twigs, leaves, bark, and stems like these: for New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show, natural botanical materials are used to make miniature versions of New York City landmarks, including Yankee Stadium, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Radio City Music Hall, the Brooklyn Bridge, and Rockefeller Center. Then, more than 20 model railroad and trolley tracks are thrown into the mix, chugging their way through the landscapes. Think the attraction is just for kids? Think again—the Garden's "Bar Car" nights are decidedly adult evenings, and participants are invited to take in the scenery along with a cocktail.
Ivo M. Vermeulen
Holiday Train Show
Ivo M. Vermeulen
Holiday Train Show
Ivo M. Vermeulen
Garden Lights
November 16 to January 4
The Atlanta Botanical Garden brings in 1.5 million energy-efficient LEDs to create its illuminated holiday display. Many of the lights are used to transform the Garden's most famous landmarks into holiday-appropriate characters; Earth Goddess, a giant topiary sculpture in the shape of a woman, is given strands of wintry blue hair, turning her into Ice Goddess, and a pair of 15-foot-tall snakes don red and white stripes to make them the Candy Cane Cobras. Powering the 52 miles of light strings is Georgia Power, which uses green energy produced from renewable resources like solar power and biomass.
Chris Kozarich
Garden Lights
Joey Ivansco
Garden Lights
Joey Ivansco
Las Noches de las Luminarias
November 29 to December 31
Who says that holiday botanical displays have to focus on evergreen trees and snow-capped shrubberies? For its holiday display, Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden takes 8,000 hand-lit Luminaria bags and weaves them through trails of cacti and poinsettias. The bags cast a soft glow over the garden, setting the mood for holiday musical performances, be they seasonal songs performed on the hand bells or by carolers in Dickensian dress.
Adam Rodriguez
Blossoms of Light and Trail of Lights
November 29 to January 1
If you're looking for high-tech, the Denver Botanic Gardens has you covered. Its Blossoms of Light display, which includes more than a million lights, is synchronized in time to holiday music. What's more, you can purchase 3D "Holospex", which transform the lights into prismatic holiday shapes before your eyes. For those who are more into Christmas Past than Christmas Future, there's the Trail of Lights, which features the garden's on-site, 1880s homestead decorated for the holidays with a vintage Christmas theme.
More from Condé Nast Traveler:
The Best Ski Resorts in North America
The Gadgets of 2013 That Every Traveler Should Have
10 Travel Changes of 2013 That Will Matter to You
Denver Botanic Gardens
Blossoms of Light and Trail of Lights
Denver Botanic Gardens
A Longwood Christmas
November 28 to January 12
Longwood Gardens—located on an estate once owned by industrialist Pierre du Pont in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania—decorates inside and out for the holidays. Within the four-acre heated conservatory, you can find almost any seasonal plant you can think of—poinsettias, amaryllis, lilies, and others—as well as decorated trees that grow as high as 18 feet. Fruit takes a special focus, with the entryway decorated with red and green apples, and a Douglas adorned with 175 hand-blown glass pears. Outdoors, more than 500,000 lights spiral around even more trees, and fountains "dance" to holiday music in the Open Air Theatre.
Click here for more festive botanical gardens.
Longwood Gardens
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.