Dominion GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
gets better and better each year!
With half-a-million dazzling lights and more than twenty-five miles of light strands, it is no wonder. This year’s theme “H2Whoa” highlights water in all of its natural forms – a wintry wonderland with icicles, pools of light, and glowing ocean life. Guests can walk through a realistic tunnel of lights mimicking thunder and rain. My 8-year-old and 10-year-old danced through the thunderstorm in sync with the lightning!
Guests discover a twinkling 75-foot rainbow of lights, then traverse the beautiful lotus bridge, but keep your eyes peeled for a few surprises along the way. As you make your way toward the warming fire for a chance to get toasty and purchase hot chocolate or s’mores, be sure to stop by the creatively designed zoo animals, always a crowd pleaser. Wind up the ramp to the kids’ tree house for a phenomenal bird’s eye view of the entire garden aglow.
Inside the warm conservatory, explore beautiful botanical decorations, a stunning 20-foot holiday tree, and intricate model trains chugging through historic models of Richmond landmarks. The conservatory also showcases the ocean floor, complete with shimmery fish carefully constructed out of repurposed bottles and other sea creatures.
Our family greatly appreciated arriving at GardenFest around four-thirty, just in time to catch an amazing sunset and a special twilight viewing, and then we still enjoyed our visit after dark. Guests marveled at all of the amazing sights – too numerous to include them all. Just visit the GardenFest for your own special experience. You will be glad you did.
Dominion GardenFest runs now through January 11 and is open from five to ten nightly (closed December 24 & December 25). GardenFest is open rain or shine and is only closed for extreme weather. Tickets are not date specific. $12 adults, $11 seniors (age 55+), $8 children (ages 3 to 12), free for children under age 3. For garden members: $7 adults; $5 children (ages 3 to 18).
In order to accommodate groups and guests arriving early for GardenFest, charging GardenFest admission begins at 4 p.m. Visit GardenFest for bulk ticket discount information.
