Driving through different neighborhoods to see their Christmas lights is one of my favorite things to do during the Christmas. It’s a family tradition – my parents took us kids and now we take our kids. The colorful light displays give me the warm fuzzies.
When I saw the promo for Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, I knew that I would love it. The botanical garden is an amazing place to visit during the day and I just couldn’t wait to see it all lit up at night.
I was not disappointed – the garden lit up at night is amazing!
Twinkling Terrace
Our first stop was the Twinkling Terrace where the path is lined with trees that are covered with hundreds of purple, green, and blue lights. The shrubs are covered in purple lights and the fountain makes up the centerpiece of this display.
Model Trains
Then we had to make a stop into the Model Trains area. My uncle adores model trains so my mom shot several photos and videos of the trains as they went around the tracks. This is a perfect spot for model train enthusiasts and kids, of course!
Ice Goddess
The Ice Goddess, normally known as the Earth Goddess, is just stunning. Her hair is lit up with blue and green lights and it flows into the ground beside her. The lights reflect on the water in front of her, creating a swirl of shiny colors. She is quite the beauty in the daytime, and lit up at night, she is just spectacular.
Brilliant Bugs & Glowing Grove
We enjoyed the Brilliant Bugs display with bees, butterflies, and dragonflies all lit up amidst the flowers and the Glowing Grove of Christmas trees with bulbs that change color.
The Tunnel of Light
The walk through the Tunnel of Light takes you through sections of different colors as you move along the path. I loved it!
Nature’s Wonder
But my absolute favorite spot, hands down, was the Nature’s Wonder exhibit. We walked the Canopy Walk to reach this spot where 529 strings of lights hang down from the canopy, lighting in sync with music that flows through the air.
It’s an amazing spectacle and we spent nearly 20 minutes just standing and watching the display change color and fluctuate with the songs that played over the loudspeakers.
The songs ranged from holiday favorites to Star Wars to well-known classical music. The lights waterfalled up and down the strings with the beat or flowed across several strings. It really was stunning.
It’s hard to imagine how many hours were spent hanging the many lights in the Atlanta Botanical Garden, but after 11 years of this event, they have gotten it down to a science. The displays make the garden light up with color, creating an otherworldly magical effect among the plants.
Plan Ahead For Your Visit to Garden Lights, Holiday Nights
It’s a lot of walking. My mom was just a few weeks out of the hospital but she handled the walking like a trooper. We were a little nervous about the amount of walking it would take, but it turned out not to be too much of an issue.
Depending on the type of ticket you purchase, you may be at the mercy of the weather. We had purchased tickets that could be changed if the weather was bad or someone was sick. But the temperatures were low that night and it was quite chilly. So plan ahead for the weather. Wear warm clothes and good walking shoes.
There are long lines for hot drinks. While there are stops along the way to purchase hot drinks, the lines were LONG and not worth the wait. Those who pre-paid for drink tickets spent a while standing in line – not something that I would want to do while enjoying the lights.
Leave time for parking. We arrived within 30 minutes of our allotted time slot to enter the Garden and spent the first 10 minutes of that time looking for a parking spot in the parking garage. When we finally got a parking spot, we had to wait a while for the elevator as so many people were lined up to use the elevator. It’s not a big deal, but you need to plan for the extra time it takes.
