Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights: A Longwood Christmas

During A Longwood Christmas, Longwood Gardens celebrates the shapes of the season. The outdoor gardens are sheer magic with more than half a million lights by way of illuminated trees to glowing orbs to dancing fountains. Outdoor fire pits and carolers add a note of holiday cheer. Inside, the celebration continues with elegantly adorned spaces and towering trees inspired by the contours of ribbons to confectionery to snowflakes.
Photo courtesy of Longwood Gardens

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond lights up with more than a million LED bulbs during the Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights, a holiday tradition kicking off Thanksgiving Weekend. The 2019 event is themed Magic in the Air, taking inspiration from things that fly. 
Photo courtesy of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Gardens Aglow at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay ranks among the biggest and brightest lights displays in New England, with more than 650,000 bulbs. The event is part of the larger Boothbay Lights in partnership with area hotels, shops and restaurants. The 2019 event will incorporate the sculpture exhibit Unearthed by artist Steve Tobin for the first time.
Photo courtesy of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

On select nights in December, Brookgreen Gardens celebrates the holiday season in the glow of more than 2,700 hand-lit candles and countless more sparkling lights. Visitors can walk through the display with a warm cup of cider, cocoa or wine in hand to the sounds of live holiday music.
Photo courtesy of Visit Myrtle Beach

Visitors to Norfolk Botanical Garden can see more than a million dazzling holiday lights during the 25th anniversary of this annual holiday event. Visitors can walk through the lights to experience the magic of the holidays or drive in the comfort of their car during the Dominion Energy Garden of Lights drive-through. 
Photo courtesy of Norfolk Botanical Garden

The beautiful Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia celebrates the season with more than 8 million lights spread across over a dozen lighted holiday scenes during Fantasy in Lights. Besides riding the Jolly Trolley past the lights displays, visitors can listen to stories from Mrs. Claus, watch live stage shows, learn to build natural bird feeders or ring in 2020 with a fireworks display.
Photo courtesy of Callaway Gardens

New Mexico’s largest walk-through light show, River of Lights at the ABQ BioPark Botanical Garden, features more than 600 displays made up of millions of lights. Other highlights of the event include a holiday-themed Garden Railroad model train exhibit, holiday nature crafts in the education building and visits with Santa aboard the Polar Bear Express.
Photo courtesy of Visit Albuquerque

One of the most interactive of our nominees, Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum in Chicago lights up each holiday season with a series of LED displays that respond to visitors' touch and sound. Highlights along the mile-long path of lights and projections include Meadow Lake Magic, where lights respond to the speed and direction of the wind, and Woodland Wonder’s illuminated grove of sycamore trees.
Photo courtesy of Morton Arboretum

More than 2 million lights illuminate Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota during Lights in Bloom. Walkways become sensory light tunnels, and the garden comes alive with illuminated flowers, rainforest butterflies and dragonflies. Santa visits nightly.
Photo courtesy of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Illuminations at Botanica in Wichita features 37 nights illuminated with some two million twinkling bulbs, paired with thousands of luminaries to light the way. Carolers and live music set the scene each night, and Santa is on-site for visits with young visitors.
Photo courtesy of Kansas Tourism/Andrea Etzel