Hi friends, welcome back! Last weekend we took our annual excursion to the New York Botanical Garden to see the holiday train show. Jon and I went last year, and it was our last activity before Violet was born. We were in the giftshop and Jon noticed that someone had spelled out “Violet” with the trains. It must’ve been a sign because she was born five days later. As you can imagine I never got around to blogging about it, but I’ll never forget that little memory.
This year we got to share the fun with Violet, and she had a blast! We went on a gloomy day so we didn’t explore the rest of the garden, but we were treated with fewer crowds inside. A lot of the structures they reuse, but there is always something new to see at the train show. They usually arrange it differently each year so it feels like a new experience. Last year they added this outdoor train exhibit and little mountains. They had it up this year, but not all the trains could run with the rain. It’s cute nonetheless and a little preview of what’s to come inside.
There are almost 200 structures with some iconic NYC landmarks and notable places in the Hudson Valley too. Each piece is handcrafted by the firm Applied Imagination. They make pieces for botanical garden train shows around the country and I’d highly recommend checking one out near you! Here is their list of exhibits.
The Delacorte Theater is new this year. It’s a replica of the theater in Central Park that hosts Shakespear in the Park in the summer.
Inside Christmas music played and it was a very joyful atmosphere. On most weekends you can visit the garden at night with a cocktail for a unique night out.
I can barely make a gingerbread house so I can only imagine the amount of skill and time that went into each structure.
The Whitney Museum of Art is also new this year.
We ended our excursion in the gift shop and we managed to acquire all the VIOLET train letters in a full circle moment.
The train show runs through January 11th. Tickets are $39 for adults and $27 for kids over two. If you live in the area I’d recommend getting a membership because it pays for itself if you attend the train show and orchid show in the spring. A day at the botanical garden is always a good idea, but even more so at Christmastime! What do you think of this festive exhibit?
