Lewis Ginter named home of best botanical garden holiday lights in US
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Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights display has been named the top botanical garden holiday light exhibit in the nation by readers of USA Today.
The exhibit earned the top honors in the newspaper’s 10Best contest for "Botanical Garden Holiday Lights” following two years in the No. 2 spot.
“It’s an honor to be consistently recognized with such well-respected gardens around the country,” said Brian Trader, president and CEO at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. “We’re grateful to all those who voted for us, and it’s especially fitting given this is the 25th anniversary of Dominion Energy’s sponsorship. Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights is an event created by our community for our community and we are honored to share it with neighbors near and far.”
The contest ran from Nov. 1-28, with participating gardens encouraging the public to vote.
The top 10 gardens are:
- Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens
- Galaxy of Lights at Huntsville Botanical Garden
- Gardens Aglow at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
- Illuminations at Botanica
- Nights of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens
- Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum
- Holiday Lights at Garvan Woodland Gardens
- Enchanted Forest of Light at Descanso Gardens
- Holiday Lights at Florida Botanical Gardens
- Lightscape at The Arboretum
Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden features more than a million lights, botanical decorations, model trains and more. The show runs nightly through Jan. 7 (closed Dec. 24 and 25). Tickets are available online only, and pricing varies; visit lewisginter.org.
This year's theme is "Rhythms of Nature," featuring an immersive experience celebrating nature and the rhythms of life that connect people. Various colored lights, forms, and botanical decorations throughout the gardens represent the four seasons. Attention is drawn upward into the tree canopy and recordings share the sounds of nature.
A highlight this year is an installation by local artist Kyle Epps: Rhythms of Light Uje Wepinasow. This illuminated tapestry of symbols, marks, and movements is a cloth offering to the spirits of central Virginia painted by the artist over three days in the Garden.
The garden is located at 1800 Lakeside Avenue in Henrico.
