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Annual Garden Glow Returns to Missouri Botanical Gardens

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Credit to Sarah Zimmerman

A tree glows through the night, lit up with Christmas lights at the 2018 Missouri Botanical Garden’s Garden Glow.

By Sarah Zimmerman, Videographer

A cool breeze dances in the night sky, the smell of hot chocolate fills the air, one million lights dazzle ahead. A family favorite in St. Louis, the Garden Glow is back at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, giving anyone the opportunity for another Christmas experience.

“Many people have made it a family tradition [to attend], and they like to come year after year to see it,” Catherine Martin, Missouri Botanical Garden Public Information Officer, said. “We want to keep that going for families and anyone who enjoys coming, and it’s also just a great experience. A lot of people come to the garden during the day, but it’s wonderful to see it in a new light at night with all of the holiday displays.”

These holiday displays and activities include not only the sparkling lights, but also s’mores, festive drinks, photo opportunities and admission to the new Gardenland Express Holiday Flower and Train Show.

“The Botanical Gardens did a really impressive job on their placement of the lights and the displays and everything,” senior Kira Ward said. “There are lots of areas for photo opportunities, so I thought that was really nice to kind of go off the path just a little bit and take pictures. There’s a lot of diversity in setups of the lights, so there was a lot of different things to look at.”

These festive Garden Glow nights last from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. from Nov. 17 to Jan. 1. Regular admission nights for non-members cost $14 for an adult and $6 for a child.

“It really is just something that everyone can enjoy,” Martin said. “There’s lots of interactive elements for kids. But, you know, many older people will enjoy elements of it. To parents, it’s a great place for a date night to come with your friends. It’s really bringing people together, because there’s something for everyone to enjoy.”