Season's Greenings - Roadside Attractions at U.S. Botanic Garden Nov 23, 2017 - Jan 1, 2018Season's Greenings: Roadside Attractions

November 23, 2017 - January 1, 2018

This year, take a trip across America as our annual holiday show Season’s Greenings showcases Roadside Attractions! In our model train show, trains will chug around, below, through, and above plant-based recreations of iconic sights from across the United States. Explore classic attractions like Texas’ Cadillac Ranch, Colorado’s hot-dog-shaped Coney Island Hot Dog Stand, South Dakota’s Corn Palace, New Jersey’s Lucy the Elephant, and many more. View thousands of blooms throughout the Conservatory, including a showcase of heirloom and newly developed poinsettia varieties. Our collection of D.C. landmarks made from plant materials will return to fill the Garden Court, this year including a new addition—an inspired botanical version of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Join us as we celebrate the holidays and America’s natural and cultural treasures.

 

Hours and Holiday Concerts

The Conservatory is open every day of the year, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free of charge. The best times to visit Season’s Greenings are weekdays early in December. On select Tuesday and Thursday evenings in December, the Conservatory is open until 8 p.m. with live seasonal music. Please travel lightly, as the Conservatory is not equipped to store personal items. You must keep strollers and all personal items with you at all times. More information about visiting (directions, etc.) »

 

Photography

We welcome – and encourage – personal photography at the U.S. Botanic Garden. Due to the increased number of visitors to the Garden during Season’s Greenings, tripods cannot be used on throughout the run of the exhibit.

Commercial and posed photography – including wedding, engagement, and professional family photography – is not allowed in the Garden at any time of the year.

Entrances

During Season’s Greenings, there are two entrances to the Conservatory on Maryland Avenue SW.

  • The Model Train Entrance provides entry to the model train exhibit. After you’ve seen the trains, you can view the rest of the Season’s Greenings: Pollination Station exhibit throughout the Conservatory.
  • The Conservatory Entrance bypasses the main train display and provides entry to the rest of the Conservatory. You’ll find seasonal plant displays throughout the Conservatory, replicas of the capital’s landmark buildings in the Garden Court and two of the largest indoor decorated trees in Washington, D.C. Due to stone and roof restoration work, the large trees are in the Garden Court and not the West Gallery. As such, there is no train around the tree this year. Find all the trains in the East Gallery using the Model Train Entrance.

In short, if you want to see the model trains, please use the Model Train Entrance.

Tours

Group tours are not offered during Season's Greenings, but resume in January each year after the holiday exhibit is over.

Attractions Featured in "Roadside Attractions" at U.S. Botanic Garden

Building Guide - Materials and Trivia

This year's holiday show features models representing more than 40 roadside attractions -- all made from plants and natural materials! Explore this guide to see all of the attractions; all the plants used to make them; and trivia about each one!

poinsettias

Poinsettias

Learn about our 3,000+ plant poinsettia display -- showcasing heirloom varieties all the way to newly developed ones yet to come onto the market!

Learn more >

Train and Tree at U.S. Botanic Garden

Looking for information about previous Season's Greenings shows? Check the archive:

  • 2014: Season's Greenings: Lighthouses (November 27, 2014 - January 4, 2015)

Holiday cheer abounds at the U.S. Botanic Garden! Despite the cold winter outside, the Conservatory boasts a tropical paradise, one of the largest indoor decorated trees in Washington, D.C. and a showcase of poinsettia and their plant cousins. It wouldn’t be the winter holiday season without the fantasy train display in the East Gallery, which chugs along a track through imaginative structures created with plant materials. Explore the seven seas, using lighthouses to navigate your way through this year’s scenic wonderland. Many of the capital’s landmark buildings, all made from natural materials, will be on display in the Garden Court. Come in from the cold and enjoy the sights, scents and sounds of Season’s Greenings.

 

 

More photos and videos on Facebook

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