It’s the most wonderful time of the year and we’re visiting the Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at the Botanical Gardens, one of Atlanta’s favorite holiday traditions!🎄✨ Atlanta Botanical Garden has transformed their 30-acre garden into a colorful electric winter wonderland for their 8th annual year. There’s nothing more perfect than spending the evening with loved ones and learning more about the beauty of the gardens. They’ve been lighting up the heart of Atlanta with Christmas cheer and this is our 2nd year visiting Garden Nights, Holiday Lights. So we’re going to check out what’s new for 2018 and revisit some of our old favorites!
📍: Atlanta Botanical Garden
1345 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
📞 404-876-5859
🖥 www.atlantabg.org
Garden Lights, Holiday Nights
5pm-11pm Nightly from Nov. 17th 2018-Jan. 6th, 2019
💲$19.95-$39.95 for adults (ages 13+); $16.95-$36.95 for kids 3-12
– Members save $5 on General & Premium tickets
– After 9pm, General tickets are $14.96; Premium tickets are $24.95
🌟Tip: Save $$ by purchasing tickets online before 4pm!
We usually purchase the premium tickets. This includes one drink ticket (non-alcoholic or alcoholic), and limited-edition 3D glasses that are a fun way to really see the glow effect of the lights. If you’re someone that loves to stroll around with a cup of warm hot chocolate, this option is going to be the best value in our opinion!
Also, skip the lines and save some $$$ by purchasing tickets online before 4pm!🙌🏼
Since we ordered our tickets online, we were able to scan our tickets on our phones and walk right in! Right as you’re about to walk from admissions into the garden there is a tent for anyone that wants to get a drink to walk around with. They offer a lot of options from soft drinks to alcoholic drinks like wine and craft beers, as well as holiday favorites like hot chocolate or cider.☕️🍫 Since premium tickets include a beverage, we can’t resist a cup of something warm. Our favorite combos are the hot chocolate spiked with peppermint schnapps and warm cider with a shot of fireball!🔥 Yum!
Glittering Galaxy
This year the Atlanta Botanical Garden is doing so much to cover 30 acres with holiday lights and projections. From the treetops, all the way down to the sidewalk, snowflakes surround the area and is the first attraction you’ll walk into before wandering deeper into the gardens.
We spotted a few larger than life lit up topiaries of animals. How gorgeous are these?!🐘😍
A group of Christmas Carolers singing some of our favorite Christmas tunes and bringing smiles to faces and getting us into the holiday spirit!🎄❤️
Longleaf Restaurant
Hours: 11am-4pm, 5pm-10pm – $$$
We decided to start our evening at Longleaf, the restaurant inside Atlanta Botanical, where Executive Chef Jason Paolini incorporates freshness into every plate. The restaurant has a modern and sleek feel with floor to ceiling windows, bringing the outdoor fun of the lights in!
Reservations are highly recommended especially on days that may be busier. We had reservations at 7:30pm but we showed up a bit early and they were able to seat us right away. It did get pretty busy about 30 minutes later though. In order to dine at the restaurant, Garden admission is required, so you’ll have to pay for a ticket even if you just want to come in and have lunch/dinner.
The restaurant has seasonal dishes with ingredients that are grown right from the garden for “plant-to-plate” recipes. We decided to get a few plates to share (as always😜). We started with their Belgium Endive and Field Pea Hummus along with an Oak Leaf Lettuce Salad. 🥗 And for our main entree, we ordered the vegetable plate. This included grilled carrots, cauliflower, tempura mushrooms, and shishito peppers all on top of a sweet potato puree.😋
Our favorite part of the meal was definitely the hummus! We love the vibrant, gorgeous colors that the endives and radishes gave to the dish. It’s a perfect representation of the freshness and beauty of the botanical gardens!🤩🌸 And it tasted great too!
Also inside of the restaurant, there’s a grab-and-go cafe for anyone that just wants to get a quick snack, sandwich, dessert, or a cup of coffee!
The Twinkling Terrace & S’mores Station
Stop by the S’mores Station and roast some marshmallows for a yummy treat or to warm up by the fire! S’mores kits are $4 and include a bag of marshmallow, crackers, and chocolate!🍫 This area is lit beautifully in green and blue lights with the fountain as the centerpiece.🤩
A trail of glowing trees leading to the big Christmas tree!🎄✨
Orchestral Orbs
Jam out to upbeat and joyful Christmas tunes like the Charlie Brown theme song or Rockin’ Around the Christmas tree with the Orchestral Orbs!🎶 We love stopping here to watch the synchronized musical orbs light up the chilly night with the midtown skyline in the background.
A new addition to this area is a laser beaming dragon!
Radiant Rainforest
We took a walk through the Radiant Rainforest that has the sounds of chirping tree frogs that are found in the tropical region. Hundreds of plant species that are grown in warmer climates from Southeast Asia, Mexico, Africa, and Central America can be found here. And during the holidays, they’re illuminated with green spotlights! It’s beautiful to walk through!🤩
The atrium also houses the gorgeous Poinsettia Tree!🎄😍 We found adorable bear topiaries celebrating the beloved Atlanta Falcons football team on their tv.🏈🦅
Fun fact: The city of Atlanta is looking forward to hosting the Super Bowl LIII at the Mercedes Benz Stadium this season!
Skylights Lounge
The newest attraction this year is the Skylights Lounge. After walking through all the glowing lights, adults can come here to hang out by the fireplace at this outdoor bar. This chill spot has a live DJ spinning popular Pop and Hip-Hop music and is a great spot to admire the Atlanta skyline. You’ll even see some new giant bedazzled plant sculptures right outside the bar area!
A new all-white light tunnel bringing you into/out of Skylights Lounge!🤩
Kiss Me Arch
Bring your sweetheart over to the Kiss Me Arch for a picture perfect kiss!📸💋A kiss under the mistletoe is a tradition that’s been carried for centuries and to some culture, it represents love, peace, and friendship!✌🏼👯♀️
Nature’s Wonders
Find a spot to sit, because you’ll be here for a while. Be prepared to be blown away as thousands of synchronized light strands shimmer and sparkle!🤩✨ Nature’s Wonders was a 2017 favorite and it’s back this year! 1,600 strands of more than 70,000 color changing LED light pixels hanging, choreographed to new arrays of music and relaxing sounds! We were amazed at all the lights, from a magical winter snowfall scene to a blazing red inferno storm. Oh and don’t forget to put on your 3D glasses as you stroll through!😎
Ice Goddess
One of the favorite attractions is the gorgeous Ice Goddess! This 25-foot structure has flowing hair covered in twinkling multi-colored lights and is a focal point of the gardens all year round! When it’s not a winter wonderland, she’s known as the Earth Goddess and she’s covered in beautiful flowers!🌸🌸
Tunnel of Light
Take a walk through the Tunnel of Light that leads you right to the Ice Goddess and on the other side, the Walk of Flames. This 10-foot tunnel makes you wish it could go on forever and ever. It’s one of the best places to take a picture for the ‘gram!😍
We’re so excited to start off the Christmas season with one of our holiday traditions! Winter is one of our favorite times of the year and the Atlanta Botanical Garden gets brighter year after year!✨ Make sure to mark your calendar for the Reindog Parade (Saturday Dec. 1, 11 am – 1 pm) or to meet Botanical Saint Nick, dressed in green (Saturdays, Dec. 1, 8 and 15, 10 am – 2 pm). These extravagant lights will shine nightly through January 6th, 2019 including Christmas eve, Christmas day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day.
We absolutely love being surrounded by Christmas music and dancing holiday lights! It brings so much joy and it’s the most magical way to spend an evening in the city during the winter season!🤩🎄
Get a closer look at the Holiday Lights in our YouTube video!✨👇🏼
