Dazzling light shows are a staple of the holiday season, and one of my very favorites in the area is Brookside Gardens’ walk-through exhibit, Garden of Lights. The gardens are transformed into a magical winter wonderland illuminated by more than one million twinkling colorful lights handwoven into original works depicting animals, flowers, and other natural elements. It will all be on view for visitors every night from November 25 through January 1 (with the exceptions of December 24 and 25). And I have two admission passes (admission is per car/van) to give away to a couple of lucky KFDC readers.
Stroll from garden to garden to enjoy long-time favorite displays, including Nessie the Serpent, flying geese, and butterflies. The gardens’ trees and hardscapes such as the Children’s Garden Treehouse and Wedding Gazebo are bedecked in a rainbow of colorful glimmering lights. It is a light display unlike any other. (Get a glimpse of it all in this post about one of our visits there.)
Inside the Conservatory, enjoy the sights and sounds of model trains as they wind their way through seasonal greenery and miniature reproductions of local landmarks such as the RedDoor Store in Sandy Spring, the Kensington MARC railway station, Glen Echo Park complete with Bumper Car Pavilion and 1921 Dentzel Carousel, and even Brookside Gardens’ Conservatories.
A new fire pit on the South Terrace is the latest addition to Garden of Lights, where refreshments — think S’mores kits and hot cocoa — will be available for purchase. And nightly musical performances take place inside the Visitors Center.
Garden of Lights is located in Brookside Gardens at 1800 Glenallan Avenue in Wheaton, MD. It runs November 25, 2016 – January 1, 2017 (closed December 24 & 25). Hours are 5:30-9:30pm Sunday – Thursday, and 5:30-10:30pm Friday & Saturday. Admission is $25 per car/van Sunday – Thursday, and $30 per car/van Friday & Saturday.
Giveaway: For a chance to win one of the two admission passes to Brookside’s Garden of Lights, simply leave a comment below or enter through the KFDC Facebook page or on Instagram. The passes can be used on any date the exhibit is open. This giveaway will run through November 23, 2016, then a winner will be drawn at random and notified shortly thereafter. Good luck!
Yes please!
Thanks for the offer – would love a chance to win!
Thanks for another great giveaway.
Thanks for sharing this winter wonderland! We might be able to pretend we’re holiday fairies and go as a family! Thanks for entering our family in to win the free pass! Have a great day!
We have enjoyed many of the local holiday displays (Meadowlark, Bull Run, US Botanic Gardens); thank you for the reminder that we wanted to try this one this year!
We simply love your site. It is very helpful for planning weekend activities with our children. We would love to have the opportunity to use the Brookside Garden passes you mentioned.
The fire pit sounds like a great addition!
We love Brookside. Would love to win. Thanks!!
Hope to take my grandson who loves trains to see the holiday train and lights. It will be his first time from NJ to visit me he is 2. What special day the two of us. Thank you for considering us
Gram
We love seeing the beautiful light displays and would love to go.
Enchanted place!! My kids will love to go here. Thanks for the opportunity.
Would love to win this. Thx for the opportunity!
You gotta give me those tickets for my granddaughter and I!!!!!
Thanks for the chance to win an admission ticket!
We would love to go!
Thanks for the chance.
Yay! It’s open again! I think they missed a couple of years due to lack of funding? We have so many good memories there.. one year it was about 20 degrees when we went — watching the trains was definitely a welcome break from the cold! Thank you for this.
I’ve been watching them string the lights up for awhile now, and would jump at the chance to take my family!
Brookside is magical in the evenings! Definitly a great night with family and/or friends.
I love Brookside Gardens!
Thank you, once again, for this chance to win and the wonderful Kidfriendly website!
This is a great event. We’d love to score free tickets.
Thanks for the offer. We also love the gardens during any season, and also really like their holiday train exhibit (free admission!)
Bright lights. Bright smiles. Bright hearts.
Thank for you for the offer, would love that opportunity!!
Would love to go!
Merci for the offer! My baby would love to see all these lights!
Beautiful!!! Would love to surprise the kiddies with this event!!! You always give great places for families to enjoy with one another. I love it!
This looks amazing!
Love this holiday spirit!! Always a fun event for the whole family.
I would love to win two tickets to the Brookside Garden of Lights. We did not get to go last year at it was sold out and would be thrilled if we could take our little guy this year!
Thank you for this offer! Our baby would love to see all these lights!
My boys would love this!
Our family would love to go, we are looking forward to taking our sons!
We went last year and it was incredible! My girls loved it. Would be awesome to go again this year for free 🙂
Love Garden of Lights — fantastic holiday tradition!
pick us!! 🙂
Brookside Gardens is one of my favorite places!
Any light this holiday season would be lovely!
I would love to go to this!
We love this place. It’s so magical. All fingers crossed.
Brookside Gardens is great – thank you!
Rolling through light displays is one of my favorite holiday activities!
We havent been here but it looks amazing!!!!
We would love a chance to enjoy the wonderful light display!
This looks amazing!
My family would really enjoy this holiday display of lights!
We would love to go to this holiday light display!
Please
I love this light display!
The lights that go up every year at gardnes and parks are one of my favorite attractions. Can’t wait to take our little one to see them.
Trains & lights – what’s better for 2 little boys?
We ❤️ Kid friendly DC!
We are looking forward to the new fire pit!! Smores in the winter!
I would love to go! Looks like fun.
We would love to go here!!! Pretty please 🙂
I would love to win this! I always look for places like this during the season it what makes the Season great.
This looks fantastic! My kids would love to check this out.
So fun! We would love to go to!
Have never been, would love to check it out, especially if free!
This would be wonderful, what a great giveaway!
We have never been looks fun
Sounds absolutely amazing!!
looks like fun!
This is on our bucket list and would love to cross it off our list (bonus if we can do it for free).
We love going to Brookside each winter!!
looks fun–thanks for offering this!
We’ve never been and I had planned for us to go check it out this year!
My daughter loved the lights last year. Can’t wait to go back!
We’ve been to Watkins park and Annmarie Gardens, but excited to try somewhere new! Thank you for the chance to win!
We love brookside, especially at this time of year!
Definitely need to add this to our to-do list!
Yes please!!! That would be awesome
It would be a way needful holiday treat!
This looks so fun! I’d love to take my family!
Love this
Looks beautiful!!
This looks beautiful my kids would love it.
Would love to win!
I have been to the light show once before. It’s absolutely beautiful and magical. Hope to win!
Oh wow! This sounds like a great exhibit for the family!!
I would like to thank you to your website.
it is very informative and make our family weekends full of precious memory.
Happy Thanksgiving in advance.
thank you again.
I now live in Sterling and I grew up in Silver Spring. As a child I went to Brookside Gardens, the nature center, and Wheaton Regional Park on a regular basis. Though it is more of a hike for is now, I still venture there with my family. We haven’t ever checked out the Christmas lights though! Looks pretty spectacular!
Can’t wait to go back and make it a family tradition.
Would love to win… but in any case.. Thanks for sharingthis wonderful information and Happy Thanksgiving
Their gardens are so pretty!
A fun event, we love the trains!
Would love to win!
My kids will love to go there!
I’ve been telling everyone about your site! Thank you for everything that you do!
Thanks for your weekly info! Great stuff.
Would love to be considered for the free passes.
Thank you, see you there!
Oh, we’d love to check it out!
Looks like fun!
This is on our list to do whether we win or not!! Thank you for the opportunity.
Fantastic giveaway! Thank you for doing this.
I’m crossing my fingers::))
The trains at Brookside are one of my favorite parts of Christmas. Never been at night to see the lights though.
I’ve always wanted to check out their holiday display.
We’ve never gone but wanted to. Fun giveaway.
Love this site!
Christmas is my favorite! ?
Thank you for offering this!
I would love to win it. Thanks
Would love this!
Yes, please! This would be so great!!!
We would love to go!
Thanks for the chance.
Always a great time here! We would love the chance to go as a family!
We are new to the city and we’ll love to see this place!
We always enjoy the Garden of Lights – and with two tweens and a teen, it’s great to have an activity for everyone. Thanks for give away!
One of our favorite places. Would love to see it for the holidays.
would love to visit
I have loved going to Brookside since I was a kid. And it’s even more special to go there with my own famil!
We love visiting the train exhibits and would use the passes to finally check out the lights!
This new to DC family would love to explore Brookside this holiday season! Win or lose- thanks for sharing this holiday event!
We plan our every weekend using KidFriendlyDC! Would love to see Brookside at night. The kids won’t go to the butterfly exhibit anymore after they realized they are “bugs”!
We would love to check out this exhibit!!
Would love to check it out!
My kids would love this!
My kids would love this!
My son Owen would love to visit Brookside gardens.
Our family would love this!