US Botanic Garden Christmas Trains and Pollinators

Every year we visit the US Botanic Garden Christmas trains. Our grandson was three years old when we moved to DC seventeen years ago. Now he is twenty and lives in the middle of Virginia and a junior at UVA. The train display was always indoors - which made for a cramped space. But since the pandemic the displays have moved outdoors. It’s so much nicer for crowd management and has the same aura. This year the theme was pollinators and their plants/flowers - all of which are made out of plant material. To avoid the weekend and holiday crowds we visited yesterday. It was a great day for the trip in to town. We parked just down the street and walked through the outdoor garden. It wasn’t busy at all when we arrived, but started having more and more visitors as the time passed - especially nannies with their kids, and school groups. The only drawback is that the Christmas lights are not on. But I don’t think anyone really minds. There is just something about trains and kids - and even grownups. Of course we liked it even better when we could just walk over from our condo on Capitol Hill. But at least we still live close enough to drive in for not only these special times, but usually once a week for a morning walk. I’m sure we will be back in town again over the next few weeks. It’s always so very pleasant. 

US Botanic Garden Christmas Trains

Because the US Botanic Garden building is still closed as it is a part of the Capitol complex, the annual Christmas trains are on display outside. Usually the trains are set up in one of the main rooms. Actually it’s so much nicer because it’s much easier to navigate the space outside. But we miss the grandeur of the main hall with all of the beautiful Christmas decorations.  We went in to town a few days ago and it was a really nice day for a morning walk and to visit the trains. We have been going to the botanic gardens ever since we moved here fifteen years ago. It’s one of my favorite places. The theme this year was farms - and there were many different kinds from the orange groves in Florida, the Terrace Farming in Nepal, the potato farm in Machu Pichu, the onion farm in Mexico to name a few. It’s such a pleasant experience to walk about and take it all in. The late fall backdrop made it all the more enchanting. We will need to return because all of the other plant made monuments and buildings are also on display - from the outside of the botanic garden building. This is one tradition that I hope we can continue. How things have changed in the years since we moved. But luckily some things have stayed the same. 

US Botanic Garden Christmas Trains

We have been there so many times before. Even when we lived in the Midwest we always stopped to visit the US Botanic Garden whenever we were in Washington DC. For thirteen years we always walked over to see the Christmas trains when we lived on Capitol Hill. We moved to northern Virginia this year and need to either drive in or take the metro for the ten mile trek. So that’s what we did a couple of weeks ago to visit not only the trains, but the beautiful poinsettia arrangement, the plant made monuments in the main foyer, the stickwork sculpture on the west lawn, and the trees and ornaments in front of the building where the Capitol Christmas tree is in plain sight. We always try to avoid the crowds so we went on a Thursday late morning. It’s always such a delight to walk through this place any time of the year. But at Christmas time it’s just a must thing do thing. It’s such a tradition for us now. The trains never look as good in pictures as in real life, and it must be even more magical at night. This year the them was “Season’s Greetings - America’s Gardens.” My favorite was the Bartholdi fountain made of plant material - we walked through that place almost every day on our morning jaunts. So it was as good as it always is. We’re so glad we can still visit in the old neighborhood. 

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US Botanic Garden Christmas Trains and Roadside Attractions

Yesterday on our morning walk we watched the Capitol Christmas Tree arrive from Montana. Because it was just 10 AM, we thought we would check out the Christmas trains at the US Botanic Garden before the lines started. All weekend the crowd wrapped at least several blocks long waiting to see the usually fun exhibit. This year's theme is roadside attractions. I think we were the first few to arrive and it was strange not to be behind a huge number of people. So we had a lot of time to meander about and take in the sights. We have seen all the states except Alaska and Hawaii, and I could not account for many of the featured places! I do remember the Rock City Barn in Tennessee and signs for the Corn Palace in South Dakota. We were on Route 66 last year, and we may have seen Paul Bunyan and Babe many years ago. My husband and I love road trips and all these images are nostalgic - whether we've seen them or not. I think we need to visit again and really scrutinize all the offerings. Of course the trains are always the showstoppers, and the tiny hidden places for the little people are so cute. We also need to explore the rest of the garden as a lot of the Christmas decorations weren't even up yet. This has to be one of our favorite places in our neighborhood. We are never disappointed when we visit.