This post was written by 1/2 of the Wayward Winos, sir Paul Cox. Enjoy!



Over Thanksgiving, the Wayward Winos took a road trip down to the Washington D.C. area for the big turkey (and ham) feast.  After a wonderful Thursday of beer, wine, turkey, ham, stuffing, and other turkey day accouterments, came a much needed night of sleep before the offical beginning of the holiday season.  Instead of stampeding the stores for Black Friday deals, we decided to make an outing to the wonderful United States Botanic Gardens.



The morning was crisp and fresh, hinting at the soon arrival of Chris Kringle and the children running around the capital, with the Capital Building sitting nearby and proud, brought the holiday cheer more to the forefront.  We arrived at the gardens around noon for its annual Holiday Magic exhibit held from November 26 until January 10, just beating the long line of families coming for the same beautiful showcase of plants, flowers, and trains.

The bug train travels round and round through the forest of the fairies.

When walking into the train room, you are whisked away into a fantastical world inhabited by Little Red Riding Hood and The Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, fairies, and of course the Old Lady in the Shoe.  They live in the lush forest created by the beautiful plants elegantly arranged; perfectly manicured and place to set a pristine setting for the storybook characters that even the grown-ups can appreciate.  Following the various trains running through the rooms, different wonderful locales are brought to life.  A town of mushroom houses, and a valley being patrolled by flying pixies are a couple that stand out for their unique and creative construction.

Mel and niece, Sophia, explore the jungle exhibit at the Gardens.

After the stroll through the magnificent magical train exhibit, which has been a holiday tradition in the nation’s capital for many years, the rest of the Botanic Gardens is to further explore some of the different terrains found all over the world.  Take a walk through the two story jungle room with their large trees and moist air, frogs croaking the background.  Or perhaps take a break from the cold winter air while checking out the arid climate, and cacti of the desert room.  Whatever you choose, the day at the Botanic Gardens during the holiday season is a magical one, especially at the cost of nothing but maybe some hot cocoa to keep you warm when you leave.  It is like actually being able to walk and exist on the platform or locomotive display under the trees that is so classic to season.



For more information, check out the Botanic Gardens website at www.usbg.gov.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 at 1:14 PM and is filed under Community Interest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.