Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens
The Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens is an outdoor holiday light display at a public garden in Montgomery County
During warmer months, Brookside Gardens is a public display garden run by Montgomery County. Starting in mid-November, it is transformed into the enchanting holiday light display Garden of Lights. More than a million lights are shaped into original artworks inspired by the nature found in the gardens. Adventurers stroll through the garden paths after dark to see the holiday light display.
This is an outdoor light display that you explore on foot, so be sure to dress warmly, and bring an umbrella if needed. Hot chocolate and snacks can be purchased in the visitor center, or you can bring a thermos with your own hot beverage to keep you warm as you walk around the display.
The Garden of Lights at Brookside Gardens is least crowded on weeknights in early December. On the weekends closer to Christmas, it can get so busy that you may be waiting up to an hour to get in. When I visited on a weeknight last year, there was no wait, and parking was easy to find.
Due to the layout of Brookside Gardens itself, there is no one set path through the light display. You may find yourself backtracking or going in a circles to make sure you don’t miss anything tucked away in a separate section. The light display at the Garden of Lights doesn’t have a religious or Christmas theme to it, so it is fun for adventurers from all backgrounds. The lights are nature themed with displays befitting a garden like flowers, insects, rainbows, and, inexplicably, a giraffe. The rose garden trellis is particularly lovely covered in twinkling lights.
Brookside Gardens doesn’t allow pedestrian or bicycle entry at night due to safety concerns. This is inconvenient, especially knowing the garden is very walkable from the metro during the day, but its proximity to the city still makes the Garden of Lights easier to get to than other displays in the suburbs like Meadowlark Botanical Gardens Winter Walk of Lights. With a car full of friends on a weeknight, it is also one of the most affordable of the larger light displays in the area.
I love Brookside Gardens throughout the year, and Garden of Lights is no exception. It’s an easy to get to, fun, holiday light display that I can see myself going back to every year. I definitely recommend getting a group of friends together to go check out this Christmas adventure.
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Address
1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD
Metro Station
Pedestrian access to Brookside Gardens is not allowed at night. To attend the Garden of Lights, you must arrive by car.
Cost
$25 per car from Sunday to Thursday
$30 per car from Friday to Saturday
Hours
November 16, 2019 – January 1, 2020
Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 – 9:00 pm
Friday to Saturday from 5:30 – 10:00 pm
Length of Adventure
1-2 hours
Website
https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/brookside-gardens/garden-of-lights/
