Now that it’s really, actually fall, and the light is changing, it’s time to make plans. What sort of plans, you may wonder. Well, I’m making plans for visiting gardens at night.
Botanical gardens and historic houses and grounds and yes, even fancy cemeteries are now in the business of opening their gates to visitors who get a chance to experience walking the paths in the darkness. Of course, it’s not pitch black dark– these places treat the guests to some sort of themed light show, festooning trees and bushes with colored or sparkling or solemn or other sources of light. It’s totally a thing now.
I’m all in on this for a few reasons.
One, being outside, moving around in a public-ish space in the dark has always appealed to me. Riding bikes at night (especially in warm weather) feels thrilling. If you’re not sure about this, take a look at Sam’s recent post on Biking the Night with Sarah. Walking at night with others, feels fun and novel too.
Two, it’s great that places that rely on donations and admissions and support from the public offer fun ways to do so in the off-seasons, which the flowers are resting and the colors are more discreet and muted. Visiting gardens in winter and at night feels community-minded, and indeed it is.
And three, what’s not to love about pretty lights? They dress up gardens, make cemeteries even more dramatic, and show houses in a new perspective. And, they offer us an excuse to get out and about when we might otherwise stay inside.
My plans include going to the Mount Auburn cemetery Solstice event in December with friends. I went last year and it was lovely and even awe-inspiring. In late October, I’m going to the Night of Illumination at Garden in the Woods, exclusively for members. This one is new for me, as I just joined the Native Plant Trust this year. And I know there’s at least one holiday lights walk at some historic house or other in the offing for late November/early December.
Hey readers, what sorts of evening light walk events are happening in your area? Do you have plans or tickets yet? I’d love to hear from you.
