Cleveland Botanical (@CBGarden) Garden's Glow is Open for this Christmas Season! - iNeed a Playdate Cleveland Botanical (@CBGarden) Garden's Glow is Open for this Christmas Season! iNeed a Playdate a Blog for Northeast Ohio Moms

11.23.2012

Cleveland Botanical (@CBGarden) Garden's Glow is Open for this Christmas Season!

me hard at work

The day before Thanksgiving the kids and I had a unique opportunity - we got a behind the scenes peek at Glow at the Garden and I got to be a guest judge for the Cleveland Botanical Gardens' gingerbread house competition. Well, maybe I had the unique opportunity and they came along for a cool outing. 


There are 26 entries in the gingerbread house competition this year and each and every one of them had something special and amazing about them.  The Christmas Story house was one of my seven year old's favorites as was the ski lodge with the "cold" tub.  He also loved one of the Rock Halls because a gingerbread man was drowning in the lake.  As for Baby girl, she really loved the police station for some reason.  All of the pictures, above, were taken by the kids between my camera and smartphone while I was busy judging.  (click on the photos to see the details)

The hard working "elves" of the Cleveland Botanical Gardens brought the very best things of Christmas and put them on display in a spectacular way in this year's winter show. There are gingerbread houses, both to look at and make, train rides, a place for kids to shop, live music and of course decorated Christmas trees from garden clubs all over North East Ohio. 


More from the website... 
• Hop aboard the Garden Express for a magical train ride
• Take a family photo in front of our two-story tree bedecked with live poinsettias.
• Visit a lively town square filled with musicians and carolers.
• Decorate your very own gingerbread house with our full array of sweet treats.
• Let the kids pick out gifts for everyone at the charmingly kid-sized Treetop Shop.
• Grown-ups can do their shopping at The Garden Store.
• Leave your own wish on the Wishing Tree.
• Delight at the creative trees decorated by Affiliate Garden Clubs.
•  Marvel at the amazingly whimsical gingerbread houses.
• Take the family skating on real ice at The Rink at Wade Oval.
There are many more surprises awaiting you at Glow, and we can’t give them all away here.
This is certainly the coolest things I've done in awhile and certainly since I started blogging.  The downside of going before everyone else though is the kids will not stop asking to go back to see it.  Every five minutes, when are we going? are there really a bazillion lights? and I want to ride the train.  Baby was even crying in her sleep that she wanted to ride the train.

Yes, they are excited and to be honest, so am I, especially to see it at night.  I'm not sure if I heard this correctly but I am pretty sure I heard something about 100,000 lights through the gardens.  That certainly explains the title of this exhibit.  Personally, I am looking forward to going back on a Wednesday night for Ladies night and my Glowtini cocktail and shopping in the gift shop. 

The exhibit is open now until December 31.  Hope to see you there!

Glow at the Garden

Making Your Holidays Bright

Glow Hours

November 23  - December 31
Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays · 10am - 5pm
Evening Hours Wednesdays & Fridays* · 10am - 9pm
Sundays · Noon - 5pm
Christmas Eve & New Year's Eve · 10am - 3pm
*Except Friday, December 7



Glow Tickets

$12/non-member adult
$6.50/non-member child
FREE for Garden members
BUY TICKETS ONLINE


Fine print -The family and I will be going to see the exhibit at a future date complimentary.  I have not received any compensation for this post or judging and my opinions are 100% my own.
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