Lights in the Garden
In the last Hometown Tourist post, I told you how centrally located Fredericksburg is; we’re a car ride from just about anything you want to do. In that post, I shared my day trip into the mountains to do some hiking and apple picking. This time, I went just a little south to Richmond, Virginia.
I actually lived in Richmond for ten years or so. It feels so familiar to me whenever I go back, but having been gone for 15 years, I see it in that way you do…you know what I mean…where what you are seeing is what was, as much as what is. During the time that I lived there, I really did enjoy a lot of the things that the city had to offer. I loved going to the Symphony and the Opera, taking pictures in Hollywood Cemetery, seeing plays at Dogwood Dell, and the animals and beautiful scenery at Maymont. I’m thinking that I need to start a list of places to re-visit. In fact, I’d better add a few other Richmond things to my traveling to-do list, like The Science Museum, The Childrens’ Museum, The Edgar Allan Poe Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts… They have a lot of museums in Richmond.
Anyway, I didn’t go to a museum this trip. I went to see the Dominion GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. I’ve only seen the gardens in full bloom once (another item for the list), but this is the second time I’ve been to see the lights. They do it every year during the holiday season, and it’s pretty spectacular. According to the website, there are over a half million lights! Think of how much time that must take to create. It seems to me like every piece of shrubbery is draped and every tree is wrapped in lights; they really go all out to provide an enjoyable experience. And it was an enjoyable experience for all of us. Of course, the weather was fabulous, so that helped!
I’m sorry to say that I didn’t take my tripod. Plus, I don’t know how to use my camera to the best advantage. I know I haven’t done the place justice, but I do hope you enjoy some of these:
Amanda enjoying her hot chocolate in a light igloo.
I thought it was interesting that the lights reflected in the water almost seemed to be in sharper focus.
I felt a little bad for encouraging her to go over to that light. Once she got to it, she wouldn't stop staring at it. I'm sure she was seeing that light for quite some time afterward.
I'm pretty sure this cardinal was drunk.
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Items of Interest:
Dominion GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Ginter
steadily skipping stones 
You got some great photos. Sounds like it would be a fun place to go visit.
Thank you! We did have a great time that night, just walking around and looking at lights. Good, clean fun, haha! But really, all the lights made it seem like an almost magical place. And it’s so big that you feel like there aren’t that many people there. Then you come out and the parking lot is massively crowded.
The Botanic Garden here does that too, wrap every twig with light. Isn’t it magical? I didn’t want to leave! I loved the shots you got- lovely. Were the glass balls Chihuly?
Chicago is like that, with lots of museums and opera and symphony and…sigh. Almost makes me wish I had a whole other life to do all that stuff too!
It is magical! And peaceful, too. But I have no idea about the glass balls. I don’t even know if they were glass :). But they were really pretty – I wish I could have gotten a closer shot of the yellow one in back. I have another picture that I saved for the photo blog, that makes it look like the one in front is just floating in mid air.
I miss Richmond sometimes and all of the great things that were available to do. I didn’t do as much as I should have, but more than I do now that I’m living alone and out in the country.