Denver Botanic Gardens

Can you believe that we've lived in Colorado for four years now and had never visited the Denver Botanic Gardens during the day? We finally fixed that with an afternoon spent taking in the beauty of the gardens with friends a few weeks back.

Now, I should point out that we have actually been to Denver Botanic Gardens a few times in the past, but our visits were always in the evenings for holiday events such as the Halloween themed Glow at the Gardens and the wintry Blossoms of Light. You can click those bold and underlined links to see these events.

Experiencing the Botanic Gardens all lit up at night sure was spectacular, but seeing the beauty of the gardens during the day in Summer when everything is in bloom was something else.

Let's take a look...

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

When you think of a desert what springs to mind? 

For most of us sand and cacti are probably the first two things we think of. But what about colorful flowers, trees and bushes? What about swathes of lush, green plant life? These may not be what comes to mind when we think of deserts, but there is a wealth of plant life that thrives in desert conditions and it can be all of these things. 

During our recent Spring Break we took a road trip to Phoenix, Arizona to visit friends. While we were there we spent half a day exploring Desert Botanical Gardens and it was absolutely stunning. A desert botanical garden may sound like a bit of an oxymoron, but trust me, this is one botanical garden that will blow you away.

Now, you're probably looking at that photo below and thinking "Hey, that looks like glass". And you'd be right! Desert Botanical Garden is currently home to "Chihuly in the Desert" an exhibition by famed glass artist Dale Chihuly. Chihuly's glass sculptures can be found dotted around the gardens where their organic shapes add an extra touch of whimsy to an already magical landscape. What I love about this exhibition is that the striking glass sculptures add to the landscape without taking away from the natural beauty. They work so perfectly in unison. 

Desert Botanical Garden is quite large with over 50,000 outdoor plant displays spread over 55 acres. Visitors will also find a butterfly pavilion, an onsite restaurant and café, several learning centers and exhibition spaces, and of course, a gift shop. Restrooms and hydration stations are also dotted around the gardens. It gets pretty hot in Arizona (it was already in the 90s when we visited in March) so you'll definitely want to make use of those hydration stations!

The gardens are wheelchair and stroller accessible with wide trails winding through the different areas. The trails vary in length from 1/10 mile to 1/3 mile with each focusing on a particular theme including desert wildflowers, plants and people of the Sonoran Desert and the Sonoran Desert Nature Loop. I took so many photos during our visit that I can't remember which ones are from which trail, but believe me when I say that all of the trails are worth walking. My photos will be a little mixed up, but if you really want to know which trail a particular photo was taken on let me know and I'll try to work it out.

Ok, let's take a look around Desert Botanical Garden...

Blossoms of Light at Denver Botanic Gardens

Last year over the kids' Christmas break we took a trip to Denver from California. It was kind of a scouting trip to see if we'd like living here and also to experience a snowy Christmas. 

While we missed the big day itself (our flight was late Christmas night) there was still plenty of Christmas fun to take part in over our week and a half in Colorado. Unlike other cities where the Christmas light displays and holiday activities end as soon as Christmas rolls around, in Colorado it seems to be pretty standard for the Christmas fun to extend well into January. This was great for us arriving after Christmas as we didn't have to miss out on any of the fun!

One of my favorite Christmas events that we attended last year was Blossoms of Light at Denver Botanic Gardens. You may remember seeing my recent visit to Glow at the Gardens over Halloween. These two events are favorites with locals and visitors alike in Denver and draw huge crowds. Who doesn't love walking through millions of twinkling lights while sipping hot chocolate?

We can't wait to go see Blossoms of Light again this Winter, but in the meantime, here's a look at last years spectacular light show.

Like the Glow in the Garden event, Blossoms of Light sees the Denver Botanic Gardens transformed into a colorful glowing and twinkling wonderland. Trees that were once bare bloom with tiny lights. Glowing orbs float (or appear to float) on frozen ponds. The smell of hot chocolate fills the chilly Winter air. Colorful lights flash and sparkle in time to holiday music. It's simply a magical experience. 

Glow at the Gardens

Disclaimer: I was provided with complimentary tickets for this event.

Last week I visited Denver Botanic Gardens for the annual Glow at the Gardens Halloween event.

It was a frosty cold evening after a a day of snow, but the lights and displays were worth rugging up in layers for. The gardens were filled with amazing light displays, sculptures made of pumpkins, jack-o'lanterns of all sorts, spooky characters, and lots of children (and adults) in costumes trick or treating. It was such a fun event.

Last year when we visited Denver over Christmas break we attended the annual Blossoms of Light event and we loved it. So when I saw that there was a similar event in the lead up to Halloween, I couldn't wait to go.

Here's a look at all the fun...