Just Outside DC
Wintertimeat Brookside Gardens 50-acres of gardens and special exhibit Brookside Garden Garden of Lights and Train Garden. JustoutsideDC.com provides lots of photos and comments regarding the gardens, location, parking, picnic areas, child play areas, nearby eateries, shopping, and other nearby attractions.
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| We arrived just after nightfall to a nearly filled upper parking lot at the 1500 Glenallan Avenue entrance into Brookside Gardens.
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Entrance fee was per car,
there was a short wait as seven cars processed through before us. When
we left two hours later, though open parking spaces were available, twenty cars were waiting in line to process through the payment booth.
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Upon arrival we went to the visitor
center to check out the gift shop and make bathroom stops before we began our walk. The walkway into the visitor center was nicely illuminated by lights of glass hyacinth
flowers. Liking them, we purchased three (a purple glass hyacinth and two golden pink ones) resulting in my husband having to make a quick trip back to the car so we didn't
have to carry our purchases with us.
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In the visitor center a seated, friendy brass frog ready for a photo op was nearby the ad sign for the center's available light snacks.
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Outside the visitor center building an inviting caterpillar tunnel led us to the decorated walkways where a smoking dragon waited to greet us on our
way down to the
conservatory buildings
which house the flowering Christmas flowers and the "G" scale electric train garden.
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Lighted gazebo along pathway to the conservatory.
Bright white lightening flashes within the rainbow above the gazebo.
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Brookside Garden's large Winter Train garden is housed in the second conservatory building and is entered from outside or through the main conservatory building.
Several towns, bridges and trains are seen close at hand as you walk about the conservatory.
Volunteers from the Washington, Virginia, Maryland Garden Railway Society have once again created a wonderful "G" scale train garden.
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Leaving the conservatory buildings, blue snowflakes high up in trees beckon us to the pathway leading up the slight hill to the visitor center.
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Snow people throughout the Garden of Lights offer kids a chance to enjoy pint size decorations.
Within the snow people grouping below a kid sized snow person readily attracts a young visitorl.
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Eskimo and igloo was quite appropriately the last decoration that we viewed as we were rather chilled from being outside walking about. It brought the
thoughts of hot chocolate and cookies to mind, all available at the Visitor Center's snack area.
Indoors, with snacks in hand, we took a relaxing
break seated
among other vistors in the auditorium listening to live Celtic Music.
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Free full size Wallpaper and Photos! Over 2,000 digital pictures that we have taken.
| Nature, Lovely Gardens, State and National Parks, Military, Mount Vernon,
Sully Plantation, Marine Corps National Museum, Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Center, many others, plus original background mosaics.
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Contact Us
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Click to return to our home page for Brookside Gardens.
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Click here for our photos and comments regarding Brookside Garden's general information: location, parking, gift shops, outdoor gardens accessibility
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Click to view our photos and comments regarding Brookside's year-round conservatory featuring tropical plants with seasonal floral displays
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Click here for our photos and comments regarding Brookside Garden's Wings of Fancy, special live butterfly exhibit
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Click to return to our home page for Brookside Gardens.
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|
Click here for our photos and comments regarding Brookside Garden's general information: location, parking, gift shops, outdoor gardens accessibility
|
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|
Click to view our photos and comments regarding Brookside's year-round conservatory featuring tropical plants with seasonal floral displays
|
|
|
Click here for our photos and comments regarding Brookside Garden's Wings of Fancy, special live butterfly exhibit
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Click to return to our home page for Brookside Gardens.
|
|
|
Click here for our photos and comments regarding Brookside Garden's general information: location, parking, gift shops, outdoor gardens accessibility
|
|
|
Click to view our photos and comments regarding Brookside's year-round conservatory featuring tropical plants with seasonal floral displays
|
|
|
Click here for our photos and comments regarding Brookside Garden's Wings of Fancy, special live butterfly exhibit
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