The US Botanic Garden’s Season Greenings exhibit has been on my bucket list for awhile now and especially as something I really wanted to do this Christmas season. Yet, I did not think that I would have been able to make it to this magical holly jolly exhibit this year. BUT, when my Mom and I decided that we’d rather go somewhere else than to tour the United States Capitol Building for another time, I *just knew* that I had to suggest the US Botanic Garden! Luckily for me, my Mom wanted to go too and it was the perfect way to spend Christmas Eve Eve!
Getting there: The US Botanic Garden is easiest to reach using public transportation. It is a 7 minute walk from Federal Center SW Metro Station, which serves the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines. It can also be reached via the Smithsonian Metro Station (also along the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines), as the US Botanic Garden is located right on the National Mall (on the US Capitol Building’s grounds!!!) along with many of Washington, DC’s other Smithsonian Institution museums like the National Gallery of Art, Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian Castle. So, if you’re visiting other Smithsonian museums, checking out the US Botanic Garden may just be worth your while, too! A unique fact about the US Botanic Garden is that it is located right next to the US Capitol Building’s Visitor Center and grounds and seeing that too is a great addition to any Washington, DC adventure! The address for the US Botanic Garden is 100 Maryland Ave SW. For more information on the US Botanic Garden, look no further than here: https://www.usbg.gov/
About: The US Botanic Garden is a botanical garden located on the grounds of the US Capitol Building. It is supervised by Congress via the Architect of the Capitol who is actually responsible for maintenance of the US Capitol’s grounds. Its hours are 10am-5pm daily with extended hours til 8pm on Tuesday’s for the Season’s Greenings exhibit’s duration. Like every Smithsonian museum, the US Botanic Garden is FREE to enter via free admission. The Season’s Greenings Exhibit is located within both the outdoor gardens (with G-gauge model trains running during open hours, too!) and the indoor conservatory which features holiday decorations, poinsettias, and sculptures of Washington, DC landmarks made from *nothing other than* …. plants! The Season’s Greenings display runs until January 2. For more information on the Season’s Greenings exhibit, look no further than here: https://www.usbg.gov/holiday
On my Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!), I shared some photos from my adventures at the gorgeous US Botanic Garden. My Mom and I were both IN AWE at just how gorgeous the US Botanic Garden’s Season’s Greenings exhibit was. We LOVED getting to experience this exhibit. To me, it felt as if we took a tour of Washington, DC without having to leave a building! Mom is really into gardening, so it was super fun to be able to learn from her own gardening experiences with the plants here at the US Botanic Garden. For example, a lot of the sculptures of landmarks were accessorized and surrounded by rosemary – a favorite of my Mom’s that she plants regularly and plans to use within lots of dishes for our Christmas Eve dinner. It was fun to learn from her while also getting to enjoy some made with so much love and countless hours Washington, DC landmark sculptures!
Along with the Season’s Greenings exhibit, I know that the US Botanic Garden has gorgeous Spring, Summer, and Fall exhibits that I look forward to checking out in the future. With it being right by the US Capitol Building, I am very excited to be able to walk its grounds too while also enjoying greenery from around the world.
This outing with my Mom to the Season’s Greenings exhibit is the first of many family festivities between now and January 2. I am SO excited to share all of my adventures this holiday season (especially my outfits!). At the same time, I hope YOU have an incredible holiday season filled with joy, merry, and lots of time with loved one’s and yourself, too.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!
XOXO – Katie <3