Waterfront Botanical Gardens

We attended Gardens Aglimmer 2024 several times this year and found it to be as lovely as ever. Beautiful displays from the parking lot entrance all the way down to the walkway near the creek at the bottom of the hill. Graeser building hosts Santa in his sleigh for a photo opportunity with your own camera, as well as a letter writing station to send off a letter to the North Pole. Leslie building hosts Mrs. Claus for another photo opportunity as she reads story books to children who gather. There is also a craft station with several volunteers assisting kids with creating items to take home as a souvenir.

The place was really nice. I've been twice. One visit in the spring and another during the winter. The lights were so pretty for the winter light show. It would have been great if they had food and snacks but it was pretty and peaceful.

I'll start with the warnings. Of course I knew that in December, nearly every tree would be bare and nothing would be in bloom. But I wasn't expecting this place to be so tiny! Based on the initial map I saw, I had planned to spend over an hour here. Turns out that map is "planned" - only a tiny part of it really exists so far. It takes maybe 15 minutes to see everything, if you stop to read every sign. What's here is lovely - I enjoyed a pleasant stroll through the gardens, and really enjoyed the waterfalls. They have plenty of benches to sit and rest, nice sculptures and artwork, and I love that every tree and plant is labeled. I'm very excited to see what this place will become.

I went to the Gardens Aglimmer Friday night at 6:00pm. This was my first time to the Gardens. Parking was easy to find & only a short walk to the entrance of the Gardens. Gardens Aglimmer is definitely something to add to your list if you have little ones. There are crafts with Mrs. Claus, pictures with Santa, and holiday lights everywhere!

This is the first time that we went to the glimmer and we were not disappointed! We took the first spot at 545, and we're glad because by the time we left 45 minutes later it was getting really crowded.... They have hot chocolate food truck out front. You should definitely check that out! Santa was there and you could get your picture with him and tjere was a craft and letters to santa area too.The stroll around the area was very nice, not too long, not too complicated but very beautiful.

A great place to visit throughout the year - for a stroll or special event. Gardens Aglimmer is quickly becoming a holiday tradition. The gardens are beautifully lit (with tons of photo ops). In 2023, as you arrive, you are greeted with the Jingle all the Way Cafe food truck. They have some sweet snacks and warm beverages (cider and cocoa). They had s'more, caramel apple or gingerbread whiskey to spike drinks with. They also offer a s'mores kit and there is a fire station this year that was cute. They have a Santa meet & greet and a craft station with Mrs Claus. As we were attending w adults, we skipped those sections so I can't divulge more details. Dress warmly as everything is mostly outside. Just walking around the outside fairly leisurely took us about 40 mins. You may want to budget more time if you are seeing Santa. Some dates do sell out so grab tickets online early (and if you are a supporting member you get a discount).

Hubby planned an amazing date afternoon, and the Waterfront Botanical Gardens was our last stop. We happened to stop by on a day where they had a family event going on. They had a bunch of booths to stop at to learn about various plants. They had live music and they also offered snow cones and popcorn! This would be an amazing event to bring children to - but more of reading age so they could fully be involved with each booth. Hopefully the Japanese Garden is finished next year - cannot wait to check this out!

We absolutely loved a spontaneous Sunday trip here after church. It's free to visit, but they also have a lot of events that you can check into. A sunny day is perfect to make the trip here! There are free resources like literature, signs on plants and trees to tell you the species, and clean restrooms (kind of a rarity). You will also notice that there are lots of pollinators enjoying the plants - then just check the species for pollinators garden ideas. One of my favorite things about this place is that it used to be a landfill. Now, through great investment of monetary donations, time, and volunteer hours, they've turned it into something beautiful. This is a great place to include in a date, a tourist spot, or it could be for someone who is simply interested in gardening. In 2024, the Japanese Garden should be completed, which will really be impressive. Be sure to show up and support this gem!

Not the largest botanical garden I've seen, nor one with the widest variety of plants. Still, the Waterfront Botanical Garden is well laid out with clusters of well identified plants and herbs. You don't need to plan a lot of time for your visit. 90 minutes will satisfy all but the dedicated botanist. Plenty of free parking and no admittance fee. What's not to love?

So much fun for the whole family! Kids had a blast! So pretty! We went in the summer and in the fall. The flowers where super pretty,and so where the lights. Loved it!