
Holidays at the Garden
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden
6500 S New Hope Rd, Belmont NC 28012
www.dsbg.org | (704) 825-4490
We are fortunate as residents of Davidson and Cornelius to live in an area rich with holiday lighting traditions. Whether our destination is McAdenville, the quaint little textile mill town a short drive south on I-85, known for fanciful, Christmas-themed yard decorations (a favorite every year, expect traffic,) Troutman for Zootastic Park of Lake Norman’s Christmas Wonderland of Lights, or Concord’s Speedway Christmas light show with 3 million lights in spectacular fashion on display, we have options.
My pick this weekend takes us to neighboring Belmont, for another option at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden. Holidays at the Garden is a grand transformation of the grounds from botanical garden to an elegant winter fairyland draped in lights. A sensory explosion awaits satisfying sight, smell, sound, touch, even taste — s’mores are available nightly beginning at 6pm with adult beverages and cocoa for kids. View the beauty around you from the tram, take in the aroma of flowers, listen to performances of holiday music, create Christmas crafts with your hands, or make smores snuggled around the firepit. No part of your body will leave unhappy.
Park hours are Noon to 9pm and lights are turned on daily at 5pm. Tickets are needed in order to participate, visit the Daniel Stowe garden website or Ticketmaster for details. If flowers and lights are your thing, I’ve just planned your weekend for you. Located in Belmont at 6500 South New Hope Rd, getting there is easy now that I-485 connects us to that side of Charlotte. Prepare to be wowed as you see for yourself why this holiday lighting tradition is well worth the trip. Wishing you all a warm, festive, fun, pre-holiday weekend.
Now, get out and enjoy some lights!
Robin Gibson is a writer living in Cornelius. You can find her blog at http://www.robingibsonart.com/blog.html. See her previous columns under the “Robin Gibson” category.
MORE WEEKEND EVENTS
See more weekend events in our Events Calendar. We’ve added new features and made it easier to find events on a given day. We’ll be adding more capabilities in the coming days, including the ability to add your own events. Stay tuned.
http://davidsonnews.net/guide/events/




And here’s a traffic alert if you choose to go to see the lights in McAdenville:
NCDOT Assists Visitors to the McAdenville Holiday Lights Display
The N.C. Department of Transportation is providing traffic assistance for visitors to the town of McAdenville’s 58th annual Christmas light display in Gaston County.
Events in McAdenville continue through Thursday, Dec. 26, with traffic volume typically heavier on Friday and Saturday evenings. To help motorists deal with the traffic, overhead signs and portable message signs provides information on ramp closings and alternate routes: