Have you visited the Tucson Botanical Gardens lately? Did you know that it is a place where you can see butterflies, billion-year-old rocks, a model train display, a newly renovated children's garden, chickens, worms, and huge glowing lanterns? AND some pretty amazing gardens?
My family and I were recently invited to visit the new Luminous exhibit at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, and our evening tour really allowed us to see the Gardens in a new light, starting with the 13 giant glowing lanterns displayed throughout. The luminous sculptures represent flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert, from javalinas to a dragonfly to a huge mesquite tree. Each piece was made by hand by local artist Mykle Wells specifically for the Tucson Botanical Gardens. My daughters enjoyed trying to find each sculpture and checking them off in the Luminous brochure, and while we were there we encountered other families on the same adventure. It was like a glowing scavenger hunt!
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The Luminous exhibit will be at the Gardens until January 6; you can visit Thursday through Sunday evenings from 5:30-8:30 PM. You can also see the sculptures lit up during other evening events at the Gardens, like the upcoming Feast with the Dearly Departed on October 27, and during Luminaria Nights (end of November through early December).
While exploring the Gardens in the evening is an exciting experience, there are plenty of reasons to visit during the day, too. Butterfly Magic is always a treat, and is open from 9:30 AM-3:00 PM, October-May. The Ancient Climates exhibit, on-loan from Biosphere 2 through February 13, features fascinating ancient geological wonders (watch out for the dinosaur at the entrance!). When my daughters and I visited the Botanical Gardens for Luminous, the new children's garden had not yet been revealed. We are definitely going to visit soon to check it out, perhaps during the next Family Fun Day on November 12! We also plan to return in January, when a special tulip exhibit, including black tulips, is expected to be in bloom.
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The Tucson Botanical Gardens is located right in the heart of Tucson at 2150 N. Alvernon Way (Alvernon and Grant). Visit tucsonbotanical.org to plan a visit soon! You can also follow them on Facebook for event updates and on Instagram for pretty garden photos.
My family and I were hosted by the Tucson Botanical Gardens to visit and review the Luminous exhibit.
