Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Holiday Train Show
Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 21 2013, by Ann Rafalko
One step into the magical world of the Holiday Train Show should convince you of its heartwarming magic. It is a delight for children of all ages! But, should you have an interest in enjoying the Train Show‘s many splendors alongside children above a certain age, we have you covered there, too. Bar Car Nights are an adults-only way to see the Holiday Train Show at night, when the lights are twinkling and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s domes are aglow, cocktail in hand.
And this year, due to the overwhelming popularity of these delightful evenings, we are offering more Bar Car Nights than ever! Bar Car Nights are the perfect date night, or, come as a group and celebrate the season as a unique alternative to a more formal holiday party! Bring your friends, your adult children, or just come as a couple and enjoy a festive evening out. Bar Car Nights are the perfect way to indulge in the spirit of the holidays as an adult!
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Posted in Photography on November 20 2013, by Ann Rafalko
It may be gone, but it’s not forgotten, and you can still “visit” the old Penn Station in miniature at the Holiday Train Show.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 19 2013, by Matt Newman
It’s been over two decades since we first introduced New York City to the Holiday Train Show, and in that time we’ve pieced together one of the most impressive collections of miniature architecture ever seen—a cityscape of over 150 cherished landmarks hosting a constant parade of large-scale model railway trains. But the buildings don’t come ready-made out of a box; the bridges aren’t raised overnight, and the tracks can’t find their way without helping hands. It’s an enormous undertaking to unveil this seasonal treat each year, and thanks to our friends with THIRTEEN NY, the premiere of Treasures of New York: Holiday Train Show is throwing a well-deserved spotlight on all that hard work.
From American steam engines, subway cars, and modern freight trains to the natural architecture itself—each building painstakingly assembled using natural components like leaves, twigs, and bark—Treasures leads the viewer on a tour through the entire holiday production. You’ll join artist Paul Busse in Alexandria, Kentucky, where his Applied Imagination workshop has been crafting uncanny models of New York’s famous buildings since the Holiday Train Show first opened in 1992. Back then, our collection of models barely made up a tiny neighborhood—a far cry from the dozens of models that now call the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory home, surrounded by over a quarter-mile of G-scale train tracks.
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Posted in Photography on November 17 2013, by Ann Rafalko
When you visit the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory for the Holiday Train Show, be sure to detour through the other houses in search of this stunning vine, Mucuna benettii. Also known as the Red Jade Vine or Flame of the Forest, it is a member of the legume family, and along with its blue-green cousin Strongylodon macrobotrys a distant relative of the more familiar wisteria. To see Strongylodon in full bloom, come and visit us again in March and April for the Orchid Show. She’ll be putting on a show to rival the orchids by then!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on November 16 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Happy first day of the Holiday Train Show! We hope to see you here soon!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on November 15 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Alllllllllll aboard! It’s time for the most anticipated event of the year! It’s Holiday Train Show time! This beloved holiday event under the glittering domes of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory opens to the public on Saturday, November 16, for another magical run through January 12.
This year we’re bringing you more trains than ever and a new dining experience, along with all the twinkling lights, magical ambiance, and buildings created entirely from plant materials you have come to know and love. The Holiday Train Show has become a beloved holiday tradition for New York-area families for a reason; it’s a delightful time for the young and the young at heart!
If you’re visiting the Train Show from the city, why not make a train-filled day of it by taking Metro-North Railroad to Botanical Garden Station from beautiful Grand Central Terminal? Public transportation is one of the easiest ways to visit us at this very busy time of year, and your train-obsessed little ones will love the additional train time!
The Holiday Train Show is one of the hottest tickets in town, especially during holiday weekends. So avoid disappointment and book your tickets now. Tickets are for timed entry. Additionally, while stroller parking is available, strollers and tripods are not allowed in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, so if you’re bringing along a wee one, be sure to pack your favorite baby carrier.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 13 2013, by Matt Newman
The hum and clack of miniature trains fills the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory right now. Familiar bridges made of branches and vines arch overhead, and miniature manors ring the walkways with lights glowing in their tiny amber windows. Okay, so that’s a little bit purple, but how else can you possibly describe our favorite winter exhibition? The Holiday Train Show is just about ready to throw open its doors this Saturday, November 16, and we couldn’t be more ready.
Ivo recently had a chance to peek inside and get a glimpse of the arrangements ahead of the weekend, so I thought I’d pile together some of the photographs he collected in the Conservatory and share them with everyone! With more trains than ever before, a fresh “Streets of New York” dining experience taking place in our Conservatory Tent, and all the ambiance of a perfect holiday season, you don’t want to miss this. (And did I mention Bar Car Nights are back?)
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on November 8 2013, by Matt Newman
If you can imagine the distant jangle of a steam engine rounding the bend right now, you know just what time of year it is. And no, I don’t mean to suggest that the MTA is bringing back a line dedicated exclusively to old-timey trains. But for the next two months, we are. With fall well underway and the snows of winter likely headed in our direction soon, it’s once again time for that beloved yearly tradition of lights, locomotives, and masterful miniature architecture. Starting November 16, the Holiday Train Show® returns to the Garden!
Not that it’s a cakewalk assembling one of the largest train displays in the country. Far from it, in fact. Even now, our horticulturists and visiting model makers are scurrying about the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, preening plant beds, erecting familiar bridges, and making sure that every last one of our trains has enough track to make its all-important rounds. With this year’s exhibition featuring more trains than ever before, it’s worth double- and triple-checking the more than quarter mile of railway we’ll be using to accommodate all that traffic.
Among the new trains joining us this year, we’ve even got a G-scale Metro-North model soon to be zipping its way around a collection of Hudson River Valley mansions in the Conservatory’s Palm Dome pool.
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Posted in Programs and Events on January 16 2013, by Matt Newman
Our Holiday Train Show may be packed away for another year, but thanks to the thoughtful cast of All Aboard with Thomas and Friends™, kids who haven’t had the opportunity to chug along with Thomas and his companion, Driver Sam, will now have almost the entire month of January to take part. That’s from now until January 27, at varying times in the NYBG‘s Ross Hall. And to make these family memories last, know that this is no simple puppet show–the cast will need your kids’ help in guiding the wayward Thomas all the way to Brendam Docks, with crowd interaction, singalongs, and more.
Just keep in mind that our shows are incredibly popular this time of year, so you’ll definitely want to take a moment and register for your tickets sooner, rather than later. Even with several shows per day (up to five on Saturdays and Sundays), we’re still filling seats at a record pace!
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 13 2013, by Matt Newman
Today marks the last day of 2012’s Holiday Train Show, and while it’s bittersweet to see the trains leave station for the last time until next winter, we’re happy to have given so many thousands of people a few holiday memories to tuck away. Until next season!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
