This holiday season, visitors will have the chance to see dozens of National Parks, monuments and historic places re-imagined.
More than 30 varieties of poinsettias are scattered throughout the garden, as in this exhibit of the U.S. capitol.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
The holiday exhibit features iconic landmarks including Mount Vernon, alongside varieties of plants from all over the world.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
The U.S. Botanic Garden holiday exhibit, “Season’s Greetings: National Parks and Historic Places” will open Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, 2016 and run through Jan. 2, 2017.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
The U.S. Botanic Garden is open to the public, free of charge, every day of the year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
Some of the poinsettias, such as the Euphorbia, were imported by the garden just for the holiday season.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
This year’s holiday exhibit features a model train show, where trains chug around below, through and above recreations of iconic national parks and sites in the National Registrar of Historic Places.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
The exhibit also features recreations of national historic sites such as the Earth-Lodge Dwellings found in North Dakota.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
The model trains chug around more than 50 different national parks and sites, all made from plants and other natural materials.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
From exotic orchards to festive garlands, visitors can find all sorts of gems throughout the exhibit.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
Devin Dotson (right), public affairs and exhibits specialist for the U.S. Botanic Garden, stands with two of his colleagues in front of a holiday exhibit feature.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
WTOP’s Megan Cloherty visited the garden to interview the people behind the scenes of the special holiday exhibit.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
Visitors who’ve never been to Mount Rushmore can now walk through this recreation.
(WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
WTOP/Megan Cloherty
This model of the Grand Canyon was created from plants and other natural materials.
(WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
WTOP/Megan Cloherty
From well-known landmarks to lesser-known sites, the exhibit features over 50 different national parks and sites from across the United States.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
This miniature of the Teapot Dome Service Station looks like something out of a fairy tale.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
It seems the entire garden is decked out for the holiday season, including this recreation of Old Faithful Inn and Geyser.
(WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
WTOP/Megan Cloherty
This model of the Statue of Liberty is almost as impressive as the real deal.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
There are displays of all shapes and sizes, such as this child-sized walk-through, or adult-sized crawl-through.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
The fact these representations are all made from plants and other natural materials is incredible.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
This special exhibit attracted a lot of media attention!
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WTOP/Hanna Choi
The special holiday exhibit is open Nov. 24 through Jan. 2, but the botanic garden itself is open to the public, free of charge, every day of the year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guests can also see special presentations by staff.
(WTOP/Hanna Choi)
WASHINGTON — This holiday season, visitors will have the chance to see dozens of National Parks, monuments and historic places re-imagined. Starting Thanksgiving Day, the U.S. Botanic Garden opens its living holiday exhibit paying homage to the National Park Service.
As a model train winds its way under Mt. Rushmore and past Mt. Vernon, U.S. Botanic Garden Director Ari Novy points out some of the 50 monuments and national historic places made exclusively of plants.
“Choosing the buildings and the parks, we really wanted to get as much diversity across the country as possible,” Novy said.
Surrounding the calming pools of the U.S. Botanic Garden stand the monuments and memorials of the National Mall, made of sycamore leaves, lotus pods and pine cone scales.
The free exhibit, open through Jan. 2, is a fitting tribute to the centennial celebration of the National Park Service, said Mike Litterest with the National Park Service.
“They seem to have captured the entire landscape of the Grand Canyon down to the story of Fort McHenry and the Star Spangled Banner. It’s amazing,” Litterest said.
The annual exhibit takes a year to produce, according to Novy, who said the theme this year was chosen based on the NPS 100th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation.
Throughout the gardens, there are more than 30 varieties of poinsettias showcasing old and new colors, forms and sizes of the plants.
In the West Gallery, an active Old Faithful sits beside Old Faithful Inn, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Nearby stands a massive Christmas tree decorated with the National Park Service in mind in its themed ornaments.
The U.S. Botanic Garden is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Most Tuesdays and Thursdays in December, the museum is open until 8 p.m. for live season music concerts and after-dark holiday exhibit viewing. Learn more about the events here.
