Longwood Gardens: By Night

Ok, yesterday was all about walking the grounds of Longwood Gardens during the day. Today is all about what happens after dark! Until the end of September, the artist Bruce Munro has several light installations that creep throughout the gardens. The feeling of walking through these installations is magical and otherwordly, like descending upon a fairytale land.
And of course, the photos don't even begin to do it justice. Here are a few anyway!



Walking down the path from the conservatory, we have no idea what to expect. It's dark and I can't see five feet in front of me but I can tell that the path is full of people. Suddenly, to the right, just beyond a pond, thousands of lights, like blooming night flowers appear. Their colors shift and they give off the most beautiful reflection into the dark water.
photo by me


Photo by Mark Picthall from Longwood Gardens website


Photo by Michael Keefe from Longwood Gardens website

The path continues and we walk down a bridge strewn with white fairy lights. It's narrow enough that we need to walk single file and I quickly lose track of my friends. But that's ok; all the lights are putting me into a trance and I go into my own head. The path opens onto a dark field full of towers of water bottles lit with colored LED lights that change in sync with a musical score. I wish I could just lie down and spend the rest of the night here. Maybe the rest of my life.


photo by me


photo by Corriette Schoenaerts from Longwood Gardens website

We walk over another bridge, hovering a few feet above swamplands. It's pitch black and thousands, maybe millions of crickets, play their nightly symphony. Suddenly there's a person directing us into the woods, where 20,000 orbs form a carpet of light under the trees. Ok, this is ridiculous! I feel like magic is all around me. I lose everyone again. I don't want to talk, there's nothing to say.

photo by me

Photo by Fred Dunn

As we walk back to the car, everyone's a little tired, a little overwhelmed. We all make plans to come back as soon as possible.

If you want to visit, check out Longwood Garden's tips for seeing Light.

Comments

[Maggie]

Oh, that is so cool. I went to Longwood Gardens when I was visiting my sister in Delaware in the spring and I would love to go back and see this nighttime display!

[pam]

I really loved seeing both the day and night shots. How lucky you are to live close enough to visit.

Thank you for sharing. I especially loved seeing the night displays but it was fun to have the daylight shots for comparison.

[jen (littlepart)]

so amazing! i am not sure how i found you, but i am so glad i did...you just gave me something perfect to do for our anniversary later this month! many thanks...going to explore your blog some more!

[this is loveforever]

hi jen! i'm glad you found me too! definitely go! i think it's over at the end of september...

[this is loveforever]

Hi Pam! Yes, it's a pretty magical spot- I always forget how close it is. It's an amazing place to take photos and sketch during the day but the night lights were something really special!