For the fifth year in a row, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens Gardens Aglow is nominated for the annual USA Today 10Best Readers Choice Award for the Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights. (Photo courtesy Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens)
For the fifth year in a row, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens’ Gardens Aglow has been nominated for the annual USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Award for the Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights.
Each year, a panel of experts and members of the editorial team select 20 nominees for the lighting display category. The top 10 winners will be decided by popular vote.
Gardens Aglow was voted fourth best in 2021 and third best in 2020, 2019, and 2018.
“We are honored to once again be nominated as one of the best botanical garden holiday lights experiences,” said Gretchen Ostherr, CEO and president of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. “Gardens Aglow is designed and installed by our staff each year. It’s an incredible undertaking, and I hope folks enjoy this year’s lights display. And if you’ve been to Gardens Aglow, I encourage you to vote for us and help bring further visibility to this beautiful part of the state we call home.”
This is the eighth annual Gardens Aglow. It features a new, reimagined design which includes over 750,000 LED lights woven through 14 acres of central gardens. There are over 250 lighted flowers, three dozen lighted animals, and two dozen assorted mushrooms all inspired by Maine’s native species.
It takes nearly 100 staff members to put the displays together, transforming the gardens from flowers to twinkling holiday lights. This year, Gardens Aglow returns as an immersive walking experience through the gardens and integrates all of the sculptures inspired by the local flora and fauna.
At nearly 325 acres, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is the largest public garden in New England. The nationally recognized public garden features two miles of hiking trails, 19 acres of ornamental and themed gardens, a children’s garden, a sensory garden, and so much more. The mission of the gardens is to inspire meaningful connections among people, plants, and nature through horticulture, education, and research.
For more information, go to mainegardens.org.
