Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Presents Dazzling Nights

The Entrance to Dazzling Nights credit all photos: Bill Rockwell

Even though the Dazzling Nights at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden opened the day after Thanksgiving, I wasn’t able to catch the show until this evening, December 29. With temps in the low 30s and scattered snowflakes in the air, I assumed my reservation for the 8 p.m. entry was going to be uncrowded. How wrong I was. The main parking lot was full, and Bill Rockwell and I had to cross over the road to the overflow parking lot. Unbeknownst to us, there was also a shuttle that transported folks from an additional lot I knew nothing about.

Bundled up in a warm coat, cap and gloves, we headed for the heated reception area, caught our breath, then headed out into the cold. The path was well marked and lit, so getting around the one-mile-long stream of colored lights and music was easy. My first awed moment came from the trees, floodlit in various colors. I was amazed that the light installations along the route were so varied and distinct from one another.

There were huge Moroccan lanterns at one point where speakers played familiar Christmas music with an Arabic rhythm and sound.

At the rise of a slope, the word Joyful was spelled out in huge letters. Nearby, a staff person offered to snap people’s photos as they stood against the sign. In a heated building along the course, vendors were selling apple, cherry and cheese strudel along with hot dogs, pretzels, brats, cocoa, cider, mulled wine and beer.

Just past a tall stained glass pyramidal tree, I hopped along a walkway of interactive lights in the floor that lit different colors when I stepped on them.

I reveled in a section that projected what seemed to be hundreds of green lightning bugs floating through the trees. The best display came was built around the Lotus Pond, where a long wall of beacons changed color in sync with the music. The floodlit trees around the pond added more color as did dancing projections moving over the area, their reflections duplicating the sense of spectacle.

I’d been to the Botanic Garden several times starting when it was in its mere infancy, then several times since. I’d always visited in daylight and in seasons where the plants were alive and flourishing. To see it in winter at night decked out in a rainbow of holiday color was truly amazing and quite the treat.

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