Christmas Season around Capitol Hill
Model trains and Christmas. They seem to go together. Every year during the holiday season, there are several outdoor and indoor model train displays around Washington. On Friday, I decided to see the annual Starlight Express display at the United States Botanic Garden.
The Botanic Garden is at the foot of Capitol Hill. I arrived there after a brief lunchtime walk in the brisk December air. A multi-tiered garden railway layout had been set up along the length of the entrance terrace. People of all ages, children and adults, were enjoying the outdoor exhibt. You had to walk under a model train bridge in order to reach the Botanic Garden itself. Being at the national Botanic Garden, the layout is not just an ordinary construction.
Inside the Botanic Garden, more holiday themed displays had been installed to compliment the permanent collection. A display of poinsettieas accompaned an exhibit on making holiday wreaths from a variety of natural materials. A walk through the central Jungle and Canopy Walk exhibit temporarily transported me from winter in Washington to a warm tropical rainforest.
In the Garden Court, I looked at the the annual display of models of famous Washington buildings and landmarks. The Capitol, Supreme Court, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Ford's Theatre and more are represented by models made of various plant material.
The U.S. Capitol is nearby, so I walked over to view the Capitol Hill Christmas Tree placed on the West Lawn. The tree is provided by a different state each year. This year's tree, a balsam fir, came from Vermont. Vermont also provided the ornaments, arranged around the theme "An Old Fashioned Christmas".
The Conservatory building is divided into several climate-controlled galleries. These include exhibits on Orchids, Rare and Endangered species, Medicinal Plants, Desert plants, and a Garden Court with two fountains. Dominating the center of the Conservatory is the Jungle rainforest in the glass-domed Palm House. The Conservatory was rebuilt and enlarged in 1997-2001.
Special seasonal exhibts take place throughout the year. Especially popular is the holdiay exhibt between late November and early January when natural material models of Washington landmarks and garden railway trains are on display.
I recommend a stop at the Botanic Garden during your visit to Capitol Hill or the National Mall.
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