Family Magic Awaits at the Botanical Gardens

There’s a magical experience waiting for your family at the Missouri Botanical Gardens this summer.

We attended the Lantern Festival Saturday night. We had been trying to go for weeks, but the heat wave caused us to keep putting it off. Finally, this weekend, we experienced the mystical celebration of Chinese art.

At eight o’clock, the Garden greets dusk by turning on the vibrant Chinese lanterns that are scattered throughout the north end. The lanterns are made of silk, wire and fitted with lights that make them glow at night.

We go to the Garden often, and my kids know where all of their favorite spots are, like the Children’s Garden and the Bell Tree. But on Saturday night, they seemed unsure of whether this was the same place they had come so many times.

We had been to see the lanterns during the day, and were impressed by them. But at night, they transform the Garden. My 5-year-old daughter was especially thrilled with the exhibit. She liked the flowered tree lanterns in the Chinese Garden, and told me which of the flowers had fairies living in them.

The highlight of the exhibit is the two colossal dragons keeping guard over the lily ponds by the Climatron. Made entirely of porcelain dishes, the two dragons have colored lights grouped along their ridges. Smoke billows out of their mouths while regal music plays. They are amazing, whether you focus on the detail of their design or the majesty of their size.

There were other lanterns that especially caught our attention too, such as the old man fishing in the Chinese Garden and the gathering of pandas appearing to play in a bamboo patch near the lily garden.

Our only complaint about the exhibit was that we wished they had reduced the number of tickets sold. It was so packed, that even on a pleasant night, the crowd made it stuffy and hot inside the Garden. In the Chinese Garden, we actually spent time not moving on the paths as the massive crowds moved through. At times it felt like we were downtown for the Fourth of July, trying to maneuver through the people with our young kids.

Here are my tips for enjoying the Lantern Festival:

• Get there early. The lights come on at 8 p.m., but the Garden is open for re-entry at 6 p.m. We arrived well before the lights came on and the parking lot was already full.
• Now is a great time to become a member. Member adults can get into the exhibit for $15, versus $22, and kids ages 3 to 12 get in for $5 instead of $10.
• Bring your camera, but leave the fancy equipment at home. Despite signs prohibiting tripods, we kept feeling frustrated by photographers with tripods taking up valuable space in front of the lanterns.
• Wait for August. The exhibit is open every evening August 1-19. Not expecting the huge crowd on Saturday, I wished we had waited for a weeknight.

For more information and to order tickets online, visit the Missouri Botanical Gardens site.