Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens is one of our favorite places. Located in Belmont, NC, the gardens are about 20 miles and 40 minutes from Charlotte. Although they claim to be easily accessible from either I-85 or I-77, the reality is that it is pretty far off both highways. But don’t let that stop you. It is well worth the trip.
We have visited the gardens probably a dozen times over the years for everything from class field trips to seeing the Christmas lights to just enjoying a beautiful spring day wandering the grounds. When they announced a new event this year, the Chinese Lantern Festival, we couldn’t wait to go. We absolutely love Holidays at the Garden and visit every year to see their incredible light display. This sounded like it would be another amazing display.
The more than 800 lanterns actually came all the way from Zigong, China and were handmade by artists there. The gorgeous, larger-than-life animal displays were thoughtfully placed around the garden, enhancing the already beautiful grounds.
The exhibit starts even before you enter the garden. A colorful archway spans across the sidewalk, beckoning you to enter, and this beautiful bird greets you while you wait on the ticket line.
Immediately behind the Visitor Pavilion, the grassy area of the Four Seasons Garden was overtaken by jellyfish. The colors were amazing and we were instantly memorized by the whole display. The jellyfish stood probably 30 feet tall and beautiful corals sprang from the land underneath them. Viewed from the side, blue lights gave the illusion of water. It was a stunning display and we hadn’t even entered the main part of the gardens yet.
From here, we decided to avoid the main thoroughfare, which was packed with people, and broke off to the left to follow along the road beyond the Orchid Conservatory. This worked to our advantage in the beginning, as there were fewer crowds in this area, but became problematic later when we were going against the grain in a sea of people in some of the smaller garden areas. But all in all it proved to be a decent strategy.
In any event, we blazed our own trail and first came to the African animal display. With dozens of different types of animals spread across a field, the display made you feel like you were in the African savannah. Viewed individually up close the lanterns were impressive, but taking a step back and viewing them as part of the larger scene was truly stunning.
We quickly went from the heat of Africa to the cold of the Arctic and found ourselves surrounded by polar bears, penguins, and seals.
Daniel Stowe took advantage of their existing grounds to brilliantly display the creatures in their “natural” habitats. Fountains were filled with whales, fish, ducks, and frogs.
And birds flew up high in the trees of the Crape Myrtle Grove.
The Canal Garden looked amazing lined with jumping dolphins on either side, and hippos popped up from the water in the canals.
But you had to be careful… some of the animals were on the attack!
And this animated chameleon actually stuck out his tongue to catch the fly! Amazing!
There were many other traditional lantern displays, including bugs, panda bears, dinosaurs, and more. But there were also two unique displays that were just as eye catching. The peacock in the center below is made of small glass medicine bottles filled with colored liquid. And the elephant display pictured below that is made entirely of ceramic plates and tea cups.
We spent so much time admiring the lanterns and other displays that we didn’t get to take advantage of the other festivities. But there were plenty! Kung Fu demonstrations, musical entertainment, craft projects, and a market selling Chinese art are just a few of the Chinese-inspired activities. There was truly too much to take in in one evening.
The Chinese Lantern Festival runs from early September to late October on Wednesday through Sunday evenings (5:30 to 9:30 pm). Tickets are $24.95 for adults and $14.95 for children, but can be purchased online beforehand to save a few dollars and some time waiting in line. Note that if you plan to purchase tickets ahead of time, there is a 4pm cutoff for online purchases. By October, word had gotten out about this amazing festival and most weekends were selling out well in advance. Plan ahead if you want to go on a weekend.
In its first year at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, the Chinese Lantern Festival was an enormous success. It was described by many articles as “a once-in-a-lifetime event”. I certainly hope that is not the case. Despite the somewhat steep price tag for a family of 4, we wouldn’t hesitate to go again. It was a visually stunning event that can be appreciated again and again. There was so much to see and do, we would definitely love to go back for a second look and a second chance at the activities we missed. It was simply incredible.
