This post is sponsored by CertifiKID.
This holiday season has been less than relaxing for me. I feel like I’m constantly on the go.
On one hand, I love going, seeing, and doing (all with a sense of humor) but the holidays make me want to stay home, snuggle with my son, watch Christmas movies, and put together a jigsaw puzzle. Hey – what can I say? My clubbing days are behind me.
On the other hand, I love Christmas lights and Christmas activities and all things Christmas. So I’m motivated to make plans for the family to see all the things at Christmas.
This year, we looked at all the holiday activities in the Washington, DC and Baltimore area on CertifiKID and settled on the Meadowlark Winter Walk of Lights. CertifiKID offers deals on family-friendly activities on activities and events, camps, classes, and more! And if you don’t happen to live in my area, they also offer deals in Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, and South Florida, as well as national coupons.
We ended up choosing a visit to the Meadowlark Winter Walk of Lights, an event that transforms Meadowlark Botanical Gardens into one of the most beautiful light displays I’ve ever seen. What makes this different is that you’re walking through the gardens and enjoying the lights, not just driving through a field looking at stand-up displays.
The trees are wrapped in a variety of lights while special displays are created along the walking path. It’s really hard to capture just how beautiful it is but I’m hoping my pictures do it a little justice.
Our first stop was just outside the door to visit the fairy garden. That’s normally not my thing but it was so gorgeous – even my son liked it!
We followed the lights down the path and I could have sworn I heard a bird chirping – at night! It turned out to be a lighted display of a bird flying from a perch to a bird house, complete with bird calls. We later saw a light owl perched properly in the tree. And beautiful butterflies adorned the grass.
We walked down to the pond where we caught a reflection of a lighted pavilion across the water creating a beautiful reflection.
The pond was about the halfway point and we turned to wind our way back to the entrance. But there was more to experience. Like the singing bush! This “bush” made of lights was sound activated. If you sang to the bush, it glowed along with the rise and fall of your voice. And it didn’t even complain about my singing voice!
The lights were beautifully and beautifully incorporated into the grounds. But the best part was finding a way to connect with my almost 12 year old. My husband couldn’t go and my son was a reluctant participate. But we walked through the lights and had a special evening together. He tolerated my sappiness and need to take a million photos. And I tolerated his tween antics throughout the walk.
If you have a chance to head to Vienna this holiday season, bundle up and spend some time taking the Winter Walk of Lights at Meadowlark. If you buy tickets on your own, you’ll have to select a timed entrance but with the CertifiKID options, you don’t need a reservation!
If you’ve already been to Meadowlark, check out the other activities on CertifiKID this season. Or subscribe FREE to save up to 80% off local family favorites delivered to you daily via email. After looking at all of the holiday options, I was wishing that I had more time to check out all the great family activities but I can’t wait to see what else we’ll find after the holidays!