The New York Botanical Garden’s enchanting Holiday Train Show® returns this year with eagerly anticipated additions to this beloved New York City seasonal tradition, which will open to the public on Saturday, November 21, 2015, and run through Monday, January 18, 2016. Click Here to enter to win 4 Tickets! The new Holiday Train Show enhances the visitor experience with three exciting components, in addition to the ever-popular miniature wonderland that has delighted the young and the young at heart for decades:
- A captivating short film screening of the behind-the-scenes magic that takes place in order to bring the show to life. Discover where the designers find their inspiration to render the buildings and landscapes in their signature whimsical detail—all crafted from found plant materials. Learn how the engineers keep all the trains running and assemble all the tracks!
- 3,000 square feet of additional space, allowing for 360° viewing opportunities of intricate structures such as the original Pennsylvania Station, Macy’s, NYBG’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, among others, while trains and trolleys zip through and around them. 3,000 additional sq. ft. of exhibition space this year 2
- A multisensory finale that features sound and light in the Reflecting Pool under the glass dome of the 90-ft.-high Palms of the World Gallery. Surrounded by 1964 World’s Fair replicas, the iconic Unisphere is featured with an architectural detail of the Tent of Tomorrow, an homage to New York City’s architectural history that has underpinned the show since its inception. Throughout this year’s exhibition, G-scale locomotives hum along almost a half-mile of track alongside replicas of New York landmarks, artistically crafted of natural materials such as bark, twigs, stems, fruits, seeds, and pine cones by designer Paul Busse’s team at Applied Imagination. Grand Central Terminal, Radio City Music Hall, historic Hudson River Valley houses, Brooklyn Bridge, and Rockefeller Center are among the favorites in the Garden’s collection of more than 150 Holiday Train Show replicas.
Seasonal events and programming accompanying the Holiday Train Show include Bar Car Nights, Evergreen Express for children, Holiday Tree Lighting, All Aboard with Thomas & Friends™, Winter Harmonies Concert Series, Holiday A Cappella, Poetry for Every Season: Billy Collins, and Holiday Film Screenings. Visitors can also explore 250 acres of crisp winter landscapes during tours of the Garden’s many collections and shop for everyone on their lists at Shop in the Garden. New this year are four dining venues, including the Bavarian-themed Frosty’s Schnapps Haus with a variety of treats such as roasted chestnuts and pretzels from an authentic pretzel cart as well as spiked hot beverages; family-friendly Gingerbread Café featuring two food trucks and other menu options as well as a children’s gingerbread play house, coloring, and cookie-decorating activities; Pine Tree Café with artisanal panini, Neapolitan-style pizza, and signature snacks; and Hudson Garden Grill, the first full-service dining destination at the Garden, featuring the innovative flavors of New American cuisine. Multisensory finale rendering by Peter Nigrini Frosty’s Schnapps Haus 3 Visit the Garden’s Web site, nybg.org, to check dates and times for all of the Garden’s holiday offerings and to purchase advance timed tickets.
The New York Botanical Garden is a museum of plants located at Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road. It is easy to reach by Metro-North Railroad, bus, or subway.
HOLIDAY TRAIN SHOW HOURS: During the Holiday Train Show, November 21, 2015–January 18, 2016, The New York Botanical Garden is open Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Extended hours, 10 a.m.–7 p.m., Saturdays, November 21–January 16; Friday, November 27 (day after Thanksgiving); and December 26–January 1. The Garden is closed all day on November 26 (Thanksgiving) and December 25 (Christmas); it closes at 3 p.m. on December 11 and 24 (Christmas Eve).
PRICING: All-Garden Pass tickets start at $20 for adults and $10 for children (ages 2–12) and differ during certain peak times and weekends. Members and children under 2 are free. Advance timed tickets are strongly recommended and are available at nybg.org.
Discounts available for groups of 15 or more; contact Group Tours at 718.817.8687. For more information, please visit our Web site at nybg.org or call 718.817.8700.
