Trails Blazing

A winter without the Blossoms of Light is like a world with no sun in my book, so I’ll admit I felt a catch in my throat when I heard that parking-garage construction and gardens torn up for irrigation replacement would preclude the possibility of accommodating the light-viewing crowds at the Denver Botanic Gardens this winter. But I’m coming around: Ever since the DBG announced its replacement event, Trail of Lights, a similar setup in the more rural expanses of the Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield, I’ve begun to, well, see the light. Lights, that is: A good million of them will be strung up at Chatfield, just like at Blossoms, and the new location offers new attractions, including an 1880s homestead decked out for the holidays and a children’s treehouse and play area along the route.

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“It should be as enjoyable, if not more, since it is in a country setting that’s away from the city,” says DBG spokesman Will Jones. “That makes it a little more cozy.” And, he adds, such favorite Blossoms amenities as hot cocoa and optional Holospex 3D glasses will still be available. So far, so good: I’ll be trying it out sometime during its run, which begins tonight and continues from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays through January 4. And next year? Surprise, surprise: Blossoms will be back, but the Trail will march on, as well. “So folks can double-dip or just go to one or the other,” Jones points out.

The Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield is at 8500 Deer Creek Canyon Road (one quarter-mile south of C-470, off Wadsworth), and admission ranges from $4 to $9; visit www.botanicgardens.org or call 303-973-3705 for details.
Wednesdays-Sundays, 5-8:30 p.m. Starts: Dec. 3. Continues through Jan. 4, 2008