The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden’s annual Luminary Walk is in the running for the nation’s best holiday light display at a botanical garden.
USA Today nominated the arboretum’s yearly wintry exhibition among 19 botanical garden holiday light display nominees nationwide now vying to be America’s best.
Readers have until 11 a.m. CT, Monday, Dec. 2, to cast votes for their favorite.
It’s part of the newspaper’s 2024 Reader’s Choice awards, which use readers’ votes to determine the 10 best in dozens of categories, from craft cocktails to clothing subscription services.
The Overland Park Arboretum’s Luminary Walk is in the running for “Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights” with the likes of the Garden Glow display at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, the Galaxy of Lights at the Huntsville Botanical Garden in Huntsville, Alabama, and Illuminations at Botanica in Wichita.
USA Today says Overland Park’s Luminary Walk “will get you in the spirit of the season in no time, thanks to its illuminated garden paths, live music, fairytale villages, train rides, woodland walkways, and photos with Santa.”
The newspaper also notes the Luminary Walk display features an adults-only “Candlelight Stroll” on select nights during the holiday season, as well as “Electric Glow” nights that feature smaller crowds and limited lights-only features on the display for those with sensory needs.
How to vote
The list of 19 nominees in the botanical garden holiday lights category was put together by a panel of experts, according to USA Today.
Now, readers can cast one vote per day between now and Dec. 2 to determine the top ten.
As of Monday, the Overland Park Arboretum’s Luminary Walk came in fourth on the category’s leaderboard, behind those in Richmond, Virginia, Huntsville and St. Louis.
“We are thrilled that USA Today is featuring the magic of the Luminary Walk for a national audience,” city spokesperson Meg Ralph said in an emailed statement. “We’re very grateful to the Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park for coordinating this event that brings so many people together in nature for the holidays. We encourage everyone who loves the Luminary Walk and the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens to vote — there are just a few days left!”
Readers can cast their votes here.
Luminary Walk starts this week
The Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Garden’s annual wintertime Luminary Walk light display begins the week of Thanksgiving, kicking off with three Electric Glow nights this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
The larger Luminary Walk itself kicks off Friday and Saturday.
The first Candlelight Stroll night is Thursday, Dec. 5.
Each night, the display is open from 5-9 p.m., with last entry at 8 p.m.
General admission on Luminary Walk and Candlelight Stroll nights is $17 ($15 for members of the arboretum). Children five and younger get in free.
Admission on Electric Glow nights is $12 ($10 for members), and children five and younger are still free.
The display is lit through Dec. 30.
