Lewis Ginter is a rotating bucket of natural fun!

Each year, they deck the grounds in lights and stay open after dark so that folks can stroll around and Ooh and Aah at the sparkling splendor. I haven’t been in several years but thought this year was as good as any to head over and snap some festive light shots.

I arrived early so I could scope the place out before it got crowded and ended up catching the sunset. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself.

I checked out the conservatory first. One wing was decorated with cute little woodland creatures (and some cactus, an odd combination, but I’m not complaining).

And another had train tracks set up with little miniatures (and a big, gorgeous tree!)

After the conservatory, I started meandering around the grounds, catching the last bright rays of the sun.

Once the sun went down, the lights started to come on. I played with the settings on my camera for a bit waiting for it to get a bit darker.

Finally, it got dark enough to really start seeing some contrast. The next three sets are comparing right after the sunset to about 20 minutes later.

And now…the lights!