"Season's Greenings: National Parks and Historic Places" 2026 holiday exhibit

Season's Greenings: National Parks and Historic Places 2026

Our annual holiday show returns to celebrate the season with poinsettias and evergreens, holiday decor, and a train show that celebrates America’s 250th anniversary by showcasing national parks and historic places! For more than a century, the National Park Service has protected, stewarded, and shared the beauty and history of America’s diverse landscapes and historic sites. Model trains will chug around recreations of iconic national parks and historic places made from hundreds of different plant parts. See the Grand Canyon landscape and historic buildings, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Statue of Liberty, Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Inn, the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, and more. Our collection of D.C. landmarks made from natural materials returns, featuring the Lincoln Memorial, the U.S. Capitol, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and many more, surrounded by an assortment of poinsettias from heirloom to newly developed varieties. The USBG will stay open late until 8 pm on December 8, 10, 15 ,17, 22, and 29 with live music during these holiday evenings.

Visiting Tips

The Garden is busiest on holidays and the weekends surrounding holidays. For a less busy experience, visit during the week if possible.
Strollers are welcome at the Garden, but personal property must be kept in the owner’s possession at all times.
The outdoor train display may not run during inclement weather.
Please be mindful of terrain changes (stone, gravel, grass, etc.) as you make your way through our outdoor gardens. For additional accessibility information, please visit our Accessibility page.

Hours

The outdoor train display and Conservatory hours are both 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily between Nov. 26, 2026, and Jan. 3, 2027, closed Dec. 25.
On date December 5, the gated outdoor gardens will open at 10:00 a.m. to accommodate the Garden’s sensory-friendly programming. For additional information on programs for special audiences, please visit our Accessibility page.
The Terrace Gardens and Bartholdi Fountain and Gardens are open dawn to dusk daily.
There is no admission fee and no tickets are required to visit any area of the U.S. Botanic Garden, including the holiday train display.

Evening Hours and Music

On select Tuesdays and Thursdays -- December 8, 10, 15 ,17, 22, and 29 -- the Conservatory and outdoor train display will have extended hours, staying open until 8:00 p.m. There will be live holiday music from 5-8 pm and food and drink vendors during these evenings.

Performers by date:

December 8, 10, 15 ,17, 22, and 29 (performer info coming soon)

Outdoor Train Display

This year, the outdoor holiday display includes a model train display in the gated outdoor gardens, with trains running from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. between Nov. 26, 2026, and Jan. 3, 2027, closed Dec. 25. The train display will run until 8:00 p.m. on select Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The trains will run through a display of national parks and historic places all made from plant parts. Tickets are not required to view the trains or any part of the USBG’s outdoor holiday display, and the train display may not run during inclement weather.

The models made from plant parts include:

List coming soon

Conservatory decor featuring DC Landmarks Buildings and Poinsettias

Inside the Conservatory, explore more than 20 landmarks and monuments from around D.C. made from many different plant parts. Each building is a unique plant-based masterpiece. Distinctive architectural details are fashioned from hundreds of dried plant materials. Learn about the plants that make up our famous DC landmarks buildings:

DC Landmarks Building Materials Guide (U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and more ...)

Gift Shop and Coffee, Drinks

A gift store run by the Friends of the U.S. Botanic Garden and local D.C. small business Rewild will offer a variety of botanically-themed gifts for purchase in the Conservatory's West Gallery, open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.

Vintage Views will offer coffee, hot chocolate, and other drinks and snacks for sale just inside the gated outdoor garden near the trains.

Sensory-Friendly Program Dates

These early or late openings provide museum access to individuals with cognitive and sensory processing disabilities and their families by offering early entrance for registered participants, pre-visit materials, and a take-a-break space. For additional information on programs for special audiences, please visit our Accessibility page.

Upcoming events:

Sensory-Friendly Evening at the Garden - December 20, 2025
Sensory-Friendly Morning at the Garden - January 3, 2026

Poinsettias

Our Horticulture team grows thousands of poinsettias each year. Learn about growing poinsettias, their history, varieties new and old, testing more sustainable growing media, and more!

Archive of previous holiday shows

Looking for information about previous Season's Greenings shows? Check the archive:

2014: Season's Greenings: Lighthouses (November 27, 2014 - January 4, 2015)

Holiday cheer abounds at the U.S. Botanic Garden! Despite the cold winter outside, the Conservatory boasts a tropical paradise, one of the largest indoor decorated trees in Washington, D.C., and a showcase of poinsettia and their plant cousins. It wouldn’t be the winter holiday season without the fantasy train display in the East Gallery, which chugs along a track through imaginative structures created with plant materials. Explore the seven seas, using lighthouses to navigate your way through this year’s scenic wonderland. Many of the capital’s landmark buildings, all made from natural materials, will be on display in the Garden Court. Come in from the cold and enjoy the sights, scents, and sounds of Season’s Greenings.