Make your winter holiday visit to Washington D.C. special at the U.S. Botanic Garden exhibit.  The holiday season elevates this local attraction to a top thing to do in DC with it's amazing train and model exhibit.  This year it is all about train stations from around the country  vs the 2017 display features model trains traveling through an exhibit of roadside attratctions from around the country with each state represented.  Fair warning that this is a busy exhibit, typically with lines and parking in the area over the holidays is very limited.  This is a great family excursion exploring the 50 state road side attraction while trains whistle by and Thomas the tank engine chugs along its tracks.  

Plant Based Season Greetings

Tradtional Season's  Greetings includes pine trees and pine wreaths but get ready for something unique. Your visit to the Botanic Gardens will deliver you an architecutral experience of how plant materials are used to build the models of many of the Washington D.C. landmarks. There are twelve plant-based model in the 2017 exhibit that incorporate materials such as corriander seeds, willow sticks, pine cone scales and over 70 more plant materials.  It would be a great eye spy game to try and find each and every plant material used on the models.  This is painstaking work with U.S. Capitol builidng taking over 600 hours to construct but what an amazing sight.  Models on exhibit this year are include the following:

U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory

U.S. Supreme Court

Washington Monument

White House

Albert Einstein Memorial

U.S. Capitol

Jefferson Memorial 

Library of Congress

Lincoln Memorial

National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Museum of American Indian

Smithsonian Institiute Castle

Railroad Station Botanic Garden Exhibit 2018

The 2018 hoilday exhibit feature train stations from around the country which is so appropriate because there are trains.  You can read more about this years exhibit here.

Biltmore Depot North Carolina 1896
Cannondale Metro-North Railroad Station Connecticut 1852
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal New Jersey 1889
Chattanooga Train Shed Tennesse 1859
Cincinnati Union Terminal Ohio 1933
Citrus Train and Citrus Groves Diorama Florida 1925
Dinosaur Depot -- --
East Glacier Park Station Montana 1912
Ellicott City Station Maryland 1830
Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station Pennsylvania 1859
Grain Elevator Minnesota --
Grain Fields Kansas --
Grand Canyon Depot Arizona 1910
Grand Central Terminal New York 1871
Kirkwood Missouri Pacific Station Missouri 1839
Lahaina Station Hawaii 1970
Los Angeles Union Station California 1939
Michigan Central Station Michigan 1913
North Bennington Depot Vermont 1880
North Pole Station -- --
Peanut Farms Alabama --
Pennsylvania Station (interior) New York 1910
Pikes Peak Cog Railway Colorado 1891
Point of Rocks Station Maryland 1860s
Salt Lake City Union Pacific Depot Utah 1909
Santa Fe Depot California 1887
Santa Fe Depot Oklahoma 1928
Union Station Washington 1910
Union Station D.C. 1907
Viaduct Train Hotel Maryland 1873
Vicksburg Train Barge Mississippi 1907

• Mr. Potato Head Mr. Potato Head
• Niagara Falls Niagara Falls
• Train Crossing Train Crossing
• Road Trip Luggage Road Trip Luggage
• Road Trip Tunnel Road Trip Tunnel
• U.S. Capitol Building U.S. Capitol Building
• Library of Congress Library of Congress
• African American Museum African American Museum
• Native American Museum Native American Museum
• Smithsonian Castle Smithsonian Castle
• Jefferson Memorial Jefferson Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial Lincoln Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial Lincoln Memorial
• Holiday Decorated Trees Holiday Decorated Trees
• Beautiful Tree Ornaments Beautiful Tree Ornaments
• Corn Palace Corn Palace
• Famous Route 66 Famous Route 66
• Volkswagen Beetle Volkswagen Beetle
• Thomas The Tank Engine Thomas The Tank Engine
• Potato Head Directing Train Traffic Potato Head Directing Train Traffic
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50 State Roadside Botanic Exhibits in 2017

 There are more than 40 roadside exhibits at the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory this year expressing America's love for the automobile.  If you are a Route 66 enthusiast you will recognize many of the attractions.  But there is so much more like the first on the list below that honors one of the most destructive pest ever on U.S. soil.

Boll Weevil Monument Alabama
Cadillac Ranch Texas
Coffee Pot and Cup Water Towers Iowa  
Coney Island Hot Dog Stand Colorado
Corn Palace South Dakota
Dinosaur Park Dinosaurs South Dakota
Earn of Corn Water Tower Minnesota
Elwood, The World’s Tallest Concrete Gnome Iowa
Golden Driller Statue Oklahoma
Hollywood Sign California
Jimmy Carter Peanut Statue Georgia
Jolly Green Giant Statue Minnesota
Leaning Tower of Niles Illinois
Lucy the Elephant New Jersey
Mr. Potato Head Statue Rhode Island
Mt. Rushmore South Dakota
Niagara Falls and Maid of the Mist Boat New York
Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox Minnesota
Peachoid Water Tower South Carolina, Alabama
Pineapple Water Tower Hawaii
Randy’s Donuts California
Route 66 Diner New Mexico
Santa Monica Pier California
Sapp Bros. Coffee Pot Water Tower Nebraska
See Rock City Barn Tennessee
Spoonbridge and Cherry Minnesota
Teapot Dome Gas Station Washington
The Big Chair Washington, D.C.
The Big Duck New York
The Blue Whale Oklahoma
Twistee Treat Florida, Texas, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois
Volkswagen Beetle Spider Iowa, Alabama, California, Nevada, Idaho, Pennsylvania
Watermelon Water Tower Texas
Wawona Tree Tunneled Sequoia California
“Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” Sign Nevada
Willis Tower (aka Sears Tower) Illinois
World’s Largest Basket Ohio
World’s Largest Bat Kentucky
World’s Largest Chili Pepper New Mexico
World’s Largest Pecan Texas
World’s Largest Pistachio New Mexico