Our Family Visit to Florida Botanical Gardens Holiday Lights | Video

By Published On: December 15th, 2022

Our Family Visit to Florida Botanical Gardens Holiday Lights | Video

[fusion_dropcap boxed="yes" boxed_radius="0" class="fusion-content-tb-dropcap"]P[/fusion_dropcap]ublished on 12/15/22 (Scroll down for video): This is a video post to follow-up my picture post of our experience at the Florida Botanical GardensAlright, so here’s a 2 1/2 minute clip of our experience this week at Florida Botanical Garden’s “Holiday Lights”. This short clip is just a glimpse into what to expect, as you could likely spend 60-90 minutes wandering the paths, depending on your pace (property itself is 100 acres). We very much enjoyed our evening and were pleased that Colt did as well! Exhibit A: Check the 1:45 mark of the video, where he’s voice activating the huge singing tree. A few seconds later, he’s still trying to activate it as we walk away, which understandably confused one gentleman who didn’t realize he was nearing the special tree. He thought Colt was yelling at him. Sorry sir.

If nothing else, make sure you check out the violinists at the 2:19 mark of my video. These local musicians, and their instructor, had the crowd gathered with smiles on their faces. Here’s some additional info, so that between my two posts, most items are covered:

Further Details on Cost/Donation to Florida Botanical Gardens:

The property is owned and operated by Pinellas County, with funding from the Florida Botanical Gardens Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit. You can tell the board of directors put significant time and expense into making this event happen. While it’s a free event per their website (and those onsite who I spoke with), they encourage $10 donations for ages 13+. Yesterday, I became curious on how these donations will be spent. Turns out, this year the funds primarily go towards helping construct a huge children’s garden! “The Majeed Discovery Garden (MDG) will be a free and accessible children’s garden, located inside the Florida Botanical Gardens. The 2+ acres site, is located along McKay Creek […] and will include a pond area for additional exploration of aquatic ecosystems. […] will allow its visitors to focus on the care and nurture of plants and animals as they interact in creative spaces designed to stimulate all five senses. […] a place for hands-on and experiential education in an outdoor setting, with a goal to entice, engage and educate children through discovery and play.” If you read my recent write-up on the Sarasota Children’s Garden and Art Center, you know the possibilities and how much Colt enjoyed that outdoor activity.

GIFT SHOP: Head inside the visitor’s center for a selection of “botanically-themed” items including t-shirts, books, apparel, home goods, children’s items, jewelry, stationery, spa items, and Florida Botanical Gardens branded merchandise.

PETS: Leashed pets are allowed

GROUP VISITS: If you have questions on group visits, simply call: 727-582-2117

Here’s some key points from my prior post:

DATES: Day after Thanksgiving until Jan 1st (I recommend Mon-Thurs to avoid crowds)

LOCATION: Here are the addresses for the two parking lots, both free. 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo and 12211 Walsingham Road, Largo

LIGHTS: One million, “twinkling, LED lights in a multitude of colors. Vibrant laser lights and lighted figures round out our display”

HOURS: 5:30 – 9:30 pm nightly

GIFT SHOP: Yes

ACCESSIBILITY: ADA compliant walkways (love it!)

FOOD/DRINK: Available for purchase

RESTROOMS: Yes

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: See website for schedule. https://www.flbgfoundation.org/holidaylights

Follow along with over 25 thousand people who follow my @LovingStPete Guide on Social Media. Are you interested in buying or selling a property in the Tampa Bay Area? You’ll receive up to $10K back at closing when you use my LovingStPete Team to buy or sell a property! As a Florida native and St. Petersburg Real Estate Agent, I would love to earn your business! I enjoy the industry so much I even founded a vacation rental advertising company and ran it for a decade before HomeAway/VRBO acquired it. Simply contact me.

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Written by : St Petersburg Realtor, Mike Braswell

Mike Braswell is a Tampa Bay Realtor, serving St Petersburg, Clearwater, all nearby beaches and more. Mike and his 6 year old son started LovingStPete in October of 2020 after a difficult year took its toll on local businesses. After being cooped up for portions of 2020 (lockdown) they decided to get out and explore, helping spread the good word about the local area he loves so much. Often even doing gift card giveaways to support local. LovingStPete is now followed by over 27 thousand people on social media! The majority of posts are informative on fun parks, activities, day trips, great restaurants, and in general provide a comprehensive tour of the area! His 6 year old son generally helps him gather the info, providing his wife some 'child-free' time in the process! A win-win, with his son being exposed to many great events and activities in the process.

Soon after receiving his bachelors in Management Information Systems, Mike developed and then operated a vacation rental advertising business for 10+ years as CEO/Owner. The business was eventually acquired by HomeAway/VRBO.

When not spending time with his beautiful wife and energetic son, Mike enjoys boating and is also an avid tennis player. An interesting fact about Mike is that he grew up on an avocado farm with over 15 varieties, some of which you can find in our local Publix/Winn Dixie as his dad still farms the same farm at 87 years old!

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