BRONX, New York -- The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) in Bronx Park is a seasonal tradition almost three decades in the making - featuring New York's favorite landmarks scaled-down and reimagined with flowers and plants of all kinds!
Bringing about a sense of anticipation, pure wonderment and disbelief, the 28th Annual Holiday Train Show, once again, is stopping folks in their tracks.
See more than 25 G-scale model trains and trolleys hum along nearly a half-mile of track. Don't forget to look up - New York City bridges come together to create an aerial display of trains soaring overhead.
"If you've never come before, you should definitely come this year because it's even bigger," said Thomas Mulhare, Director of Public Education at NYBG. "This has become a New York City tradition."
Marvel at model trains zipping through an enchanting display of more than 175 famous New York landmarks - imagine the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Center, and other favorites - each delightfully re-created from natural materials such as birch bark, acorns, and cinnamon sticks.
The show started with the creator, Paul Busse and his company, Applied Imagination, in 1992. What one may see as just a piece of bark or a fallen berry, Busse envisions as stone on the Brooklyn Bridge or an ornament on St. Patrick's Cathedral.
"He loves model trains, so he found a way to combine landscape architecture and model trains," said Steven Swanson, Associate Director of Public Relations at NYBG. "One thing I love is going back and looking at the replicas year in and year out, and seeing something new."
This year's show - presented in an immersive indoor winter wonderland adjacent to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory - showcases Central Park, with its iconic landscape fashioned in mosses and hollies, and architectural treasures such as Belvedere Castle.
"Each replica takes about 600 hours to create," said Mulhare.
Make your best holiday memories with crafts and carolers, seasonal treats, a visit from Thomas the Tank Engine, and so much more! In the evening, the space magically transforms. Thousands of twinkling lights turn on, and the buildings have a mesmerizing amber glow.
And for adults only, there are bar car nights that feature cocktails, fire twirling, and ice carving. Purchase a spiked hot chocolate and grab a bite from the Bronx Night Market Holiday Pop-up, then set out to explore the night's offerings.
Don't wait! The Holiday Train Show runs Saturday, November 23, 2019 - Sunday, January 26, 2020.
