RVA's Only Glow Hike: Maymont's Garden Glow

If you've never taken a hike through an illuminated forest, you need to try Maymont's Garden Glow! This is one of my favorite events to kick off the fall season.

During Garden Glow, Maymont’s nature center, historic mansion & gardens will be illuminated with colorful lights & displays. The carriage house lawn becomes a festival with food trucks, fire pits & a Glow Bar. The highlight of Garden Glow is the Japanese Garden - it’s decorated with lights & glowing displays. This special event only goes from Wednesday, October 16 through Sunday, November 10, 2024. And tickets are on sale now!

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Here’s what you need to know about Maymont's Garden Glow with Kids:

Garden Glow is a special, ticketed event at Maymont, a 100-acre Victorian estate in the City of Richmond. While visiting Maymont Park is typically free of charge, Garden Glow is a ticketed event with an admission cost.

This illumination event has light sculptures, lighting effects, glow paths, shadow walls, glow swings and more! This year's event will start at The Robins Nature Center with an expanded "glow path" that will follow the Kinsale Trail to the Glow Village, and then you will continue down the Woodland Trail to the Japanese Garden. With the start of Garden Glow at The Nature Center, there is added walking with inclines. You'll want to allow at least an hour and half to enjoy the experience, and it is a self-guided tour. You'll walk around a mile and a half with slopes and inclines. We usually spends around 2 hours (kids are under 7).

Heads up: While you can use a stroller from The Nature Center up to the Glow Village, it's going to be a steep walk up and down. There is stroller parking by the entrance to the Woodland Trail again this year!

The Glow Village, located around the historic estate, has fire pits, food trucks, a glow bar, and immersive art installations. Each year, Maymont adds to the theatrics by including more special effects like lasers, more lights, photo opportunities, and new art installations. In preview years, we've seen a laser forest, a moon bridge, a glowing grotto, and a huge light brite. This experience is fully immersive - you walk through the gardens that are covered in lights from the ground to the sky.

Since Maymont's historic paths are not fully ADA accessible, Maymont provides transportation between the Nature Center, the historic estate and the Japanese Garden. In the past, they've used golf carts, tuk tuks, and a trolley in the past to help guests bypass the Woodland Trail & climbing the stairs to the Italian Garden. This transportation has always been free (included in your admission costs).

While dramatic lighting and activities are all around the historic estate and lawn, the actual glow hike is in the Japanese Garden. You walk down through the Woodland Trail, through the garden and back up the Woodland Trail.

Where is Maymont's Garden Glow?

This year's event starts at The Nature Center. Its address is 2201 Shields Lake Drive.

You will follow the paths between The Nature Center up to the historic estate and down to the Japanese Gardens. By the end of the event, you will most likely have made a loop, coming back to the Nature Center (depending on where you parked).

There is a lot of walking, so bring a stroller if your kids are 5 or younger. While the entire experience isn't stroller friendly, it's nice to have it as you check in, explore the Glow Village and as a home base. I always bring my all-terrain stroller to Maymont - it works great!

Where should I park for Garden Glow 2024?

You will want to park near The Robins Nature Center or around Shields Lake since the entrance to Garden Glow 2024 is through The Nature Center. There is also street parking available. Parking fills up quickly in this small lot. Depending on the crowd, expect to use street parking.

Our 2024 ticket time was 6-6:30pm. We arrived at 6:15 pm, and The Nature Center's parking lot was already full. We used the gravel parking lot by Shields Lake - at this time there was plenty of space in this lot and plenty of street parking available.

Where can I get tickets for Garden Glow?

Tickets for the 7th annual Garden Glow are available now, but the event does not start until Wednesday, October 16. You will find time slots broken down into 30 minute arrival times from October 16 through November 10.

Tickets sell out quickly for weekend time slots between 6:00-8:00pm.

Keep in mind the time changes during this event. "Fall Back" is on Sunday, November 3, so all events on November 3 through November 10 will feel a little different than the actual clock times. November 3 through November 10 also falls under the standard pricing ticket.

Click here to get your tickets.

How much does Garden Glow cost?

There are four types of tickets for the 2024 event. Tickets must be purchased ahead of the event as certain nights do sell out.

Value Night Tickets: Tickets cost $18 for adults, $14 for kids 3-12 and 2 & under are free. These are for October 16 - October 24 and October 29-31.

Standard Pricing Tickets:Tickets cost $20 for adults, $16 for kids 3-12 and 2 & under are free. These tickets are for October 25-27 and November 1-November 10.

Maymont Members Tickets: Maymont members get $2 off ticket prices on Value Nights and Standard Price Night. Members can also get in FREE on October 16, October 22 and October 29. Free member nights is a new feature for the 2024 event.

Museums for All Tickets: Museums for All participants can get tickets for $3 with EBT card. Kids under 18 are free. 

Museums for All participants can also grab their tickets in advance at The Robins Nature Center or Stone Barn Welcome Center on Fridays-Sundays from 10am-5pm.

When is the best time to visit Garden Glow?

The grounds look the most colorful and vibrant when it's completely dark, so I try to aim for a time around sunset since I have younger kids. Tickets are sold in time slots, so you will need to book a "6:30" or "8:00" arrival time, but you can stay as long as you want. You are not limited on how long your visit or experience can be.

Parking around at The Nature Center and Historic Estate is limited, so keep that in mind as you grab your time slot too.

Our first few years visiting, I always booked the very first time slot available due to bedtimes. While it wouldn't be completely dark with vibrant colors, my children loved seeing the lights and glowing effects... and watching the sun go down! It was still a great experience for us even if it wasn't complete dark outside.

Is the walking experience at Maymont's Garden Glow similar to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden's Garden Fest of Lights?

Short answer - NO! If you've been to Lewis Ginter's Garden Fest of Lights, this is not the same type of experience.

Whereas Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is completely ADA accessible and stroller friendly with all paved paths, Maymont's trail is a hike with inclines and dark & narrow pathways. The Woodland Trail has a mix of hard pack, mulch and steps down an incline -- keep this in mind if you've got little ones or someone with mobility struggles in your party. It is not stroller friendly at all, and due to the historic grounds, accessibility is limited. Also, you will walk around a mile and a half during this experience.

We've attended every Garden Glow experience, starting when we had a newborn. If you have a little one, bring a baby carrier or bring a stroller as a home base. You will need to leave it in the "Glow Park" before going down the trails. Also, expect to carry your little ones. When we've visited with our children under 5 years old, we had to carry them during some parts.

Check out The Woodland Trail below. Parts have steep stairs, and other parts are dirt or mulch inclines.

What features does the Glow Village have?

Located on the Carriage House Lawn, The Glow Village has food and drink options plus activities for all ages. This has a festival type atmosphere.

This year you will find a Shadow Wall, a Big Bright Mega Light board and Glow Swings! You'll also find glowing furniture like glow cubes and there are fire pits that you can roast s'mores.

This area is generally stroller friendly, and it's accessibly by self-propelled mobility aids.

What type of food trucks and vendors are at Garden Glow?

There are food trucks serving dinner, snacks,  hot chocolate & s’mores kits. This is an extra cost - you pay for the items you'd like to get.

Food trucks rotate throughout the event but we've been able to purchase items like Brunswick Stew in the Garden, The Grateful Grill, Bikini Panini, Pop's Kettle Corn, Woodhead's Grill, and more.

Maymont also has a Glow Bar with a full cocktail menu for guests who are 21 and older. Drinks cost $8.

Where are the restrooms?

During past events, the bathrooms at Maymont are closed. Portapotties are by the mansion & in the Japanese Garden. 

Tips on what to bring & what to expect at Garden Glow:

1. This event is outside, rain or shine. Dress for the forecast, and it can get chilly on certain fall nights.

2. Wear walking shoes & comfortable clothes. Closed-toed shoes are highly recommended.

3. Leave your pup at home. Due to the safety of the farm and wildlife animals, pets are not permitted.

4. Bring your stroller or wagon to get from the parking lot to the Glow Village. The Glow Village also has a "stroller parking lot" for when you head down the Woodland Trail. Please note the entire experience is not stroller friendly, but there's a lot of walking! If your kiddo is 5 or younger, you may want to bring it.

5. The paths can be very dark depending on when you arrive. I bring flashlights to help my kids see where they were going. 

6. Expect a crowd on weekends. People will line up at the start of The Woodland Trail to get into the Japanase Garden. You don't have to go straight to the main experience, you can enjoy other areas first.

7. Visit on weekdays for a smaller crowd. Sundays through Wednesdays do not have the crowd that Thursday through Saturday have.

8. Tickets have a 30-minute arrival window (ie 7-7:30). You can stay as long as you want once you arrive on property.

For more things to do with kids around Richmond, follow @thewestendmom on Instagram!