Posted: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 11:27 pm

The Morris Arboretum’s popular Garden Railway Display returns the day
after Thanksgiving as the Holiday Garden Railway display. Visitors
of all ages will be wow-ed by a quarter mile of track featuring seven
loops and tunnels with fifteen different rail lines and two cable
cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under),
and bustling model trains, all set in the lovely winter garden of the
Morris Arboretum. The display and buildings are all made of natural
materials – bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried
flowers, seeds and stones – to form a perfectly proportioned
miniature landscape complete with miniature rivers. Each building,
while an exact replica of the original, is unique in its design.
Philadelphia-area landmarks such as a masterpiece replica of
Independence Hall are made using pinecone seeds for shingles, acorns
as finials and twigs as downspouts.
The buildings are all meticulously decorated for the holidays with
lights that twinkle along the tracks and around the surrounding
landscape. The Garden Railway Display has become one of the
Arboretum’s most beloved attractions since it opened in 1998, and the
Holiday Garden Railway is quickly becoming a favorite holiday
tradition for many families. The Holiday Garden Railway opens the
day after Thanksgiving and is open daily from 10 am - 4 pm through
December 31st (closed Christmas Eve and day, and New Years day).
A special Holiday Garden Railway Grand Opening Celebration will be
held on Saturday, November 26th from 1 - 3 pm that will include the
sounds of carolers. Kids and adults will also have the opportunity to
make an ornament or decoration from natural materials to take home.
The Holiday Garden Railway is a great way to kick off the season and
also serves as a fabulous backdrop for your holiday greeting card, so
bring your camera! The Railway is free with regular garden
admission: $16 adults, $14 for seniors, students and youth (13-18)
$7, children under age three and members free.
On December 10th at 2 pm, catch more of the holiday spirit at Morris
Arboretum with the Penn Glee Club who will treat visitors to holiday
themed and seasonal songs, out in the winter garden.
The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania is located at
100 East Northwestern Avenue in the Chestnut Hill section of
Philadelphia. The 92-acre horticulture display garden features a
spectacular collection of mature trees in a beautiful and colorful
landscape. The Arboretum features numerous picturesque spots such as
a formal rose garden, Japanese gardens, swan pond, an elegant Fernery
and the 2010 Best of Philly Award Winning Out on a Limb canopy walk
that transports visitors 50 feet above the ground without climbing.
The Morris Arboretum is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places and is the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit
www.morrisarboretum.org.