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Photo Credit: Laura Segall
Southwest
As the capital of Arizona, Phoenix is a great
southwestern vacation destination, especially in the
winter time when the weather isn’t stifling.
Phoenix is well-known for its beautiful
Desert Botanical Garden. The Desert
Botanical Garden is one out of only
twenty-four botanical gardens to be
accredited by the American Alliance
of Museums. The Garden is made up
of nearly 150 acres, and over 50 of
those acres are under cultivation.
Nearly 1,000 staff members and vol-
unteers help these gardens remain
beautiful and enjoyable year-round,
by tending to the 55,000+ displays
visitors by offering informative, guided
tours. Now, nearing the garden’s 80 th an-
niversary, more and more visitors con-
tinue to walk the paths of the desert
displays, enjoying the unique, vibrant
scenery that makes up the southwestern
land.
that are showcased throughout the
property. If you visit the Desert Botanical Garden
during the holiday season, you can ex-
pect to see Las Noches de las Luminar-
ias.
The Desert Botanical Garden officially
opened its doors to the public in 1939.
By the early 1960s, a gift shop and vis-
itors center were being added, and the
opening of the Galvin Parkway in 1963,
provided direct access to the public.
By the late 70s, the Docent Program
was established, which gave the gar-
den the opportunity to further educate This handmade lantern-based event
runs from November 24 th to December
30 th , so if you hurry, you can catch the last
few weeks. Every year, the Desert Botan-
ical Garden lights up its pathways with lu-
minarias, or small Christmas lanterns,
which are usually made of paper bags
that hold votive candles inside.