Time for Chihuly

A sun flare makes Chihuly even more beautiful!

The Atlanta Botanical Gardens (ABG) had a Dale Chihuly exhibit in 2004. I didn't get to see it that year, but they've retained a couple of his sculptures. One of them is outside in a fountain in the Levy Parterre. I can't imagine what that fountain looked like without it because that's the only way I've seen it, and it just seems to belong. And every time I see it, I'm amazed that it survives the elements the way it does—it's outside in the heat of summer and in the cold of winter.

Even prettier as a reflection.

So when I heard that the ABG was getting a new Chihuly exhibit, I put it high on my list. In particular, I wanted to see the exhibit at night when the sculptures would be all lit up. The evening admission begins at 6 p.m., and we didn't get there until about 7, so I didn't see as much of the sculptures before dark as I would have liked. If I have time to go back before the exhibit ends in October, I will. But it was truly beautiful to see at night.

From this angle, it looks like it has antenna.

Some of the sculptures weren't as easy to access to get the best photos. For example, the "Saffron Tower," is in front of the Water Mirror which is in front of a waterfall feature. The tower was easy to get to and photograph reflecting in the Water Mirror, but the waterfall area was not. I'm not sure if the waterfall area is ever lit up, but there were no lights the night I was there. Plus, you really couldn't walk into the area directly in front of the waterfall. I think some path lights on each side of the waterfall, along with an actual path to get to it would have made for some beautiful photos.

Saffron, an orange-yellow color.

My favorite part of the exhibit was the Cascades Garden. I love that they retained the Earth Goddess living sculpture from their Imaginary Worlds exhibit that they had a couple of years ago. And anytime time water is combined with lights, it's a good thing. If you go to the ABG and don't have a lot of time, I suggest starting here. You won't be disappointed. It was actually the last thing I saw that night, and if I hadn't been so sticky (it was a really hot day) and tired, I think I would have sat there a while and just let the ambiance wash over me.

The Earth Goddess looks so pretty in the light.

I enjoy all botanical gardens, and I wish I had time to visit the ABG more often. I also want to check out their rather new location in Gainesville. That may have to wait until the spring, but I'll let you know what I think of it after I go.

It looks completely different on the way out.

Have you been to Chihuly Nights at the ABG? Did you enjoy it?
Have you been to the ABG in Gainesville?