I looked through my photo memories earlier today, and I saw that on today, I went to Garden Glow at Maymont. It’s hard to capture just how beautiful the setup is, and my photos won’t do it justice. Still, I wanted to share my photos.

Garden Glow is a collection of outdoor light displays set at Maymont Gardens. You can view the lights as you walk around the gardens after hours. The event happens in the fall, so it’s possible to do the tour before the weather becomes bitterly cold. My hometown also does a different light show (Festival of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens) but that happens later in the year, and the colder weather is a hard no for me. So I’m glad I can enjoy outdoor light displays at Maymont before the winter temperatures take firm hold.

I already went to Garden Glow this year and the layout is a little different, but just as magical. I loved touring the gardens and taking in the stunning light displays. I have a little reel of the light display that greets visitors within the first few minutes of entering the garden:

After touring the Garden Glow light exhibit last year, I tried World of Beer for the first time. I opted for a beer flight, the crab rangoon dip, mac-and-cheese bites and fried shrimp entree. I went with a few family members, so I didn’t have to eat or drink all of those items by myself. My daughter tried the steak frites, and my cousins tried pizza and burgers. I didn’t photograph everything: I was trying to be “in the moment”. That being said, I enjoyed the appetizers and entree. I loved that the crab rangoon dip incorporated sweet-and-sour sauce, so you get the savory flavors of the crab and cheese, but it’s punctuated with a bright sweetness that contrasts beautifully. The mac-and-cheese bites are little fried bits of heaven, full of cheese and flavor with every bite. The shrimp were perfectly cooked: crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.

And the beer! Well, I can’t remember the flavors I ordered, because it was a flight and I didn’t photograph the description card I was provided. If I recall correctly, I got the bartender’s choice of beers. The restaurant also offers pre-selected flight options or build-your-own, so you aren’t limited in what you can choose.

This was such a fun time: I’m so glad I came across these memories today!