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February 2024 by Jozef Watson
Stopped there to walk around for a bit but nothing was in bloom due to the time of year we went. Still was a nice walk and building was very well maintained and new. Staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable. Had a gift shop there as well that seemed reasonably priced and well stocked. Nice place to visit any time of year if you're looking for something to do outside.
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February 2024 by Mariah Otto
Very disappointed in the management and this business overall. Incredibly unprofessional and greedy. I would avoid this place unless you want to loose thousands of dollars and deal with terrible staff. -10/10.
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January 2024 by Felina Sutterfield
Update:The Owner reaching out is a JOKE. Don't believe when they try to "make it right". The email they gave out is to a separate entity and all they did was tell me it's my fault for not showing up on time. WHICH I STATED IN MY ORIGINAL REVIEW. Don't try to show face and make it seem like you care just to rub salt in the wound.Original Review:Honestly super disappointed. We TRIED to go to the Christmas lights show but were turned away.To start with, this place is in the middle of no where and super hard to find since they have no signage, lights, or people directing traffic. We passed the entrance without even realizing it and once we finally found a place to turn around (3 miles down the road) we tried to turn into the parking lot but were stopped and told we weren't allowed to park without a specifial pass. Even tho the parking wasn't even half full. This was at 8:50pm. So we were given a different address to go park and take a shuttle that was about 7-10 mins away. Keep in mind, we got the latest tickets available which was 9pm-10pm.Once we got to the parking lot, we had to wait and flag down a shuttle driver because they weren't going to stop. Then we made the 7-10 min drive back to where we just came from.We were dropped at the "entrance" which was closed. Confused we found a worker and were informed that they closed at 9:10pm and they weren't allowing anyone else in. We got there at 9:15pm. They told us we could try to ask for a refund or get tickets for a different day.After going online, it became very clear that this company is not interested in helping you. It's plastered all over the website that they don't do any sort of refunds or changes.I understand that this is all information that you have when you buy your tickets but the lack of consideration, customer service, or just general human kindness from all of the employees is heartbreaking. Not a single person we interacted with in the process of getting there told us that the doors were closing at 9:10. There were so many opportunities for someone to either help our chances of actually getting to see the lights or at least let us know that there was no point in trying to park and ride the shuttle because we would be getting there too late.This is a very detailed and long winded review that I'm sure will fall on deaf ears. We're not from here and were really excited to go see the Christmas lights for our first Christmas in Pittsburgh. Where I'm from, people go out of their way to help you and make exceptions to provide the best customer service and experience possible.Heartbroken.
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January 2024 by Sara M
I’ve always loved the Botanic Garden, but I attended Dazzling Lights and I have to say—it was phenomenal! It took about 1.5 hours for us, between the 1 mile experience, and we ate and drank by the fire outside the barn, and also spent time in the gift shop twice. The lights and music were gorgeous, immersive, and had such a good variety (of music too, some was light and some was heavy/electronic mixes along with dancing lights)! The laser section with the fog was really fun. I didn’t have a “least favorite” area at all. I loved how loud the music was, it really made it like such a production. The sound and light quality were excellent, truly. We were impressed. The length of the sections you walked through were perfect, I loved how long they stretched out, it really helped with that immersive experience. The display at the Lotus Pond was amazing! I don’t have as many photos because I was so lost in the experience. Drinks and food were very good, with the option to spike them and had a great beer selection. Plus, someone was playing music in the barn and the Christmas trees in there were beautiful. The cheese pastry we had was one of the best I’ve EVER had! The staff everywhere were so nice. I was worried everyone would maybe be grumpy because of being there on Christmas Eve, but they were all so sweet. Their gift shop is beautiful, as always, they had beautiful holiday gifts and others, and more Christmas trees. Their selfie stations were very well done, which isn’t easy, we loved the glowing baubles by the barn. I don’t have many photos to share because we were so captivated. We couldn’t stop saying wow as we were going through. This exceeded any expectation or idea that I had of what it would be. I love Phipps, but I would pick walking through the Botanic Garden for winter and, instead, go to Phipps for the spring flower show. I can’t wait for next year’s! Thank you for a beautiful Christmas Eve!
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January 2024 by Lester Warby
Went for the Christmas lights. The parking, unless prepaid (which was sold out when we bought our tickets), is a long winding road away, about a mile. They provide shuttle busses to get you to and from the parking and the event. Amazing lights and music. Our almost 3year old granddaughter lived out all, but especially the hanging light strings that all of the kids ran through. I highly recommend this winter experience. We will be back next year!
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January 2024 by Enzo Santilli
Nice place - went for holiday lights. Cool displays but event is overpriced for size of it.
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January 2024 by Nicole Wauchope
We visited during their Dazzling Nights 2023 display and it was spectacular. We bundled up and enjoyed some hot chocolate (and adult beverages) along the one mile display. The different displays were all beautiful and worth stopping to enjoy for both the kids and adults. They also had some interactive light displays, which the kids really enjoyed. Definitely well worth the drive and cost.Note that paid parking sells out in advance, so plan extra time to park at the school and take the free shuttle over. The shuttles are very nice, heated, and run about every 10 minutes.
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January 2024 by Kelly B
We went here for Christmas lights and it was OK. There were barely any food and beverage options, and the lights weren't as beautiful as the pictures I've seen previously. A few of the lights weren't on or burned out when we went. It was pretty expensive for the experience you got. Give people free hot chocolate or a cookie or something to counter the astronomical pricing. Also, put a warning sign by your "fake snow" because it did a number on my shoes and clothes.
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December 2023 by Heather
I never leave reviews, ever, but I just loved the dazzling lights. They were beautiful. I love Christmas and we go and see a lot of light events; these were probably one of my favorites. They really incorporated the nature of the garden into the light show giving it a really organic feel. It was elegant and fun. My children (2 and 3) loved them too. It was great. Definitely, buy the onsite parking too. It was cold and parking close was worth it.
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December 2023 by Anna Harrison
We have been members for two years and go here often. The cafe is lovely. We have been bringing our baby since before he was even born and he took some of his first steps at the gardens. It's such a gem.
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December 2023 by Jason Gobbel
Dazzling lights and displays!!! Sensory sensitive kid and 2 oder bros. All 3 boys and us. WE HAD A BLAST!!!!!!
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December 2023 by Beyza S.
Lights show was amazing!! My first time seeing this garden and it was an amazing experience!
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December 2023 by Sabrina Tatalias
This was my first year going to Dazzling Nights after hearing about it last year and getting tons of ads for it this year. We decided to try it out this holiday season.Do not buy the parking pass - honestly it’s a waste of $15. The nearby shuttle location was seamless with little to no wait. It worked out perfect (they are private mini coach busses and heated - they had 4 of them on a Thursday night and were running back and forth every 10 minutes).There was 0 wait to get in. I actually was able to get in 30 min before my ticketed time since we arrived earlier than expected.They have plenty of restroom facilities throughout (actual restrooms).Dress warm since you are entirely outside. They have 2 areas with heated rooms (main building and their venue space). They have food/mobile drink carts everywhere and stands with vendors selling light up gadgets.Volunteers/staff are posted everywhere if you need someone to ask a question (or take photos which is what we used them for).Music throughout the entire venue (nice touch).I really liked the sections - specifically the area with the ping pong ball looking strands, the hop section, the pond, and the. Fluorescent flower looking area by the gazebo.It took me 1.5 hours to walk around (we went slow and stopped for photos/took our time) we walked around 1.5 times around the loop. We honestly made our own fun - which if you don’t do that and just look and move on you probably could walk it in under 30 min.They had a live musician performing in the one warming area which was nice.Really nice gift shop as well with seasonal selection.Overall, it was very nice - although I don’t know if I’d come back. It was definitely something different, and I’m glad I came to experience it.Compared to other local light attractions I’d just personally prefer something else/ more. For example Pittsburgh Zoo Asian Lantern festival is VERY similar to this, but is way bigger and more to see. Drive thru Christmas lights (oglebay, Clinton, or North Park) would be just as good/better. Take this as you will, just my opinion as someone who reviews often and frequents many attractions.NOW..any time I’ve been to PGH Botanical Garden in the Spring-Fall has been hands down a top place to visit (you can spend all day I swear). So I will be coming back to the Botanical Garden. I also highly recommend that to anyone.
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December 2023 by Heather Snavely
This was our first year going to the Botanic Garden for holiday lights. We loved it. It's all outdoors, so dress warm. They had fun light up gadgets to buy, several snack/wine stops, and lots of unique lights and lasers. They even had 'snow' machines (it was some kind of foam). It's about a mile walk with some incline, but an easy walk for the most part. We plan on coming back in the warmer months
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December 2023 by Katty Tseng
Came for the Christmas / holiday lights. Overly hyped. Over-priced
