Sep 21st, 2015

Evenings at the Garden & FREE Admission for VCU Students & Staff

by Jonah Holland

 

The Conservatory at sunset photo by Tyler Darden

Enjoy the Conservatory at sunset during Evenings at the Garden. photo by Tyler Darden

 

We’re super-excited to continue celebrating the UCI Road World Championships and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s cycling history all-week-long! And with VCU students out of class all week, we’ve got a special treat for them too!

First, the Garden will be open late — ’til 8 p.m. Monday through Friday “Flowers After 5-style,” as we enjoy the Garden’s lush early fall blooms and honor our bike heritage.  The Lakeside Wheel Club (Richmond’s first and best cycling club, now known as historic Bloemendaal House) will be open for self-guided tours (5-7 nightly) and cycling-themed tours (September 22, 23, 24, only).  Inside the house you can see our From Bicycle Club to Botanical Garden Exhibit  and learn more about early cycling in Richmond. We’ll have live music nightly, plus food, beer & wine, shopping and children’s activities. Don’t forget,  Thursday, September 24th you can bring your leashed pet to the Garden for a special Fidos After 5.

Did I mention VCU?! Oh yes. We know you are out of class, looking for some fun and adventure. We’d like to invite all Virginia Commonwealth University students, faculty and staff to come visit Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for FREE, Monday through Friday of this week, September 21-25, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Just bring your VCU ID card, and we’ll welcome you in! Explore our blooms, butterflies, vistas, quiet escapes, or go for a walk through some of our wooded trails behind Bloemendaal House.  Shhh. It’s kind of a secret, but fall is one of the best times to visit the Garden. The weather is perfect, Butterflies LIVE! is open (’til 4:45 p.m. daily), and there is so much in bloom!  The Rose Garden, in particular, is looking fabulous. What a romantic place to take a date, or just bring a group of friends!  Or maybe you’d like to connect with nature in our meditation garden. Medical  and pharmacy students, did you know we have a really extensive Healing Garden,  filled with information about medicinal plants? Especially if you haven’t visited Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden before, you are in for a treat.

You can even come listen to some of your professors as they perform at the Garden tonight (Monday, September 21).  The Garcia Jazz Trio, features Director of Jazz Studies and Associate Professor Antonio Garcia (trombone, vocals, percussion), VCU Jazz Studies Program alumni John Conley (guitar),  and Brian Sulser (bass), and special guest (Associate professor Counselor Education at VCU) Mary Hermann Garcia (vocals). Visit our website to see the full schedule of bands.  Then again on Tuesday night, September 22, it’s VCU Jazz alumnus and Prof. Marcus Tenney (tenor sax) with VCU Jazz alumni Andrew Randazzo (bass) and Devonne Harris (drums).

So VCU, enjoy your week away from classes, and make good use of it. Come see us! As you can tell from the photo below, we are already your fans.

VCU alum on Garden staff

Virginia Commonwealth University alumni on staff at Lewis Ginter.

 

About Jonah Holland

Jonah Holland is Digital Content Manager at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, where she has worked for 14 years overseeing social media, the blog, and the website. She is also a mom, yogi, open water swimmer, gardener, and seeker. She's been known to go for a walk in the Garden and come back with hundreds of plant photos, completely inspired to write her next blog post.

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