For the fifth year in a row, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens’ Gardens Aglow has been nominated for the annual USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Award for the Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights. Each year, a panel of experts and members of the 10Best editorial team select 20 nominees for the lighting display category. The top 10 winners will be decided by popular vote. Gardens Aglow was voted 4th best in 2021 and 3rd best in 2020, 2019 and 2018. The complete list of 2022 nominees is below: 

• Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights at Lewis Gint - Richmond, Virginia
• Magic Christmas in Lights at Bellingrath Gardens - Theodore, Alabama 
• Dominion Energy Garden of Lights - Norfolk, Virginia
• Gardens Aglow at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens - Boothbay, Maine
• Illuminations at Botanica - Wichita, Kansas
• A Longwood Christmas at Longwood Gardens - Kennett Square, Pennsylvania 
• Garden Glow at Missouri Botanical Garden - St. Louis, Missouri
• Nights of a Thousand Candles at Brookgreen Gardens - Murrells Inlet, South Carolina
• Blossoms of Light at Denver Botanic Gardens - Denver, Colorado
• Conservatory Aglow at Franklin Park Conservatory - Columbus, Ohio 
• Dazzling Nights at Harry P. Leu Gardens - Orlando, Florida
• Fantasy In Lights at Callaway Gardens - Pine Mountain, Georgia
• Galaxy of LIghts at Huntsville Botanical Garden - Huntsville, Alabama 
• Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at Atlanta Botanical - Atlanta, Georgia 
• Glow & Holiday Train Show at New York Botanical - New York, New York 
• Illumination: Tree Lights at Morton Arboretum - Chicago, Illinois
• Las Noches de las Luminarias at Desert Botanical - Phoenix, Arizona 
• Lights in Bloom at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens - Sarasota, Florida
• River of Lights at ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden - Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Winter on the Avenue at Winter Park - Commerce, Florida 

“We are honored to once again be nominated as one of the best botanical garden holiday lights experiences,” said CEO & President of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Gretchen Ostherr. “Gardens Aglow is designed and installed by our staff each year. It’s an incredible undertaking, and I hope folks enjoy this year’s lights display. And if you’ve been to Gardens Aglow, I encourage you to vote for us and help bring further visibility to this beautiful part of the state we call home.”

This is the 8th annual Gardens Aglow. It features a new, reimagined design which includes over 750,000 LED lights woven through 14 acres of central gardens. There are over 250 lighted flowers, three dozen lighted animals, and two dozen assorted mushrooms all inspired by Maine’s native species. 

It takes nearly 100 staff members to put the displays together, transforming the Gardens from flowers to twinkling holiday lights. This year, Gardens Aglow returns as an immersive walking  experience through the Gardens and integrates all of the sculptures inspired by the local flora and fauna.  

Cast a Vote for Gardens Aglow: Individuals can cast their vote for the USA TODAY 10Best Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights until December 5, 2022. To vote for Gardens Aglow visit here.