Holidays at the Garden opens November 28 at Daniel Stowe Conservancy in Belmont, about 20 miles from Uptown, with more than a million lights on a walking route through the gardens, plus a speakeasy, food trucks and the orchid tree in the Great Hall. Tickets are for a date, not a time slot, and door sales are limited. Closer in, Wing Haven in Myers Park opens its two historic houses and walled gardens for a free holiday open house on Sunday, December 6. Here is how both work and a table near each.
We run Botanical Garden Near Me, a directory of public gardens and arboretums across the United States, and we are a guest here. Top of Charlotte asked for the gardens. They supplied the restaurants.
The plan, in order
Wing Haven is a daytime garden, open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so see it first and save Belmont for after dark. Holidays at the Garden lets you in any time between 5 and 9 p.m. on the date you buy. Check the night first: the lights are not offered November 30, December 1 and 2, December 7 and 8, December 14 and 15, or Christmas Day. They run every night from December 16 through Christmas Eve, then December 26 to 30. If you go on December 6, Wing Haven’s open house runs 1 to 4 p.m.
Holidays at the Garden
Daniel Stowe Conservancy is at 6500 South New Hope Road in Belmont, a 380-acre property whose paid garden area, The Gardens at Stowe, covers 90 acres, including the five-story Williamson Conservatory for orchids and tropical plants and the 100-yard Ragan Canal Garden. Holidays at the Garden runs November 28 through December 30, 5 to 10 p.m., with final admission at 9. It is a walking tour, rain or shine. Tickets are $28 for adults and $25 for children 2 to 12 on a set date, $24 and $18 on Monday to Thursday value nights, and $33 for an any-night ticket; children under 2 are free and members get 15 percent off. General tickets are not refundable, and dogs are not allowed. Santa visits on December 5 and 6, 12 and 13, and 19 and 20, from 6 to 8 p.m.; trackless train rides run December 4, 11 and 18. Parking is free; on Fridays, Saturdays and Christmas week a paved VIP spot can be bought ahead, with free grass overflow. By day the garden is currently open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., adults $18.95 plus tax.
Wing Haven
Wing Haven, at 260 Ridgewood Avenue in Myers Park, is two historic gardens: the Clarkson garden and bird sanctuary, nearly three acres enclosed by brick walls with brick paths, where more than 150 bird species have been seen, and the Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden, the home of the internationally known garden writer. It is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; admission is $10 for ages 11 and up, free for children 10 and under and members. The Historic Holiday Open House is Sunday, December 6, 2026, 1 to 4 p.m., at both houses, with holiday decor and the winter gardens. It is free, but register in advance. Park at the foundation office lot at 260 Ridgewood, between the two gardens.
The full list
Hours, prices and directions for each of these, with the official page for each, are on our side. The botanical gardens near Charlotte page on Botanical Garden Near Me lists them, closest first.
Where to eat after
One table near Wing Haven for lunch and one about 7 miles from Daniel Stowe for dinner before the lights, each checked against its hours. Both come from the Top of Charlotte date night list. The scores are theirs, not ours.
The Crust Pizza – ParkTowne Village
Insider Score7.5
Pizza · Charlotte
Lunch near Wing Haven. Under a mile away in ParkTowne Village, open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. A low-key neighborhood room for a margherita or a pepperoni and sausage pie.
Blue Orchid
Insider Score7.8
Sushi · Charlotte
Dinner before the lights. About 7 miles from Daniel Stowe, open until 9:30 p.m. and closed Sundays. An upscale-feeling sushi room with rolls made for sharing across the table.
Scores are Top of Charlotte Insider Scores. Restaurant photographs from Yelp and Tripadvisor.
Sources. Daniel Stowe Conservancy, Holidays at the Garden, Visit, Hours and Admission and Explore the Garden pages, and its ticket calendar, checked October 23, 2026. Wing Haven, home, Visit, Historic Holiday Open House and garden history pages, checked October 23, 2026. Restaurant hours from Top of Charlotte records. Top photo: Daniel Stowe fountain by Robert Nunnally, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; other photo credits are under each photo.
Botanical Garden Near Me writes for Botanical Garden Near Me. Botanical Garden Near Me lists public botanical gardens, arboretums and conservatories across the United States, with hours, admission and directions taken from each garden's official site. This piece was written for Top of Charlotte.