When Descanso Gardens first flipped the switch on Enchanted Forest of Light back in 2016, it quickly set the standard for the whimsical but not-overly-Christmassy overlays that’ve become commonplace across L.A.-area botanical gardens. Even with only some small tweaks each year, I’ve considered its curiosity-driven displays to be a consistent standout among these sorts of shows.
But Enchanted has a pretty major new inclusion this year, and I think it’s the La Cañada tradition’s most mesmerizing yet: a model train set that’s been all lit up for the season. Admittedly I’m a mild train enthusiast, so I pretty easily spent almost 20 delightful minutes exploring it—and noticed plenty of small kids doing so—before even bothering to venture into the rest of the event (which is just as exceptional as ever).
Descanso actually debuted the imaginative addition over the summer as part of its refreshed miniature railway. Along a loop of pathways that essentially double as the waiting area for that rideable attraction, the model railroad’s multiple tracks chug through tunnels carved into tree stumps, across tangles of wooden trusses and past recreations of great American train stations—including L.A.’s Union Station and the bygone La Grande Station, a Moorish-inspired depot that sat in what’s now the Arts District until the 1940s.
You can see the trains during the day (when garden admission costs just a fraction of the ticketed nighttime event), but only during Enchanted can you admire the railway with its bridges, buildings and surrounding landscape bathed in colorful lights. Technically, this year’s Carved, the garden’s Halloween walk-through, was the first to do so, but Enchanted has swapped out that event’s pumpkin decor for some clever holiday touches. Look closely and you’ll spot miniature replicas of Enchanted’s most recognizable features, including HYBYCOZO’s pendant-shaped sculptures, sculptor Tom Fruin’s kaleidoscopic stained-glass–inspired houses and the bright forest archways that the event has included since its inception.
The landscapes and buildings are crafted largely out of natural materials, many of them sourced straight from the garden, and are the handiwork of Applied Imagination (you’ll find similar creations at gardens around the country, but Descanso marks the company’s first West Coast one).
Enchanted is open most nights through January 5, 2025. Timed tickets are required, and adult admission costs $35 to $45, depending on the evening (though you can nab $22 tickets on December 9 and 10). If you just want to see the train sans lights, you can do so during the day, when garden admission costs only $15. And though the illuminated viewing opportunities will vanish for a while after Enchanted, the ride-on miniature railway will return ($5), with the addition of recreations of roadside landmarks (like Randy’s Donuts) starting January 22.