Bellagio's Conservatory & Botanical Gardens Transforms Into Whimsical Winter Wonderland

A Bountiful Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog, Fanciful Penguins and Carnation-Clad Polar Bears, Shimmering Lights and a Towering Tree Make This a Display to Remember

LAS VEGAS – Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens combines the nostalgia of yesteryear with the wonders of modern technology to create a powerful experience for the senses this holiday season.  A colorful cranberry bog calls to mind the vision of a plentiful holiday table while the playful antics of festive artic animals capture the hearts of visitors.  In the center of it all, a dazzling holiday tree laden with sparkling ornaments sends gazes soaring while joyful sounds of the season evoke fond memories of home.

As guests enter the Conservatory, they will be captivated by the vibrant beauty of a cranberry bog, which celebrates the time-honored tradition of the cranberry harvest and pays homage to an American holiday favorite.  Ocean Spray donated more than 400,000 individual cranberries, weighing approximately 2,000 pounds, to create this vivid new addition to the Conservatory’s annual holiday exhibit. Cranberries grow on vines in low-lying, marsh-like environments called bogs. Small air pockets inside the cranberries cause the fruit to float in water, which is how many cranberries are harvested, creating a stunning scene in nature as the deep red of the floating cranberries is framed against the backdrop of a bright blue sky. This holiday season, the Bellagio is bringing the natural beauty of the cranberry bog to Las Vegas.

Illuminated by underwater lights, the Conservatory’s cranberry bog is reminiscent of holiday traditions that date back to our country’s first settlers.  In the bog’s center, four gold-leafed rose topiaries, overflowing with approximately 1,000 fresh roses, rise from the sea of brilliant red berries. 

Another new delight this year is a colony of endearing penguins, resplendent in holiday finery.  Dressed in formal black tailcoats and white-shirt fronts, the group of 20 portly marine birds can be spotted within an artic scene of falling snow and a frozen lake.  While most soak in the view of a majestic holiday tree, five adult and two baby penguins waddle in a hurried fashion as if late for a meal.  Computer-controlled electric motors and pivots along with state-of-the-art animatronic technology create these life-like penguins. 

A short distance away, a family of polar bears can be found sharing a moment of quality, family time.  A baby bear frolics playfully on his back on a “floating” glacier as mama and papa bear watch with affection.  The topiary bears’ fur, made of approximately 25,000 white carnations, was carefully hand-applied by Bellagio horticulturists and is kept fresh by a specially designed water drip system.

The dazzling centerpiece of this beautiful exhibit is a towering 45-foot Shasta Fir tree bejeweled with over-sized ornaments and dozens of flickering candles.  The old-fashioned candles, powered by electricity, retain the feel of an era when fire illuminated the night.  The shining tree topper is a translucent ice burst that fills Bellagio’s Conservatory with a radiant glow through the help of powerful LED lighting technology.  To increase this stunning visual, motorized ornaments hang from above and circle the tree while dancing waters play at its base. 

Visitors are invited to enjoy the delights of this winter wonderland from December 4 through January 15. 
  
Holiday Exhibit Fast Facts:

• Cranberry bog
  • Ocean Spray donated 400,000 cranberries weighing 2,000 pounds
• A perennial plant, cranberries grow on long-running vines in sandy bog
• Cranberries are “wet harvested” by flooding bogs so berries float to the surface
• The cranberries used in this display were grown and harvested by Ocean Spray growers in Oregon
• Penguins
• 7 computer-controlled, 13 stationary
• 7-foot adults, 2-foot babies
• Polar bears – covered with 25,000 hand-applied, white carnationsFather bear: 12,000 flowers
• Mother bear: 8,000 flowers
• Baby bear: 5,000 flowers
• Holiday tree
  • 45-foot Shasta Fir from Mt. Shasta, Calif.
• 6- to 15-foot red, pink and silver ornaments adorn the tree
• Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens’ 2006 Calendar
• Chinese New Year Exhibit: January 15 – February 25
• Spring Celebration: March 5  – May 13
• Summer Garden Party: May 21 – September 9
• Harvest Show: September 17 – November 25
• More than 10,000 visitors pass through Bellagio each day