This Week: Enchanted Forest of Light Now Aglow

The Descanso Gardens delight includes brand-new displays of art and illumination.

Tom Fruin installationcopyright Descanso Gardens
Descanso Gardens

Enchanted Forest of Light Arrives: One of the holiday season's hottest tickets is actually on the cooler side. How so? You need to bundle up for this one, or at least don a favorite scarf, for you'll be strolling through Descanso Gardens after the sun has dipped well below the horizon. What will you see? Twinkly lights presented in art-forward displays. Think of a vast spread of glowing tulips or a lake-set casa that boasts a beautiful stained glass vibe. Bites and sips are for sale, too, or you can make a sit-down reservation at Maple. Tickets are a must for the La Cañada Flintridge experience, which sparkles through Jan. 5, 2020.

Autumn Lantern Walk: Chilly weather is arriving, and the desire to embrace the quieter, more introspective moments of the season is growing for many of us. If your kids have enjoyed the livelier parts of fall, from Halloween to haunted houses, consider stopping by Kidspace Children's Museum in Pasadena on Thursday afternoon, Nov. 21 for a sweet stroll among the lanterns. You can even participate in decorating a child-safe lantern, and there is apple cider to enjoy, and doughnuts, too. Ready for a calmer connection to late November, which tends to be ultra-hectic? Start your stroll here.

Building an Electric Future: With the LA Auto Show zooming in our direction, plenty of car buffs are looking to the future, to what is next in how our wheel-rocking machines go. One interesting peek? It's going to pop up via a new exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum on the Miracle Mile. The exhibition "... will explore what it takes to strategize, design, test, construct, and utilize the products of an electrified automotive future." Volkswagon is in the vroom-vroom spotlight, which shines from Nov. 20, 2019 through November 2022.

Holiday Tree Lighting and Cocoa Concert: Union Station has already begun to display the bows and boughs, which means its annual Christmas kick-off can't be too far down the tracks. In fact, the big party is chugga-chugga-ing our way, on Thursday, Nov. 21, and something sweet? It's free. Also sweet? A host of singers and performances will light up this particular night, and there'll be "snow flurries," too. The South Patio is the place to find all of this festive spirit, which will continue into December with more Cocoa Concerts on select nights.

LA Conservancy Union Station Tour: And happening just before the lighting? This informative walk-around with a knowledge-nice guide at the lead. How much do you know about our city's celebrated train station? Have you ever lingered for long in the Waiting Room or the South Patio, or are you always running for a train? Here's your chance to dig a little deeper into the station's story. And the festive bonus, of course, is that there's a tree lighting and carols, too, to add cheer. It's a ticketed walk, and benefits LA Conservancy. Begin here, ho-ho-ho-ers.

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