Moonlight in the Gardens treats guests to

lighted, themed garden rooms, music, variety of food under a full moon!

                Moonlight in the Gardens, a delightfully relaxing evening soiree, happens among the stunning floral exhibits at the South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center at 7 p.m., Saturday, October11—under a nearly full moon!  The evening allows guests an opportunity to experience the Gardens & Nature Center after dark while strolling through unique lighting displays, and enjoying music and a variety of food in lighted ‘garden rooms.’  Attire is ‘comfortable garden casual.’

                The Sensory Garden--with its ranch hands sculpture, ceramic and limestone sofas, and windmill--will turn patriotic with red, white and blue lights, festive decorations and Texas-style food.  Drinks will be served from the Thompson Arbor, while luscious desserts and cheeses will be under a Moroccan Moon in the Rose Garden Pavilion, surrounded by candlelit rose beds.  Jazz/classical music, telescope star and moon gazing and tables with tulip tea lights all will be found on the spacious Rose Garden lawns. 

                The 100 blooming plumeria with elevated ramp and Willoughby Viewing Platform will be transformed into a ‘bubble garden’ with more than 100 lighted suspended white lanterns, and automatically dispensed bubbles amazing the “inner child” in every guest. The Starlight Silent Auction, featuring 15 flamboyant winning designer flamingos from this summer’s Flamingo Fandango, plus orchids, bromeliads, and plumeria, will be staged under a tent.   A torch lit path will lead guests from the lighted Orchid House, through the  Butterfly Garden with columns of butterfly luminaries (which can be purchased at evening’s end),  to the Hummingbird Garden, which for one evening only will become the ‘Garden of Good & Evil’ with black and white accents around every corner.

                Moonlight in the Gardens New Moon Sponsors are AEP Texas, CITGO, Flint Hills Resources, H-E-B, Nelwyn Anderson, Joyce and Jim Barnette, Steve McClure.  Blue Moon Sponsors are American Bank, Valero, Texas State Aquarium, Gloria and Ed Hicks in honor of Dr. Randy Cutlip, Bill and Shirley Whiteside.  Waxing Moon Sponsors are Port  Corpus Christi, Bob and Sue Bequet, Helen and Marshall Boykin, Lura and Tom Dietze, Joe and Fran Fulton, Steve and June Herbst, David and Cathy Skurow, Celika Storm.  Waning Moon Host Committee Sponsors include Butler Rental & Sales, Inc., Corpus Christi Convention & Visitors Bureau, Fran and Joe Fulton, Gill Landscape Nursery, HDR Engineering, Inc., Hoffman H30 Ranch Ltd.,  Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Chris and Robert Adler, Phyllis and Sam Allen, Peggy and Jose Duran, Bob and Gloria Furgason, Charlie Hoffman, Nina and Herman Johnson, B.J. and Mike Kershaw, Mike LaPointe, Dixie and Steve Oshman, Bill and Deanna Payne, Ron and Jan Shannon, Betty and Richard Whitt, Kim and Michael Womack.

                Event co-chairs are Kim and Executive Director Michael Womack. Committee members include Nelwyn Anderson, Nan Bailey, June Herbst, Deanna Payne, Shirley Whiteside, and Betty Whitt.   Moonlight in the Gardens proceeds benefit ongoing Gardens & Nature Center operations and maintenance.

                Tickets are $60 each, $50 members.  Tickets for both Moonlight, plus an exclusive 6 p.m. SUNSET VIP PARTY, are $75.

For reservations, sponsorships, other information, call 361.852.2100.