Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on November 22, 2023.
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When it comes to holiday festivities, one of the best places in Pittsburgh to visit is Phipps Conservatory. Their winter flower show, which begins the Friday before Thanksgiving and runs until early January, is a celebration of the holiday season with festive art pieces, an array of gorgeous winter flowers, and some of the most beautifully decorated Christmas trees in Pittsburgh.
The 2023-2024 flower show is themed Holiday Magic and takes an elegant look at all things Christmas. With traditional decorations and subtle design elements, this one is simply beautiful.
As members of the conservatory, we got the chance to visit this one on opening weekend this season (running until January 7th, 2024) and wanted to share a few of our favorite rooms here!
Note: The outdoor garden shots were from a previous show while indoor shots were from the 2023-2024 show. As such, there may be some differences outside when you visit this year.
The Broderie Room
No matter what flower show is going on, you can always expect the Broderie Room to be stunning. This room mimics a French chateaux garden with swooping walkways, central planters, and statues adorning the walls. During the winter flower show, the gardens feature bright red poinsettias with other beautiful flowers adding a gorgeous contrast that works wonderfully with the statues.
We may not be in Europe, but spending a few moments in this room will certainly make you feel like you are there this holiday season.
The Serpentine Room
The Serpentine Room was perhaps our favorite of all of the interior rooms at Phipps for the Winter Flower Show as the space lends itself to the beautiful decor.
In the 2023-2024 show, the Serpentine Room simply focuses on Christmas Trees. But not just any kind of Christmas tree- these are made with a unique assortment of plants! Think trees made out of bromeliad, air plants, and more. It is the kind of design element that you will take a look at a tree and go “I know what that is!” or move on to the next one and have to find the label up close to see what all it is made from.
Don't overlook the details in this one!
The Gallery Room
The Gallery Room is often one we do not spend a lot of time in, mostly because it is themed with activities for children. This is similar for the Winter Flower Show, but the decor in the room is worth spending some time in.
Perhaps our favorite part of this one are the larger-than-life size gnomes found throughout with their festive designs.
Phipps always has a way to make plants come to life, and you really do get that feeling with the gnomes in this room.
The Outdoor Light Garden
One of my favorite spots at Phipps during the winter flower show is, in fact, not even inside the conservatory at all!
The outdoor Light Garden is found in the sprawling outdoor wing of the conservatory, where every tree is adorned with lights, even more ornate Christmas trees and all-light trees can be found, and other specialty made lights are visible with either the conservatory or Pitt's Cathedral of Learning as a stunning backdrop.
You may not be out in the Light Garden to appreciate the flowers that call the conservatory home, but we're more than okay with the alternative as the lights are simply spectacular.
Overall, there are many other features of the winter flower show that we could feature in this article, but as is the case in most of our museum visits, we do not want to give it all away. To see the rest, you'll just have to go visit!
The Winter Flower Show at Phipps Conservatory will run until January 7th, 2024. It is best viewed at night to experience the outdoor Light Garden which typically opens at 5 pm; however, the conservatory is beautiful at any time of day. Timed entry tickets are required for the show and has surge pricing for nights and weekends. We suggest arriving at Phipps at around 4:30 pm if you can to enjoy the indoor gardens as the sun is setting and the Light Garden once the sun goes down (and then return inside to see it when it is completely dark outside)!
After visiting Phipps Conservatory, head over to the Cathedral of Learning to check out their Christmas decorations! Or if you're looking for more activities during winter in Pittsburgh, click the previous link!
