Bellagio Gardens Welcomes Year of the Monkey

Last Thursday I visited Bellagio’s Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Last Thursday was also the date of the most recent Republican debates. The Bellagio featured its Chinese New Year display. The theme of the display: “The year of the monkey”. Somehow it all fit.

Asian visitors are very welcome in Las Vegas, so even while the 170,000 CES visitors were in town, the Bellagio’s magnificent gardens were “under construction” keeping visitors at bay as the gardens changed from a holiday theme to Chinese New Year. The new display opened January 8th and will run through March 12th.

As most Las Vegas locals and regular visitors know, admission to the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is free, and the spectacle of so many live flowers decorating garden displays is worth all the time one can give it. I enjoy looking at the people as much as the displays. Last Thursday, I saw babies in strollers, a gentleman on crutches, couples, groups, Asian, Middle-Eastern, Hispanic, Black and Caucasian folks of all ages. I even found two delightful young people dressed for their wedding later in the afternoon.

Six happy children are part of the 2016 Chinese New Year exhibit at the Bellagio Conservatory and Gardens. The children’s colorful outfits were hand-made using flowers such as carnations and an assortment of chrysanthemums.
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

cell phone — The Bellagio display receives millions of dollars in unpaid advertising as visitors take photos of the displays…and of themselves!
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

Because 2016 is the Chinese “Year of the Monkey”, the Bellagio display includes 12 Macaque monkeys all enamored of peaches and all wearing faux fur, of course.
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

I-Ching coins are the symbol of metal representing wealth.
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

Wedding parties in Las Vegas. — Wedding parties in Las Vegas love to have photos taken in the Bellagio Conservatory and Gardens. This group came from Vancouver, British Columbia for the wedding of Melissa Bennett and Ben Clift, (next photo). They were married January 14 at 5 p.m. just as the Republicans started talking.
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

Bride — Melissa Bennett and Ben Clift.
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

Fountains and ponds are integral to the Chinese New Year display including 50 varieties of Koi fish.
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

fountains — Single strands of water leap seamlessly from one place to another in the Bellagio Chinese New Year display.
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

Red — Folks with cameras have many places to look, including overhead where large flowered ornaments add a red glow.
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

waterfall — The water from Waterfall Mountain spills into a small pond with still more Koi.
*Photo by Diane Taylor*

Comments

One response on “Bellagio Gardens Welcomes Year of the Monkey”

Osie Turner says:

January 17, 2016 at 10:41 pm

That looks beautiful, I’ll have to go check it out before it closes. People watching is one of the best things to do on the strip; you are always sure to encounter a unique mixture of people and cultures.

Great article, Diane!

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One response on “Bellagio Gardens Welcomes Year of the Monkey”