An All-Ages Outdoor Holiday Experience
December 2-31, 2023

Bundle up and celebrate the winter holiday season with a visit to Bloedel Reserve!

Timed tickets purchased in advance are required to visit.

Wonder abounds at the Reserve this year

Winter Wonders is a fun, community oriented, outdoor Bloedel Reserve tradition designed to get you in the holiday spirit. Our winter woodland creatures from previous years have retired, but you can still enjoy a wintry walk through the gardens and enjoy activities throughout the month with real-life wildlife visits from West Sound Wildlife! Pause at the Residence to enjoy festive decorations, photo opportunities, and Saturday Story Time. And learn more below about how you can support our community partner Fishline Food Bank this month.

December Offerings

Visit our event calendar page for tickets to selected workshops, walks, and talks, including Solstice Walks.

A Sensory Hunt through the Winter Gardens

10 AM-4 PM, December 2-31

Explore the Reserve with your sensory map this December. Feel the crisp paper birch, velvety moss, and fuzzy magnolia buds. Inhale the fragrance of cedar and daphne, listen to trickling water, and taste the sourness of wood sorrel on this journey of sensory delights!

Coffee Cart in the Arrival Garden

10 AM-3 PM, December 2 & 16

Purchase a warm beverage from Village Perk to enjoy before or after your walk.

West Sound Wildlife in the Arrival Garden

10 AM-Noon, December 2

Get up close and personal with ambassador birds from West Sound Wildlife.

A Walk in the Woods: An Exhibition by Bloedel Reserve Community Creatives 

December 1-29 at BARN; Opening Reception Friday, December 1, 4-5:30 PM at BARN

Saturday Story Time at the Residence

11-11:30 AM, Saturdays, December 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30

Enjoy winter woodland stories told by Volunteer Coordinator, Kate Sunderland.

Welcome Wednesday

10 AM-4 PM, Wednesday, December 6

Visit Bloedel Reserve and pay-what-you-wish on this day! Donations of any amount are gratefully accepted. Timed tickets in advance are required.

Creative Resident Jeffery Darensbourg @ BIMA

Creole Is: An Experiment in Autoethnography
December 10, 4-5 PM at BIMA Auditorium; Tickets are required for the event.

Wreath Making with Philip Bloomquist

10:30 AM-12:30 PM, December 13

Join Living Collections Curator, Philip Bloomquist, in the Floral Shop at Bloedel Reserve to learn how to make a decorated wreath for the holidays. Tickets are required for the workshop.

Focus Walk: The Forest Management Plan

10:45 -11:45 AM, December 14; meet in the Arrival Garden for your walk.

Learn more about ecological forestry and the Bloedel Reserve Forest Management Plan from Director of Horticulture & Design, Kaslin Daniels. Tickets are required for the event.

Winter Solstice Walks

Solstice Walks for Families: December 18 & 20; Doors open at 4:30 PM; walks will begin promptly at 5 PM.
Silent Walks: December 19 & 21; Doors open at 5:30 PM; walks will begin promptly at 6 PM.

See the gardens in a new light! Explore the trails with a guided tour as the sun sets. More information and tickets here.

Soundscapes: Ritual for the Western Red Cedar

Pete Wyer Sound Installation in the Moss Garden
10 AM-4 PM, Weekends
4 PM-7 PM, December 18-21, during Solstice Walks

Created by award winning composer and former Creative Resident Pete Wyer, during UP Lift: Collaborations with Nature and reimagined for Winter Wonders, this immersive sound experience in the Moss Garden encourages visitors to activate their sense of hearing and engage with the forest in new ways.

Winter Story Time with Kitsap Regional Library and West Sound Wildlife

11 AM-Noon, December 28; Residence Living Room and Lawn

Listen to a nature-themed story about birds, then learn about an ambassador bird with West Sound Wildlife.

Fishline Food Bank Donations

This holiday season, Bloedel Reserve is proud to collaborate with Fishline Food Bank to support their mission to provide access to resources that offer stability, improve health and well-being, and help people onto a path to self-sustainability. Learn more and make a direct donation here: https://fishlinehelps.org/donate-2

Dates & Times

• Winter Wonders runs December 2- 31, 2023
• Bloedel Reserve is open Tuesdays-Sundays, 10 AM to 4 PM, and closed Mondays
• The Reserve is also closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

Admission Prices

• Winter Wonders is FREE with admission to the Reserve
• Admission to Bloedel Reserve is by timed tickets purchased in advance–no walk-ups are allowed
• Specific events noted above are an additional cost and require separate event tickets
• Solstice Walk cost is not included with admission to the Reserve

Booking Your Tickets 

• Book your tickets here before you come
• Details about tickets including ticket restrictions can be found here

Weather Information

Visiting Bloedel Reserve is an outdoor experience. Please dress for the weather. Bloedel Reserve is open rain or shine. In the event of closure due to inclement weather, ticket holders will be contacted on the day of the event via email and the website will reflect the most up-to-date cancellation information.