The Hudson Gardens & Event Center — Attraction in Littleton

12/21/24- This was my first time here and we went to see there Christmas lights. Things started going wrong as soon as we got there. On their website it said that in person ticket sales started at 4:30pm, but when we got there they told us that ticket sales wouldn't open until 5pm which was the same time the event was supposed to open. Then we went into the gift shop to see if we could use the restroom, but they told us we had to use the port-a-potties back out front. A place should have easy access for restrooms, and they could have easily roped off the restrooms behind the gift shop for people to use before they open for the night. One of the port-a-potties was supposed to be ADA, but ADA ones aren't really that accessible even though the manufacturers try. Not to mention clean issues when compared to normal toilets which can impact people with certain issues. This is a good example of a place "trying" to do the bear minimum to meet customer needs without meeting those needs. I was sad that they didn't have actual tickets for you to keep as a souvenir and they have an app thing which is an issue to download. The lady let us skip downloading the app and called the front gate to let them know we were coming. Too many businesses are going to apps and phones only hold so much. Businesses need to stop focusing on apps so much. Once inside things were ok. For people with walking issues it took us about 1.5 hours to get around the whole thing, but able bodied people could have done it in about half an hour, so this had me question their price to lights ratio which seemed high when compared to other displays around the city. Also there were sections of lights that weren't working. The drinks at the coffee shop were ok priced, but not that good and the brownie was gross. Their alcohol drinks were way overpriced for the super small size. I would say the best part of the event was the make your own s'mores for $5 which let you make 2 stores. I gave this place a try even though my friend had major issues trying to have her wedding there back in 2023. This place has potential, but current is just lacking in everything...

A close family member passed away recently in Boulder, CO, and his immediate family opted to have his remains planted with a tree at a memorial grove in Hudson Gardens. His wife, who had preceded him in death a mere 7 months prior, had her remains "returned to the Earth" in a similar fashion, as did her mother many years ago.

We arrived early (traffic in Littleton was, predictably, a nightmare) and went to the welcome center, where the representative on staff knew nothing about the memorial grove, or what was going on! This unnerved us, but not for long. We eventually found out that a family member had made the arrangements directly with the groundskeeper to have a hole dug and a sapling tree in place for the remembrance. She kept in close touch with the gentleman, and had even reconfirmed things with him a couple days prior. He assured her that things were good to go, so our group walked over to the grove, which was a bit of a schlep due to some construction going

We were once again taken aback upon our arrival at the designated place to discover that there was no hole or tree to be found! A phone call to the groundskeeper revealed that one of his kids had had an accident at home requiring an ER visit, stitches, etc., and the excavation and tree planting would have to wait until the following week. This was unacceptable as several people had traveled from out of state, and some from out of the country, to attend this service. A second phone call to the groundskeeper by another family member, stressing the inconvenience this caused, convinced him of the necessity to assemble his team and get the job done as was promised. He made it happen. So, it was a case of "all's well that ends well," but after quite a bit of hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing.

Hudson Gardens is a beautiful place, and apparently a popular one for weddings, family reunions, etc. As mentioned previously, there was quite a bit of construction going on when we were there, not sure for what purpose, but hopefully a better end user experience will...

We cannot say enough about how much we loved Hudson Gardens! My husband and I were the videographers for a gorgeous wedding there this past fall. Working there as a vendor gave us a unique perspective on such a special place.

First of all, we had the pleasure of working with their wonderful special events manager, Erin Smith. From the moment we met with her at the venue, she made us feel right at home. While watching her work behind the scenes, it was very clear that she has an eye for detail and goes above and beyond for her clients. I can say firsthand, it's important to have a kind, hard working person in your corner for your wedding day—and there is no better person than Erin!!

The wedding ceremony was located in The Rose Garden, and the reception in The Bloom Room. The garden was gorgeous and had an intimate feel. The beautiful flowers and fountain backdrop were absolutely stunning. As a videographer, we can say that The Bloom Room was one of our favorite reception spaces we've worked at. It was spacious with 360 windows (that could even open up!), giving plenty of natural light during the day, and a comfortable open air feel in the evening.

Overall, it was easy to see that the couple and their guests were having an amazing time. Their top-notch staff kept the event running smoothly, and created a great guest experience. It was such a pleasure working at Hudson Gardens! If you're hoping for the perfect garden wedding, look no further! We highly recommend this wonderful venue, and cannot wait until we are able to...