Designed by Ed Libby and built by Bellagio's Horticulture team, the display is meant to slow visitors down. Libby says the goal was to stir up nostalgic fall memories while still delivering a few surprises.
The West Bed centers on Billy, a young fisherman relaxing at the water's edge with his dog beside a Coastal New England-style cabin and campfire, all framed in amber and copper leaves. Billy's shirt alone took 400 corn husks. In the North Bed, a mama bear and her cub, sculpted from manzanita and driftwood, keep watch as a bass covered in 7,500 capiz shells leaps from the pond. Waterfalls and heirloom pumpkins round out the scene, with the heaviest weighing 687 pounds.
The East Bed features frogs, lily pads, lotus flowers and dancing fountains, while the South Bed brings herons, a buck, cattails and wildflowers along a cascading stream.
In total, the installation uses 500,000 autumn-colored leaves, 37,800 flowers and plants, and 8,300 pounds of wood for the animal sculptures.
Want a front-row seat? The Garden Table, tucked inside the cabin, serves brunch from Sadelle's ($135 per person) and dinner from Michael Mina ($210 per person). Reservations are required at 702.693.7075.
MGM Rewards Gold, Platinum and NOIR members can also catch Golden Hour on Dec. 18 from 4 to 6 p.m., with complimentary drinks and the garden to themselves.
Behind the scenes, the Conservatory runs on well water fed by rain and recycled resort water, and spent plants are composted locally.
The Conservatory is free and open 24/7.