Holiday World's Fair 2013 @National Botanic Gardens

If you would like to transport yourself to a magical world where a fictional DC World's Fair joins with a tiny train transportation system, then you need to visit the U.S. Botanic Garden before Jan.5.

Each holiday season, the institution adorns its Garden Court with remarkable representations of National Mall monuments and famous Washington buildings, all crafted from more than 70 different plant materials.

But even more eye-widening sites can be found in the East Garden, where each year model trains chug along more than 800 feet of track past structures that change annually. This year's theme is iconic structures from historic World's Fairs held in American cities like New York and foreign locations like Paris.

As it has since 2004, Garden designers collaborated with Paul Busse and his firm Applied Imagination of Alexandria, Kentucky on the fantasy landscapes.

Here is a small sample of the sights you can see: