Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:4100 Illinois Route 53
Lisle, Illinois
Tel:
(630) 968-0074
Our Botanical Gardens Expert Says:
Open year round, guests can enjoy the natural landscape at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. Walking paths, trails, and roads meander through 1,700 acres of native and exotic trees, flowers, birds, and other wonders of nature. And all you need to do is open your eyes and enjoy!
Upon first arriving at the Morton Arboretum, visit the Visitors Center and sign up for a tram ride that will bring you, your family around the gardens for a thorough and beautiful tour of the grounds! We recommend either renting or bringing binoculars and a guide book so you can really get up close and personal with your surroundings, and learn a thing or two along the way!
Besides for aimlessly wandering through the grounds and enjoying the "regular" woodsy inhabitants, there are also special attractions for visitors to explore, like the always changing tree of the month, shrub of the month, and the four acre Children's Garden. Here kids rule the road, or paths, and can choose to explore the Adventure Woods or climb the Evergreen Lookout tree houses, among many other kid-friendly, fun activities! There's also a Reading Garden (bring a book!), a Fragrance Garden, an Herb Garden, and other specialty areas that will cater to a specific interest, season, or sense.
The regular living collection at the Morton Arboretum includes tress and plants from 40 countries, 4,117 different kinds of trees and shrubs, and more than 182,000 samples, including endangered species. A nature walk will bring you to all of the major installations and leave you wanting for more—and more you will find with additional natural wonders on the arboretum grounds, like more than 225 species of birds, the lovely shores of the DuPage River, and a diverse collection of vegetation, wetlands, and sparkling lakes that dot the area.
Ready for a break? Head over to the Ginkgo Restaurant or Ginko Café for a great meal or a Starbucks coffee. And be sure to stop by the Arboretum Store before you head home to pick up souvenirs of your visit at the Morton Arboretum.
The Morton Arboretum is committed to providing inquisitive guests with an experience that promises to be educational, beautiful, and enjoyable!
From The Morton Arboretum - Lisle (Chicago), Illinois:
Discover The Morton Arboretum! Explore 1,700 acres of beautiful gardens, world-renowned plant collections, and rare and unique natural areas.
Discover what's in color - from your car via 9 miles of paved roads and on foot over 14 miles of trails. Stop by the Big Rock Visitor Station and the Prairie Visitor Stations to discover these natural areas. Take a ride on the Acorn Express open-air tram for a one-hour guided tour of the Arboretum grounds.