Events

Arboretum Discovery Day and Touch-a-Truck

See Arboretum big rigs up close and explore tree care careers at a fun, family-friendly event.

Content Detail

Celebrate Arbor Month at The Morton Arboretum with a behind-the-scenes look at how we care for trees and landscapes.

On Saturday, April 11, get up close with the trucks and equipment that tree care crews use to keep the Arboretum’s trees healthy and growing strong, and connect with Arboretum experts for practical advice on caring for your own landscape.

Visitors can meet Arboretum staff from a variety of departments, learn practical tree care and soil tips, chat with certified arborists, and see some of the Arboretum’s largest trucks and equipment up close and in action.

Highlights

Climb on, explore inside, and snap photos with Arboretum big rigs and municipal vehicles.

Attend scheduled tree care demonstrations, a Q&A session with arborists, and presentations to learn about careers in the green industry.

Take part in hands-on Arbor Month activities that highlight the importance of trees.

Take tours and guided walks to get familiar with the Arboretum’s key areas.

Purchase food and beverages from food trucks.

Shop Arboretum-themed apparel, garden items, and kids’ outdoor toys at an Arboretum Store pop-up.

Tickets

Arboretum Discovery Day and Touch a Truck is included with Arboretum general admission.

Purchase Arboretum general admission online to save $2 per ticket. Members can enter the Arboretum without purchasing general admission.

Your ticket purchase supports the Arboretum’s vision of a greener, healthier, more beautiful world where people and trees thrive together.

Highlights

View a schedule of events.

Arboretum Welcome Tours

Whether you are unsure about where to start or would like to learn more about The Morton Arboretum, join us on a short guided walk to learn about this wonderful space and get started on exploring on your own.

Touch-a-Truck

Get up close with the trucks and equipment the Arboretum’s tree care crews use to keep trees healthy and growing strong, and explore different municipal vehicles from around our community—from fire and police vehicles to heavy construction equipment.

Tree Care Demonstrations

Throughout the day, visitors can attend scheduled demonstrations for future green professionals, advanced amateur gardeners, and anyone interested in tree care and horticulture.

Arboretum experts will offer a behind-the-scenes look at specialized skills, including tree climbing, soil health assessment, and soil excavation using an air spade.

Crafts and Activities for Kids

Take part in Arbor Month activities that highlight the importance of trees and professions in tree care. Crafts will include decorating tree slices, coloring, and soil “sensory bins” to dig and play in.

At the Wash Your Own Truck tent, kids can wash a toy vehicle using spray bottles, scrub brushes, and sponges.

Food Trucks and Concessions

Throughout the event, concessions will be available in the Firefly Pavilion, along with food and beverages from food trucks in the Curatorial and Operations Center parking lot.

Arboretum Store Pop-Up

Shop for Arboretum-themed apparel, garden items, and kids’ outdoor toys at an Arboretum Store pop-up.

Q&A with the Illinois Arborist Association

Attend a Q&A session with arborist specialists in the Firefly Pavilion. Get answers to your tree care questions from experts.

Herbarium Tours

Learn how The Morton Arboretum’s Herbarium staff and volunteers preserve and process specimens to record biodiversity, and how the Herbarium’s dried plant specimens aid biodiversity research.

Tours meet at the reception desk in the lobby of the Administration and Research Center, on the Arboretum’s East Side.

Registration
Herbarium tours are free with advance registration. Register for Herbarium Tours.

Schedule
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 1:00 to 1:30 p.m.

Visiting Artist Talk: Reflections on Art, Data, and Interpretation with Tali Weinberg and Lindsay Darling

Attend a lecture by visiting artist Tali Weinberg, as she shares how materializing climate and ecological datasets through art can reveal new ways of understanding scientific information.

Advanced registration is strongly encouraged, as space is limited.

Registration
Register for the Visiting Artist Talk with Tali Weinberg.

Cost: $30
Member cost: $25

Schedule
Saturday, April 11, 2026, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Cudahy Room, Administration and Research Center

Schedule and Map

Throughout the day, visitors can attend demonstrations and workshops for future green professionals, amateur gardeners, and anyone interested in tree care and horticulture. Arboretum experts will offer a behind-the-scenes look at specialized skills, including tree climbing, soil health assessment, and soil excavation using an air spade.

Outdoor demonstrations will take place only if weather permits.

A map of event locations will be available closer to the event date. View a map from parking lot P-1 to the The Firefly Pavilion.

All Day

Touch-a-Truck
Get up close with the trucks and equipment the Arboretum’s tree care crews use to keep trees healthy and growing strong, and explore different municipal vehicles from around our community—from fire and police vehicles to heavy construction equipment.

Food Trucks and Concessions
Throughout the event, concessions will be available in the Firefly Pavilion, along with food and beverages from food trucks in the Curatorial and Operations Center parking lot.

Arboretum Store Pop-Up
Shop for Arboretum-themed apparel, garden items, and kids’ outdoor toys at an Arboretum Store pop-up.

Crafts and Activities for Kids
Take part in Arbor Month activities that highlight the importance of trees and professions in tree care. Crafts will include decorating wooden tree cookies, coloring, and soil “sensory bins” to dig and play in.

9:15 to 10:15 a.m.

Tree Climbing Demonstration
Located along the path to Administration and Research Center

10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Arboretum Welcome Tour
The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden

10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Visiting Artist Talk: Reflections on Art, Data, and Interpretation with Tali Weinberg and Lindsay Darling
Cudahy Room, Administration and Research Center
Requires payment and advance registration

10:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Herbarium Tour
Meet in Administration and Research Center lobby
Free with advance registration

11:00 to noon

Tree Climbing Demonstration
Located along the path to the Administration and Research Center

Noon to 1:00 p.m.

Arboretum Welcome Tour
The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden

11:30 to 12:30 p.m.

Air Spade Demonstration
Located between the Firefly Pavilion and the Curatorial and Operations Center parking lot
1:00 to 1:30 p.m.

Herbarium Tour
Meet in Administration and Research Center lobby

1:15 to 2:15 p.m.

Tree Climbing Demonstration
Located along the path to the Administration and Research Center

1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Air Spade Demonstration
Located between the Firefly Pavilion and the Curatorial and Operations Center parking lot

2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Arboretum Welcome Tour
The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden

3:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Tree Climbing Demonstration
Located along the path to the Administration and Research Center

Ginkgo Restaurant and Café

Food and beverages are available at the Ginkgo Restaurant and the Ginkgo Café, both located in the Visitor Center.

The Ginkgo Restaurant is a sit-down restaurant that offers a full dinner and beverage menu, including freshly made sandwiches, salads, burgers, and assorted alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. The restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on weekends.

Freshly made packaged salads and sandwiches, bakery items, espresso beverages, hot tea, and drip coffee are available at the Ginkgo Café, open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Accessibility

The building entrance and all areas inside the open-air Firefly Pavilion are accessible to wheelchairs, motorized mobility scooters, and walkers. Heated, accessible restrooms are located inside the pavilion.

Paved, accessible parking is available in parking lot P-1 on the Arboretum’s East Side. Paved walking paths from parking lot P-1 to the pavilion are also accessible to wheelchairs and walkers.

The Firefly Pavilion can be reached from parking lot P-1 via paved, accessible paths.

From parking lot P-1, approach the Visitor Center and pass through the breezeway into Arbor Court. Continue straight into The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden and across the central plaza. Exit The Grand Garden and turn left onto a paved path. Take the next right onto another paved path, which will bring you to the east entrance of the Firefly Pavilion.

See Accessibility at The Morton Arboretum for more information.

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