Lea en español.
Craft beer lovers won’t want to miss IllumiBrew on Friday, November 15. Be among the first to see Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum while you sample seasonal beers, ciders, and meads from popular Chicago-area breweries stationed along the Illumination trail.
Snacks and hot beverages will be available for purchase at warming areas along the Illumination trail until 9:30 p.m., where guests can stop and enjoy a cozy fire. Indoor dining and to-go orders will be available from the Ginkgo Restaurant until 8:00 p.m.
Ticket Details
Event ticket
Cost: $95
Member cost: $85
Designated driver ticket
Cost: $50
Member cost: $45
Each IllumiBrew ticket includes entrance to the Arboretum and the Illumination trail, 15 three-ounce beer samples, and a tasting glass.
Buy tickets for 2024’s IllumiBrew event.
Designated driver tickets are available for this event. All ticket purchasers, including designated drivers, must be 21 or older and present a valid ID at check-in.
About Illumination: Tree Lights at The Morton Arboretum
Be surrounded by color as you walk a one-mile paved path amid interactive lighting effects that emphasize the beauty of trees in winter. You will be awed and delighted to see returning favorites and surprising new sights. Enjoy seasonal music, marvel at ever-changing, captivating lighting designs, and warm up by a crackling fire with a cozy drink or roast marshmallows for s’mores.
Illumination highlights the many gifts of trees: natural beauty, increased feelings of peace and calm, homes for wildlife, and the air we breathe.
Ticket Details
Lea en español.
Event ticket
Cost: $95
Member cost: $85
Designated driver ticket
Cost: $50
Member cost: $45
Each IllumiBrew ticket includes entrance to the Arboretum and Illumination, 15 three-ounce beer samples, and a tasting glass. Samples of beverages with a higher ABV, such as meads, may be less than three ounces.
Buy tickets for 2024’s IllumiBrew event.
Ticket purchasers must be 21 or older and present a valid ID at check-in.
Designated Driver Tickets
Designated driver tickets are available for this event. This ticket type includes IllumiBrew admission and a hot chocolate or cider. Designated drivers must also be 21 or older.
Participating Breweries
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Please note that participating breweries are subject to change until the date of the event.
93 Octane Brewery
Alter Brewing
Black Horizon Brewing Company
Brother Chimp Brewing
BubbleHouse Brewing Company
Elmhurst Brewing Company
Emancipation Brewing Co.
ERIS Brewery and Cider House
Grainology Brewstillery
Homewood Brewing Company
Ike & Oak Brewing Co.
Illuminated Brew Works
Kishwaukee Brewing Co.
Liquid Love Brewing
Midwest Coast Brewing
Misbeehavin’ Meads
Miskatonic Brewing
Obscurity Brewing & Craft Mead
One Allegiance Brewing
Peeled Hard Cider
Penrose Brewing
Pipeworks Brewing Co.
Pollyanna Brewing Company
Prima Cider
Revolution Brewing
Riggs Beer Company
Seldom Beer Company
Standard Meadery
Sturdy Shelter Brewing
Unpossible Mead
Wolfden Brewing Company
Food Options
Lea en español.
Food and beverages will be available to purchase from concession tents along the Illumination trail until 9:30 p.m.
Indoor dining and to-go orders will be available from the Ginkgo Restaurant until 8:00 p.m.
Accessibility
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The Illumination trail is a one-mile paved path that is ADA compliant for limited mobility. The exhibition is not visible or accessible by car.
The Arboretum has a small number of nonmotorized wheelchairs available on loan free of charge in the Visitor Center on a first-come, first-serve basis. Guests must leave a driver’s license or other photo ID to check out a wheelchair. Because the supply is limited, we recommend bringing a wheelchair to the Arboretum if one is needed. Personal mobility scooters may also be used on the trail.
Arboretum staff make best efforts to clear the path of ice and snow.
Sensory Needs
Please be aware that Illumination features moving and flashing lights along the trail. There are no strobe lights in the exhibition. Laser features are directed away from guests and follow International Laser Display Association safety standards.
Guests may borrow sensory supports such as headphones, sunglasses, fidgets, or a copy of the Illumination social story when they arrive at the Sycamore Room. Families can use the social story to help prepare for their visit. Any loaned items should be returned to the Information Desk in the Visitor Center before departure.
Service Animals
The Morton Arboretum welcomes visitors with service animals to Illumination. Please note that pets are not permitted at the Arboretum or at Arboretum events except on special dog admission days.
Parking
Parking is available near the entrance for those with a disability placard on their vehicle—please notify the parking attendant as you drive in. Otherwise, parking is first come, first served, and is directed by parking attendants.
Guests directed to a secondary lot (Parking Lot 21) near the Thornhill Education Center on the Arboretum’s West Side can take advantage of a shuttle bus that will transport them to the main event area. Please note that this is the only shuttle bus during Illumination and it only runs between Parking Lot 21 and the Visitor Center. The bus does not have a wheelchair lift.
If you do not have a disability placard and someone in your party has mobility concerns, you are also welcome to drop off passengers in the circle drive adjacent to the Visitor Center before you park. Please notify the parking attendants and they will direct you accordingly.
