Plan Your Visit
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Make the most of your visit to The Morton Arboretum by planning your day in advance. Save on admission, find parking, and explore more of the Arboretum’s 1,700 wonderful acres with these tips. Learn more from our First-Time Visitors Guide.
Purchasing General Admission
The Vivid Creatures exhibition is free and is included in Arboretum general admission. General admission can be purchased online in advance. You can save $2 per ticket when you buy admission online in advance.
Arboretum members can enter the Arboretum any day for free, without purchasing tickets. Become a member today for free admission, discounts on events, and to experience the Vivid Creatures exhibition again and again.
Parking
Parking at The Morton Arboretum is free and included in the cost of general admission.
To enjoy the Vivid Creatures sculpture loop, guests can park in the main parking lot, Parking Lot 1, near the gatehouse and the Visitor Center. Four of the five Vivid Creatures sculptures can be seen along this walking loop. Parking for the fifth sculpture—Spectra, the brittle button snail—can be found at Parking Lot 4. When you visit other parts of the Arboretum, parking can be found in small numbered parking lots along the Main Route driving road.
Food
Food and beverages are available for purchase at the Ginkgo Restaurant and the Ginkgo Café, both located in the Visitor Center.
TheGinkgo Restaurant is a counter-service sit-down restaurant that 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. Saturday and Sunday.
The Ginkgo Café offers prepackaged salads and sandwiches, bakery items, espresso beverages, hot tea, and drip coffee and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily throughout the summer.
Picnic tables are available in Arbor Court; on the north side of Meadow Lake; in the Children’s Garden; at the Big Rock Visitor Station (Parking Lot 13); and at the Prairie Visitor Station (Parking Lot 25).
Visiting with Children
The Morton Arboretum encourages outdoor play and nature discovery. Families are welcome to enjoy the award-winning, 4-acre Children’s Garden, which is free with general admission. The Children’s Garden is a nature-based playground with many activities and features for kids of all ages to explore and enjoy. It is just across Arbor Court from the Visitor Center, near the Vivid Creatures walking loop.
Next to the Children’s Garden is the twisting Maze Garden made of living green shrubs. Find the secret path to reach the big sycamore tree in the center for a towering view of the Arboretum’s gardens! Children love to solve the puzzle.
Children under the age of 4 are always admitted to the Arboretum for free. Learn more about Visiting the Arboretum with Children for more tips on how to plan your day.
Accessibility
The Morton Arboretum strives to provide a welcoming experience for all who visit. Four of the Vivid Creatures sculptures are placed along a loop of paved, accessible paths a little less than a mile long. Accessible restrooms are available in the Visitor Center, where the loop begins and ends. The fifth sculpture—Spectra, the brittle button snail—is located on the bern near Interstate Highway 88. Visiting this artwork involves a path covered in wood chips and a hill, so it is inaccessible to wheelchairs.
Most paths and gardens near the Visitor Center are paved and accessible. There are also short paved paths in the farther areas of the Arboretum, at the Big Rock Visitor Station and the Prairie Visitor Station. Learn more about Accessibility at The Morton Arboretum to plan your visit. Contact the Visitor Services team at (630) 968-0074 with any questions or accommodation needs.
Things to Do
There’s always something to do at The Morton Arboretum. Stop in at the Vivid Creations Art Workshop on Saturdays and Sundays in the Children’s Garden or play a round of mini golf at Wonder Woods. Attend one of the many family-friendly special events hosted throughout the summer and explore the gardens and woodlands throughout the Arboretum grounds.
No matter how you spend your day, every visit to The Morton Arboretum has something new and exciting to offer.