As soon as you approach the entrance on Lake Cook Road, you know you are in for a treat when you attend the new Lightscape exhibition at Chicago Botanic Garden. Beautiful trees wrapped in white lights flank the entrance, giving a small hint of what is to come.
The one-mile Lightscape walk begins at the visitor center. If you want to treat the kids, stop in the gift shop for a light up snowflake ($5) or tree wand ($7) before you begin. We stopped on the way out, but I think my daughter would have liked to have her wand as she walked along. The shop also offers a wide selection of indoor plants, ornaments, and gifts perfect for the upcoming holiday season!
Each piece of the walk is unique, offering a different take on colors and lights and sounds. The tour starts with a grove of white trees followed by trees wrapped in red and gold and then an enormous “centerpiece” tree.
The next stop is the lovely Birch trees which soak up the colored lights illuminating them from below. This was a small piece of the entire experience, but one that really resonated with our family because we love Birch trees! This led into the hauntingly beautiful musical garden of fire which you have to experience in person to truly appreciate.
While there are musical aspects sprinkled throughout the walk, one of our favorites was the grove of singing trees. Each tree had a different color scheme and a separate “singing” part in the choral songs.
When we visit the Chicago Botanic Garden during the summer, two of our favorite areas are the Japanese Gardens and the lovely Waterfall area. On a cool but clear winter evening, these sections certainly did not disappoint. The beautiful colors and symmetry of the Japanese Zen Garden were especially lovely to view across the water.
All along the pathways, little delights surprise you around each corner. From paths lit with snowflakes to groves of pink crabapples, the variety will keep you both guessing and mesmerized as you wander through the exhibit.
A fan favorite for many at Lightscape is the Feast of Light, an interactive set of strings of lights that you can walk through. They change colors and move as people progress through the strings, making it an ever-changing sea of lights that surround you as you immerse yourself in the lights. Quite a few people were circling around to walk through the lights again and again!
Along the walk there is a building with restrooms, a restaurant, and an indoor exhibit. One of the docents in the building told us we were about two-thirds of the way through Lightscape and that the best was yet to come! There are several well lit photo opps along the way as well and helpful staff members were on hand ready to take pictures for the visitors.
We stopped to order a snack in the restaurant (there is also a bits and bites concession stand along the walk). The indoor restaurant menu included snacks and treats like festive sugar cookies, reindeer snack mix, and dessert nachos; kid favorites including mac and cheese and hot dogs and hot chocolate; and adult beverages including spiked warm drinks along with beer and wine!
The docent was right - we enjoyed the final section of Lightscape including exhibits you can walk through, view, listen to, and even smell! I’m not going to share any more pictures, because I think you should have some surprises in store for your visit!
MacKid Pro Tips:
- For complete details and to purchase tickets, visit the Chicago Botanic Garden website.
- The exhibit runs on select dates through January 5.
- Children under 3 are free.
- Tickets range from $8-$13 for children and from $17-$25 for adults based on membership status and date selection. Parking is $10 in advance and $20 on-site.
- Tickets purchased on-site are an additional $2 each.
- The FAQ page has tons more information to make your visit more enjoyable.
Enter to win a four-pack of tickets to Lightscape! Visit my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mackidpalatinebarrington/. Like the page, like the Lightscape post, and share the Lightscape post with #Lightscape on Facebook by 11:59pm CST on Sunday, December 1 and you will be entered into a random drawing to win four free tickets with free parking!
Please note: I received complimentary tickets and food vouchers in exchange for writing this article along with a free four-pack of tickets to use for the subscriber giveaway.
