The Morton Arboretum Reviews

I love that it encouraged young families to get out and explore!

I became a member about 5 years ago because I was always going. There are 2 loops. East and west.
It's a great place to teach kids about nature with all the different trees, animals and ponds with fish. No fishing by the way.
Great place to bike, run or walk. People do use the area to train for the Boston Marathon as well as other running and triathlon events.
They have many different activities during the year and not to mention the lights they have at Christmas time. It brings the trees alive.
Love this place AND they have great coffee at their cafe!

Its an Enchanted place !! to spend good time with all your love ones, any time any season !! Fantastic place.

I couldn't possibly say enough good things about this place; we've had a membership for 2 years now and I will probably always have one; the children's garden, the illumination, the cafeteria and all the festivals they have throughout the year can accommodate anyone's taste. If I had to make a complaint, it would be how busy it gets, but a beautiful gem can't be kept a secret, I guess.

Lovely area for a walk, year round. This place is a must during fall, and when they have the Christmas Lights. Food is great in the cafe, and the park is very well maintained. Lots of information is available about the plants and trees.

Amazing, huge place - special exhibit Trollhunt was a huge hit with my family!!!

Very beautiful area to go and walk around in. They also have good events going on to keep bringing you back to visit.

Fort for the kids was great aside from that seriously people there are beautiful preserves and parks everywhere pack a lunch and you will have way more real exploring and fun oh and it's free

Any and every season there's a new experience. From tree identification and fall color walks to snow and Illuminations. Always in awe.

The Morton Arboretum is s beautiful place in all seasons

The Morton Arboretum children's garden is s lovely way to spend a few hours and introduce kids to a healthy respect for nature in a fun interactive setting. There are displays, playgrounds and plants aimed at kids from 18 months to about 9 or 10 years old. It's also a nice easy walk for Mom and Dad.

One of the best things the Chicago area has to offer. Walking, biking, or driving through the Arboretum is always wonderful, year round

Nice place to look at trees become a Zen and eat some food at the restaurant

Closest handicap parking is quite far. I was informed that there was a drop off area - difficult to use when you drive yourself.

My family and I go to Illumination every year and we love it

This place is always beautiful. We visited the Troll exhibit this time. It was a lot of fun and good hiking. The artist did great work on the Trolls.

Love walking the trails! There is the new LEGO structures and the Troll Hunt is amazing. Great food & staff!

My family and I have a household membership with the Chicago Botanical Garden and it helps us go to any other Botanical Garden in the United States without paying extra. Unfortunately, the employees from the Morton Arboretum are trained to take advantage of the members. Las month, my family and I (2 adults and 2 year old girl) decide to go to the Morton Arboretum and the employee on the entrance charged me for my daughter stating all membership only covers for only 2 people in the membership. I explained to the employee that a household is a group of people who live in the same room. She didn't understand the meaning of household I decided to pay since I live in Chicago and I was not going back home. Anyway, my dad has the same membership as I and he was with my brother and his wife and the same employee didn't charged my dad for my brother and his wife who don't have a membership. I asked my dad why they were not charged and he told me that this employee asked my dad about his Bank of America card to prevent to charge my brother. I also have a Bank of America card and she never mentioned it. After this incident, I decided not to attend to this garden due to the employees who are looking for making money for this place instead of helping the community.

Had a great time. Beautiful evening to enjoy a spectacular light exhibit. Highly recommend it to everyone.

A beautiful collection of trees and plants. Reconnect with nature. Visit often and you ll always see something new.

Huge space you can walk or just drive through. Fun/interesting things in the gift shop.

Well worth the 50 minutes trio to see plenty of different trees. Cafe food is good and reasonable.

Everyone should visit here, it's a beautiful place.

I pass by the troll on the highway every day and it makes me happy without fail. Kinda pricy to get in but it's worth it

Great location for family and friends. 16 miles of walking trails. Childrens garden is great for kids of all ages. Good view from the restaurant while having a bite to eat.

Always enjoy visiting this beautiful open space -- spectacular late summer colors!!!

Went for the troll hunt and the lay out could have been planned better.

Like how illumination is interactive but Bentleyville in Duluth, MN is better and it's free!

Peaceful, I guess that I expected plants and trees but in reality, "arboretum" is trees. Well maintained.

World Class exhibit...Illumination is a must see. I can't say more...you have to go see it to believe it!

We visited the arboretum during the Bank of America promotion (free every first full weekend). It was a nice visit but I would not value it at $15 that it usually charges per person.

Compared to the Chicago Botanical Garden, the arboretum is not as well-planned and maintained. Its proximity to the freeway creates an intrusive environment, and there were shipping containers (like the ones that go on trucks) lying around on the field.

This place is huge and requires you to drive around unless you opt to walk 5-10 mile trails. We decided to walk, and the roadways frequently intersected with trails, requiring hikers to look out for passing cars.

The trails in my opinion were not very well marked and the arboretum should install more maps.

Bottom line, good place to go on long hikes but the scenery was disappointing.

Lake Marmo is a short but beautiful walk. Highly recommend it!

We had an awesome day here, hunting for the Trolls. Go while you can as they will be gone before you know it.
We recommend taking the tram train to see most of them, then walk to the skipped ones and find the Hideout too.
The train lasts about 1 1/2 hours so not so long, and for $10 its a bargain.
We saw some trees starting to change colors for fall. In about mid October they will be great, but I will be in Florida fishing until November.

Any time of year The Morton Arboretum is my oasis in the desert. Well worth an annual membership fee to make it a place to stop for a walk around the lake a few times per week.

Awesome trails. The trolls are epic. Went on a hot steamy day. Bring a camelback if you can. You'll need it.

I absolutely love the arboretum. Staff is always available and very helpful, it's beautiful and clean and q great please for family.

Went to the Illumination light show with the grandkids the day after Christmas. It was so beautiful! We meandered down a path with tree covered lights on both sides. No crowds were around us. It was like we were the only ones there. The kids were chasing each other down the path loving the lights and having a great time. The staff did a wonderful job of creating the display as well as making the experience as nice as possible by setting up warming stations that included refreshments and more importantly, they set up the walk so that people had space to enjoy the display. I have to say that it was the best part of the holidays. We will definitely go next year.

This is a wonderful place for so many audiences! We love the children's garden, they have something for all ages. They also have nice are exhibits every year that are one of a kind.

The trolls are a must see! They are fantastic! Be prepared to walk over 6 miles to see all of them.

We had a wonderful time they could have done better will see snack areas pretzels were cold hot chocolate was good

This place is beautiful. They have trees and fauna grouped together. This place is also extremely large. I recommend biking or taking the tram.

Visited just before Halloween and got to see the trees as they were changing colors- beautiful! Take the tram ride, it's worth it for the information! You can also take yoga classes among the trees (check website for more information).

Get here early and get as many maps as you can! Being your own Off. Wear good shoes. Get a ton of steps. We were searching for trolls.

This place was nice, but I think a little overpriced for $15 per person. It's a good size place and there are many things to do while walking around, but if you wanted to take a tour via bus that was an additional charge which seemed kind of high. The restaurant was a plain restaurant with somewhat decent food, we may come back again if they ever have a free admission day or discounted price.

There is so much to do and see here. There are biking paths, hiking paths, and driving routes. They have an awesome kids section where kids can learn and play. The troll hunt is a lot of fun. The trolls are huge and add a whimsical feel to the arboretum. There is a cafe at the visitor center which has really good food for adults and children.

There is well over a days worth of stuff to do here.

Fantastic!!! One of the treasures worth leaving the city for.

The kids' area is amazing! It has amusements for all ages!

Go Morton Arboretum.

Beautiful place! So peaceful and tranquil. You can learn sooooo much here! I learned a lot about plants from other parts of the world too! I will definitely be going back. Next with friends though.

Visited for the Illumination event during winter. What a beatific experience. Arboretum staff were very friendly and helpful. Can't wait for warmer season when we can see the trees in full bloom.

Great experience in nature. A lot to take in. A little pricey is the only knock against it. Nice place to be Earthy!

The Morton Arboritum was an amzing place to go. i went for the first time a few days ago and i had so much fun with my sister.

Lots of fun and a great way to get in touch with nature.

One of most relaxing places. Perfect also for whoever likes activities and enjoy nature

Always a great time here. Nature, kids playground, good food, fun evens

Went here for a wedding in early September, so the leaves weren't quite changing yet, but it was still warm enough for an outdoor ceremony, which was lovely. Cocktails and dinner were held inside the Arboretum's elegant dining room, and our meal of steak and fish was one of the best wedding dinners I've ever had. Very impressed! Would love to go back to check out the fall foliage!

The Holiday Lights Show was much shorter this year. Doubtful we will return next year.

$15.00 per person to get in the gate. Defiantly ware walking shoes. Don't bring extra things to carry if you are planning on finding the trolls. If you are bringing the kiddos that don't walk well bring a wagon or stroller. Nice place to have a family pictures, picnics.

Many of the world's trees are colorful in autumn. You can walk, bike or ride. There is a nice, eating area with fresh air that has areas for children.

One of my favorite places in northern Illinois! Beyond beautiful. I spend the entire day here running around getting exercise among the trees and plants. Take the kids into the children's garden for climbing and learning. They have awesome kids programs. Lots of fun for them. Bring a picnic or go in for a meal at the cafeteria. Great salads and all the "normal" food too. Love that they don't use any plastic water bottles! Bring a reusable bottle and fill up with water at the stations by restrooms.
The adult wine evenings are always a great escape in the summer.
Anytime someone from out of town comes to visit this is where I take them.

Not as big of a deal as its suppose to be and $20.00 dollars a person & No Dogs allowed