for immediate release

December at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Wonderland Express, Ice Skating, Family Activities and More!

Media Only:
Julie McCaffrey
(847) 835-8213, direct
jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (November 11, 2009)—December is a bountiful month for events and activities at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Wonderland Express has pulled into the station for the entire month with many special events and activities for families. In addition, the Tropical, Semitropical, and Arid Greenhouses of the Regenstein Center are decked out with holiday lighting and plants, the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center is still open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and the exhibition, Children's Books Around the World is on display in the Lenhardt Library.

The Garden’s Plant Information Service is still available in the Visitor Center to answer your indoor and outdoor plant questions, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Winter Farmers’ Market at the Garden features local, organic farmers on the first and third Sunday of the month on December 6 and 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Garden View Room. You can also stop in the Garden Café for breakfast or lunch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays or until 4:30 p.m. on weekends, find the right holiday gift in the Garden Shop from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays or until 4:30 p.m. on weekends, or consider gift memberships to the Chicago Botanic Garden, available at the Membership Desk in the Visitor Center.

December is also a great month to take a class through the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden with classes such as Decorative Outdoor Winter Containers on December 3, Preparing Roses for Winter or Composting with Worms on December 5, Eucalyptus and Boxwood Spheres or Boxwood and Eucalyptus Wreath on December 8 or Holiday Centerpiece on December 22. Detailed information on classes can be found online at www.chicagobotanic.org/school or by calling (847) 835-8261.

Admission to the Chicago Botanic Garden is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. For more information about any of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s programs and events, call (847) 835-5440, or visit www.chicagobotanic.org.

All of December

The Chicago Botanic Garden will be transformed into a winter wonderland featuring twinkling lights and beautiful holiday horticultural displays during Wonderland Express, open November 27, 2009, through January 3, 2010. Outdoors, 750,000 lights beckon families to a dramatically lit Esplanade and the Regenstein Center. Inside, visitors enjoy lush displays of topiaries, poinsettias and orchids in the greenhouses, and trees and wreaths decorated by local designers and retailers. In a 10,000-square-foot exhibition, garden-scale trains will wind their way over bridges, under trestles, past waterfalls and through over 80 miniature versions of Chicago’s favorite landmarks, including Barack Obama's Kenwood home. Buildings, tunnels, and bridges are intricately handcrafted with natural materials, including twigs, bark, leaves, acorns, and pebbles.

Wonderland Express hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (closed at 3 p.m. December 3 and December 24, and all day Christmas Day). Adult tickets are $10; Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $8. Child (3-12) and Senior (62+) tickets are $8. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $6. Tuesdays through Christmas, admission to Wonderland Express is free. The Chicago Botanic Garden Trolley will operate between the Glencoe Metra station and Wonderland Express on weekends only, November 28 through December 20 and daily from December 26 through January 3. Round-trip tickets are $2; Garden members and children 5 and under ride free.

New this year, the Garden will offer outdoor activities including ice skating and snowshoeing (weather permitting). Visitors must bring their own ice skates and snowshoes. Starting November 27, 2009, through January 31, 2010, the Esplanade will be transformed into an ice rink. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on November 27 through January 3, 2010, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends January 9 – 31 and Monday, January 18, 2010. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for children (ages 3-12) and seniors. Chicago Botanic Garden members save $1 per ticket. Wonderland Express/Ice Skating combination tickets are also available for purchase. Cost is $12.50 for adults and $9.50 for children (ages 3-12) and seniors. Chicago Botanic Garden members save $2.50 per ticket.

Visitors may bring their own snowshoes for a wonderful new way to enjoy winter beauty at the Garden from November 27, 2009, through March 31, 2010, from 10 a.m. to sunset (weather permitting). There is no cost for snowshoeing. Visitors are encouraged to visit www.chicagobotanic.org/skate for information on weather conditions and on rink availability.

Special Wonderland Express Events for Families

Start the holiday season with a festive holiday Breakfast with Santa on December 6, 12, 13, 19, or 20 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The ticket price includes a buffet breakfast, a visit with Santa, and exclusive access to the Wonderland Express exhibition. A festive Hanukkah Dinner celebrates the Holiday of Lights on Sunday, December 13. There will be a buffet dinner with two dinner seatings at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Spirit Orchestra concert will be at 6 p.m. for those who have dined at 4:30 and those who will dine at 7 p.m. The highlight of this year’s holiday season may be your family’s Supper with Santa, on December 21 or 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The ticket price includes a buffet dinner, a visit with Santa, and exclusive access to the Wonderland Express exhibition. Bring your family for the season’s best Hot Chocolate with Mrs. Claus on December 21 or 22, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. The ticket price includes hot chocolate and treats, storytelling and a visit with Mrs. Claus, and access to the Wonderland Express exhibition. Tickets will be available online and onsite at the Information Desk in the Visitor Center. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/wonderland for more information, ticket pricing and to order tickets.

Winter Wonders, a family drop-in activity that is free for Wonderland Express ticket holders, will be held in Burnstein Hall from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 27, and Saturdays and Sundays from November 28 through December 5. From Sunday, December 6, through Sunday, December 20, activity hours are from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. from Monday, December 21, through Sunday, January 3 (closed at 3 p.m. on December 24 and all day on December 25). There are no activities on December 13. Station-based, hands-on activities include exploring snowflakes, conifer branches and cones, making bird feeders with natural materials and more. There will be special drop-in activities from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays, December 1, 8, and 15 for families with children ages 2 to 5. Children will learn about snow, animals in winter, and much more through hands-on activities after visiting the Wonderland Express exhibition.

Other Events for Families

The winter library exhibition, Children's Books Around the World, is on display from Friday, Nov. 20 through Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010. Featuring uncommon books from Western and Eastern Europe, these books for children on nature and the plant world will delight both young and old. Stacy Stoldt will give a free library talk at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 13. Library and exhibition hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, Tuesday until 7 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Closed holidays.

Weekend Family Classes run from November through April 2010 and provide a great opportunity for families to work together on hands-on activities. Families can explore Papermaking with Plants on Saturday, December 5, or learn all the different plants and plant parts needed to make gingerbread people during Joyful Gingerbread on Saturdays, December 12 and 19. Children can take home a ginger plant, decorate cookies, and mix up a batch of gingerbread to bake at home. Classes are from 9:30 to 11 a.m. or from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden Classroom. Programs are designed for families with children ages 4 to 10. Fees per class are $20 for children; Chicago Botanic Garden members pay $17 for children. Accompanying adults are free and required; limit of three children per adult. Parking fee is waived for program participants. Registration is required at least one week in advance and is available online or via mail. For more information, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/forfamilies.

Scouts can discover the magic of nature in winter through hands-on activities that combine art and science through the Scout Seasonal Workshop: Winter Wonders on Saturday, December 12. Take a winter wildlife hike through the Garden. Make a fragrant evergreen swag, a snowflake journal, and a beeswax candle. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1 to 3 p.m. Cost is $12 per child. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/scout/seasonal or call (847) 835-8239 for more information.

The Garden offers a Winter Break Camp this year where children ages 5 to 8 engage in exciting, hands-on indoor and outdoor activities while discovering the Garden in winter. Investigate weather, explore seasonal adaptations of plants and animals, and even enjoy a visit to our Wonderland Express holiday exhibition! Hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 28 – 30. Cost is $160 per child; Garden Plus members pay $135 per child. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/winterbreakcamp to register or call (847) 835-8361 for more information.

###

Editors, please note: The Chicago Botanic Garden's newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. For digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 24 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $20 per car; free for Garden members. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. A program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest is an organic vegetable and plant production enterprise that provides instruction in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture to residents of Chicago’s North Lawndale and West Side neighborhoods.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). The Chicago Botanic Garden is also host to Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., and a member of the Center for Plant Conservation. In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.