Celebrating 5 and Illumination at Morton Arboretum

On the completion of her fifth year of life the ladybug and I trekked to a blogger event at Morton Arboretum in nearby Lisle, Illinois to learn why they are awesome for families, and about their new Illumination display that's coming soon. I was pretty surprised that she wanted to hang out with me for the day, and I think she was pretty surprised to see more of mommy's job outside of the house and homeschooling. Great thing that this entire trip also made it into Homeschooling 101 as we spent three hours there.

Isn't she adorable? I decided to let her dress herself for two reasons. 1. We were running late, and 2. I mean, really, it was her BIRTHDAY!

And what a day it was! We were greeted right off with the ladies from Public Relations, and with a presentation of what the Arboretum is all about. For example, did you know that Mr. Joy Morton, who established the arboretum, also founded Arbor Day and the Morton Salt Company (you know, "When It Rains It Pours?")  He created the arboretum in 1922 and now it has settled nicely on 1,700 acres and is open 365 days a year.

On our tour we were treated to the Acorn Express - which is their on-site Tram for those who may need a little guidance as to WHERE to go in this vast area. Seriously, all of the green that we saw was amazing, and at one point I thought we were coming back to the area that we left from, and it turned out that we were going to drive around a bit more.

The first stop that we made was in the great Prairie Grass area. There was a bit of a walkway that was easy to move through, even with all of the grass growing into it. The ladybug loved looking at all of the fallen acorns and black walnuts (which she is holding.) We even found one that had been infested by creepy crawlies, which we'll share on our Google + album just in case someone is freaked out about it.

The tram guide and driver shared this little piece of heaven with us. It was an entire space of spruce trees, and this one looked as if it had been perfectly placed as a photo op.
Open space for kids to run and for picnics during the late spring, all summer, and early fall.  Grass as high or even higher than you!

And wooded areas just begging to be walked in, and enjoyed. 

The great thing about this place, is that there is ALWAYS something to see. ALWAYS! We visited the Children's Garden area, and were enthralled with the bridges to cross, and streams to cool our feet off in. I was doubly impressed that they put this much thought into what a child would love and interact with.

Want a chance to try out the Arboretum for yourself? In conjunction with Morton Arboretum, I'm offering one family 4 pack to someone! How exciting is that?!  And if you time it right, you can go during the Illumination exhibit $15 for adults and $10 for kids. Members pay $10 for adults and $5 for kids (separate than the cost of daytime ticket) where the trees are interactive! Learn more about it HERE

Illumination is an outdoor event on a one-mile, gently rolling, paved path that takes approximately one and one-half hours to complete. Please dress for the weather. Food and beverage concessions are available for purchase.

Walking along the paved trail you can:

• Hug a tree to make it grow brighter
• Sing to a tree and watch it change color
• Interact with light and color with a swipe of your hand
• And many more surprising experiences around every turn!

So if you're looking for the perfect fall item to cross off of your bucket list, here's your chance! Just tell me below, what your favorite thing about the fall season is. It can be family related, or even clothing related, just make sure it has to do with fall!