Explore the brighter side of winter by stepping into The Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden and becoming a part of the bloom this winter.
Shake off your winter blues and delight in the bright vibrant hues of the beautiful orchids this season.
This year’s all-new Orchid Show, rightly named MAGNIFIED, is big, bold, and beautiful .
Why you ask?
This year’s exhibit portrays a 25-foot-wide orchid along with huge hanging columns of color.Yes, you heard it right, a 25 foot wide orchid indeed!
No matter what, nature finds a way.
This year’s Orchid Show celebrates the unexpected verve of wild orchids.
Go see for yourself, what happens when sweeps of orchids take over an old secret garden, twine around forgotten pillars, and break through the whimsical spaces of our imagination.
In the quiet of winter, this is your chance to soak up the color and fresh blooms of thousands of orchids along with other tropical plants.
Brimming with bright, bold and brilliant colors, with 10,000 or more orchids, all blooming at once, the Orchid Show is the place to be in the coming weekends.
Table of Contents
Where & When is the Orchid Show in Chicago?
If you are wondering, yes, the Orchid show is held indoors!
Where?
Address :
Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022
Phone : (847)835-5440
When?
February 11, 2023 – March 26, 2023 10:00am – 4:00pm
Who can visit the Orchid Show?
Members: If you have a complimentary one time use Orchid Show tickets, do not forget to bring them with you.Entry is subject to availability; best availability on weekdays. You may also be able to buy tickets at a discounted rate.
Members’ Preview: Members get to see the Orchid Show before it opens for the public, on February 10 from 5 to 8 p.m. for an exclusive, after-hours first look at this year’s Orchid Show, featuring live music, free light bites, and drinks available for purchase.
This event however requires separate tickets, members cannot use free Orchid Show tickets for this event. Buy tickets now
Nonmembers: For non-members, your Orchid Show ticket includes admission to the Garden. Parking is not included.
Please note that Free Garden admission days do not include Orchid Show tickets.
So plan your visit accordingly.
How much do the Tickets cost?
Adults: $7/$19
Children age 3–12: $5/$14
Free for children age 2 and under
How to get to the Chicago Botanic Garden?
The Chicago Botanic Garden is easy to find and easy to reach, approximately 20 miles north of Chicago.
The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Illinois.
Getting to the Garden by Car
From Chicago
Follow the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) west to Edens Expressway (I-94) and U.S. Route 41. Exit at Lake Cook Road and travel ½ mile east to the Garden.
From the north
Head south on U.S. Route 41 or I-294. Exit at Lake Cook Road and travel east to the Garden.
From the west
From I-90, take I-294 toward Wisconsin. Exit at Lake Cook Road and travel east four miles to the Garden.
From the south
Take I-294 north, exit at Lake Cook Road, and travel east four miles to the Garden.
Getting to the Garden by Train
The Garden is located near the Braeside Metra train station on Metra’s Union Pacific North Line.
For a schedule of trains, contact Metra at (312) 836-7000 or metrarail.com.
Once you arrive at the Braeside station, you may walk to the Garden. This is a beautiful and ADA-accessible walk of only 0.8 mile. Follow the North Branch Trail, which also links bike riders to trails south of the Garden. You may also call the 303 Taxi Cab Company at (847) 729-0303. From the Glencoe Metra station, you may take a shuttle or a Pace bus to the Garden.
For more information, call (847) 835-5440.
Getting to the Garden by Bus
For the most up-to-date information, contact Pace Suburban Bus Service at (847) 836-7000 or pacebus.com.
Bus connections are available from Davis Street in Evanston, and the Glencoe and Highland Park train stations. Take the 213 Pace bus marked “Northbrook Court.” Buses run north and south on Green Bay Road and then west on Lake Cook Road to the Garden. Buses do not run on Sundays or holidays.
How to plan your visit?
Orchids After Hours
Need a night out?
Is it romantic?
Why, yes, this evening event sure is. Cocktails, 10,000 orchids in bloom, softly lit greenhouses, and your significant other. The rest is up to you!
Make a date now for Orchids After Hours. Mingle with the blooms and enjoy a vibrant night out with cocktails and light bites for purchase; separate ticket required. View menu
An after-hours look at the Orchid Show: Magnified.
When?
Tuesday, February 14 ♥ and
Thursdays, February 16 – March 23
5 to 8 p.m.
Tickets:
Adults: $14/$19
Children age 3–12: $9/14
Free for children age 2 and under
Need your pictures taken?
A vintage open-air photo booth by Fotio, will be at Orchids after Hours on Valentine’s Day.
The Orchid Show Photographers Hour
Are you an avid photographer, who likes to shoot the brilliant full blooms?
Then you can visit during the Orchid Show Photographer Hour.
When?
Tuesdays, February 14, 21, 28
March 7, 14, 21, 2023
8:15 – 9:45 a.m.
Tickets
Regular Garden admission days: $7/$19
Free Garden admission days: $7/$10
Special pre-show ticketed access for photographers.
Tripods and monopods are allowed; but no screens or backdrops.
Regular parking and Garden admission fees apply for nonmembers; capacity is limited.
Illinois Orchid Society Spring Show & Sale
Shop and explore beauty in Nichols Hall and Burnstein Hall.
Displays of orchids from the rarest of species to cultivated hybrids will be artistically arranged.
During this show individual orchids in 128 classes will vie for ribbons. Entries will receive “best of class” green ribbons, and the best-appointed plant in the show will receive the Chicago Horticultural Society Award from the American Orchid Society judges.
Vendors will also be on-site selling orchid plants and related products—cut flowers, cultural books, hobby bags of special Illinois Orchid Society potting mix, raffle tickets, and IOS memberships.
Repotting services will be available, and families can take part in orchid-based activities for children.
Post-Orchid Show Plant Sale
Ready to buy an orchid? Don’t miss the Post-Orchid Show Plant Sale!
Many of the plants featured in the Show will be available for purchase.
Please bring your own bag. Exact change, check or credit card only. All sales are final.
When?
March 30, 2023
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
9 to 10 a.m.: Director’s and President’s Circle
10 a.m. to noon: Household Plus members
Noon to 2 p.m.: Individual Plus members
2 to 4 p.m.: Open to all
Brighten your spring with orchids and other plants for sale at bargain prices.
This event sells out quickly so watch social media and their website for updates.
The Garden Shop
Find the perfect gift for your Valentine!
They have something for everyone at the garden shop.
Be it gardeners, cooks, hosts, or personal-care enthusiasts , you can find a gift just right for them at the shop.From jewelry to art, there is a wide range to choose from.
The Bottom Line
Need a break from winter sore eyes in Chicago?
Then, the Orchid Show at The Chicago Botanic Garden is the place to be in the coming weekends (or weekdays if you so choose) until end of March.
Are you ready to plan you visit now ?
The Orchid show opens this weekend (Yes, February 11th, 2023) and goes on till the end of winter (March 26th, 2023).If you haven’t been to this show ever, this is a year to visit, you will be so glad you did.
If your sweet heart is a garden lover, you can plan an early visit on Valentine’s Day and perhaps buy an orchid plant or two. A perfect gift for Valentine’s Day to color and grow your dreams together in years to come.
Maybe some orchid jewelry or an art to hang at home, whatever you choose you will love the fact that you visited the Orchid Show.It has so much to offer!
You have all the details you need about “The Orchid Show” for your visit, in this blogpost of mine.
C’mon! What are you waiting for?
Head on to the Orchid Show in our beautiful city of Chicago and soak in all the bright brilliant colors this winter!