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Chicago Area / Inspired Photography / Inspired Travel

It finally snowed today in the Chicago area. Just a dusting, but I’ll take it — glad it actually (finally) looks a bit like winter. It’s been warmer lately and as a total snow girl, I’ve missed seeing the fluffy stuff.

Between Christmas and New Year’s, we picked one of our rare-for-this-year’s snowy days to head over to The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois to see their Illuminations display. This was our second year that we attended the Illuminations festivities & it is a wonderfully fun way to get out and about for a picturesque nature walk.

Illuminations at The Morton Arboretum | theinspiredparent.com

Entrance for Illuminations typically starts at 5 p.m. The line is usually pretty long at that time so waiting until 5:30 or 6 p.m. may be a bit easier. Once you’ve parked the car and are at the Guest Center, the actual Illuminations walk is approximately one mile long. The paths are wheelchair & stroller accessible. There are a couple of “warming houses” throughout the walk where you can take a break and purchase snacks & hot beverages. Remember to bring your camera and have some fun capturing the lights!

As a photographer, I always have blast to working with nighttime shots. This year I kept things simple as we were expecting it to be fairly crowd-heavy that night since we went during the holiday week, so I left my tripod at home. All of these shots were taken with a Nikon D600 using my “nifty 50” Nikkor 50mm/1.4G lens.

Enjoy the shots! A few will be available in the near future as fine art prints through my TurtleBug Photography site.

Loved the lights on this one. The sky was back-lit from the tollway in the distance. Sort of a haunted fall-meets-winter look.
Loved the lights on this one. The sky was back-lit from the tollway in the distance. Sort of a haunted fall-meets-winter look.

 

Oops…someone dropped some rather large ornaments all over the field...
Oops…someone dropped some rather large ornaments all over the field…

 

One of my favorite shots of the night - total Dr. Who lights.
One of my favorite shots of the night – total Dr. Who lights.

 

While the other photo reminded me of Dr. Who, this one reminds me of Harry Potter. I solemnly swear I am up to no good.
While the other photo reminded me of Dr. Who, this one reminds me of Harry Potter. I solemnly swear I am up to no good.

 

Loved, loved, loved seeing the lights shining through the trees.
Loved, loved, loved seeing the lights shining through the trees.

 

Nighttime tree shots are always fun when converted to black & white.
Nighttime tree shots are always fun when converted to black & white.

 

Another stunning example of nature's wonders.
Another stunning example of nature’s wonders.

 

We're so very glad The Morton Arboretum started hosting this event each year - it truly is a magical way to spend a winter evening!
We’re so very glad The Morton Arboretum started hosting this event each year – it truly is a magical way to spend a winter evening!

 

The lights on some of the trees changes colors every few minutes - loved the blues & greens!
The lights on some of the trees changes colors every few minutes – I liked the blues & greens during this color cycle.

 

Shooting from across the pond, I feel like we've somehow ended up in Miami. hahaha
Shooting from across the pond, I feel like we’ve somehow ended up in Miami. hahaha

 

There are lots of fun, interactive displays as well - you can "conduct" the light orchestra, hug a tree to make it change colors, sing to the trees to make the lights move to the rhythm of your voice…lots of fun stuff!
There are lots of fun, interactive displays as well – you can “conduct” the light orchestra, hug a tree to make it change colors, and even sing to the trees to make the lights move to the rhythm of your voice.

 

Back at the main Guest Center.
Back at the main Guest Center.

 

Once you’ve had all the fun you can have meandering through the forest lights, you’ll head back to The Morton Arboretum’s main Guest Center where they have a wonderful shop full of unique, nature-related gifts as well as a great restaurant area. This year they also had different food & beverage kiosks outside, too.

If you’re in the Chicagoland area, be sure to head over to see Illuminations when it re-opens in early-December — bundle up, put on those snow pants and get into nature! Details for this next year’s Illuminations display will be available in mid-fall via The Morton Arboretum.

 

10 Comments

  2. That is absolutely gorgeous and you captured such great pictures!! I’ve been to Chicago and it’s a beautiful city. I love the uniqueness of the city and the artsy feel you get everywhere! I love sparkly things and I need to see this show.

    Avatar Kelly
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    1. Thanks so much, Kelly! Hope you can get back to Chicago to see them in person sometime! I have other Chicago-area posts in the queue for publishing as I roll things out here at The Inspired Parent so hopefully you’ll find more ideas for your next Chicago trip!

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