Morton Arboretum

The Morton Arboretum offers events for children and the family at 4100 Route 53, Lisle. Arboretum activities are free with admission, unless otherwise noted.

Admission is $9 for adults ages 18 to 64; $8 for seniors 65 and older; $6 for children ages 3 to 17; and free for children 2 and younger. On Wednesdays, admission is $6 for adults; $5 for seniors; $4 for children; and free for ages 2 and younger. Members are always free.

For details, visit www.mortonarb.org or call (630) 968-0074 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Registration can be completed online.

Tall tale ride: Follow the holiday adventures of the fictional Humdinger family in a 30-minute interactive trolley ride at 10:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., noon and 12:45 p.m. Sunday and Dec. 23, 26, 28, 30, and Jan. 2 and 4. Tickets are $13, with discounts for members. Info: (630) 719-7949.

Solstice feast: Celebrate the shortest day of the year with a dinner performance of song, dance and storytelling from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday and Dec. 23 in The Ginko Restaurant. Tickets are $60, $50 for members. This program is recommended for ages 12 and older. Reservations: (630) 725-2066.

Solstice walk: Summon back the elusive sun in a "Winter Solstice Walk" from 4 to 5 p.m. Dec. 22.

Winter shelter: Kids learn where animals go for winter and try their hand at building a winter fort from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 22 and 23 in the Children's Garden.

Counting conifers: Take a winter walk and get ideas on how to spruce up your home landscape in "Conifer Countdown" from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in December. Meet in Arbor Court.

Arboretum express: A holiday train display features a multi-level garden railroad with trains winding through four seasons of the arboretum from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Jan. 6. One car will carry a mounted camera so visitors can see the sights as a rider on the train would see them. Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Holiday trees: See the work of local designers in "Where Treetops Glisten," an indoor holiday tree display, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Jan. 6 in the Visitors Center.

Yule log hunt: Keep a centuries-old tradition alive by following a series of rhyming clues to find the Yule log hidden on arboretum grounds at 12:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m. Jan. 6. After the hunt, gather for mugs of hot wassail and cocoa and caroling around a bonfire.

Lunch and learn: Enjoy a buffet lunch and learn about "Trees, Carbon, Climate Change… and Urban Logging?" from Clement Hamilton, vice president of arboretum programs and director of research, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jan. 8 in the Gingko Restaurant. The cost is $15. Info: (630) 725-2066.

Concert tickets: Tickets for the 2007-08 Arboretum Chamber Concert Series are available. The monthly concerts are held in the Thornhill Center Auditorium and are followed by a reception with the artists.

Tickets are $23, $18 for arboretum members. A five-concert pass is $110, $85 for members.

The concerts are: Table for 5, 2:15 p.m. Jan. 13; Carp Diem String Quartet, 2:15 p.m. Feb. 3; Patrick Bell, 7 p.m. March 1 and 2:15 p.m. March 2.

For details, contact (630) 725-2066 or www.mortonarb.org.

Hands-off plants: Take a look at some lovely, but nasty plants in the "Dangerous Plants" exhibit from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in the Plant Clinic.

Tree sculpture: See artist Patrick Dougherty's sculpture crafted of saplings and branches from 7 a.m. to sunset daily throughout the year in the Pine Family Collection.

What's in a name?: Learn about the 300-year legacy of Carol Linnaeus in shaping the plant naming and classification system in an exhibit of artwork and rare books through Jan. 26 in the Sterling Morton Library.

Nature adventure: See the importance environmental education and nature adventure provides children in a new exhibit, "No Child Left Inside," from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through May 1 in the Thornhill Education Center.

Volunteers wanted: Adults 21 and older are wanted to show youngsters features of the arboretum's Children's Garden. Volunteers receive discounts to the arboretum's store and invitations to special events. Volunteers are required to pass a background check. For details, call Sally Kenaston at (630) 719-2443 or e-mail skenaston@mortonarb.org.