Why settle for just a room with four walls when you can enjoy a room with a view? The Arboretum has venues for every occasion, and each comes complete with picturesque views that make any event memorable.

Many award-winning aspects of The Morton Arboretum add beauty and panache to your event. The Visitor Center won The Conservation Foundation 2005 Award for Environmentally-Sustainable Building Designs. Our new entrance and  environmentally-progressive pavements won the 2005 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement of the Year Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers. And, the Children's Garden was called "The Best Backyard in the World" by Landscape Architect Magazine in 2006.

The next time you plan your social or business event, think of these outstanding destinations!

Rental Rates

November-April
May-October

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The Thornhill Education Center includes the Auditorium, the Founder's Room, and the Thornhill Lawn, a wide expanse of grass that can be used for wedding ceremonies.

Thornhill Auditorium offers spectacular views of the Thornhill Lawn with the hawthorn trees that inspired Joy Morton to give Thornhill its name. Three large picture windows bring the outdoors in, along with plenty of light. Doors lead to a stone patio that lends itself to pre-dinner cocktails. The nearby Four Seasons Garden offers another area for guests to gather and socialize.

The Founder’s Room in the Thornhill Education Center, with its ornate bookcases, marble fireplace, intimate alcove, and stained glass windows, is a visual step back into the early 20th century. From its floor-to-ceiling windows framed by oak paneling, you can gaze out onto Joy Path—once walked every summer evening by Joy Morton, the Arboretum's founder—and imagine a time of elegance and grace.

In addition to the Visitor Center and Thornhill, several locations deserve your consideration.

Hedge Garden

The Hedge Garden is available for wedding ceremonies and wedding photography. It can accommodate large groups and is conveniently close to the Visitor Center, Maze Garden, Children's Garden, and Conifer Collection. The Hedge Garden displays 60 different shrub hedges and was originally planted in 1934.

Cudahy Auditorium

Cudahy Auditorium is a true auditorium with stationary seating that holds 100 people. It is suitable for businesses or organizations seeking to deliver a formal program to a seated audience. The room includes a stage with podium, microphone, and screen.

Cudahy is located in the Administration & Research Center, which also houses the Sterling Morton Library. It is steps away from the May Watts Reading Garden and the Ground Cover Garden.

Visitor Center Events Room

Located in the west pavilion of the Visitor Center, this floor-to-ceiling windowed room is just off Arbor Court, and overlooks the Ground Cover Garden. It is ideal as a meeting room and can accommodate several seating arrangements. The room is replete with window shades and a screen for audio-visual events.

Upon request, Facility Rental staff will be happy to provide you with a list of reliable audio-visual suppliers for your event.

The Ginkgo Room, the Chestnut and Hawthorn Rooms, and Orientation Hall have walls of glass—so magnificent Meadow Lake, Arbor Court, and sections of the Children's Garden and Maze Garden are never out of view. Seasonally planted containers in Arbor Court add texture and color to the scene, and birds and wildlife make frequent visits. Reflections on the water create a constantly changing backdrop and provide beauty to your event. Occasionally, a blue heron will fly over the water as you dine. Waterfowl and small ground creatures might make appearances, as they scuttle from dry land to water, from ground level to the treetops.

The Hawthorn and Chestnut Rooms are available for daytime and evening rental. They are perfect for small groups and as adjuncts to the Ginkgo Room. Both offer views of Meadow Lake and are equipped with retractable screens and darkening shades.

The Ginkgo Room is our largest dining area and is available for sit-down dinners or other evening events. Orientation Hall, adjacent to the restaurant, is ideal for pre-dinner festivities such as cocktail receptions, and offers views into Arbor Court. An outdoor dining deck outside the Ginkgo Room is available weekdays from May through October, and can be used for open-air dinners, cocktails, and receptions.