Out and AboutTuesday, November 10
Morton Arboretum's Illumination opens Nov. 14 with a 400-foot Northern Lights canopy
The Daily Naperville team
If you're looking for holiday lights, Illumination: Tree Lights opens at Morton Arboretum in Lisle on Nov. 14. It's the 14th season, with 22 displays on a one-mile, ADA-accessible trail, and it runs through Jan. 2, 2027. The big new one is Northern Lights, a 400-foot canopy that mimics the aurora borealis. It's here for one season only.
Illumination spreads 22 displays across 50 acres
- 22
- displays along a one-mile trail
- 4
- new large-scale installations
- 400 feet
- for the Northern Lights canopy
- 1,000 feet
- of model track in the Pine Whistle Railroad
Sources: Lisle Patch, Daily Herald
- Also new: Lightwave, Cosmic Garden and Fairy Forest
- Pine Whistle Railroad: separate ticketed add-on in Firefly Pavilion
- Extras: Illumidome rentals and hot cocoa by a fire pit
Illumination is also nominated for a USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Award for best botanical garden holiday lights. You can vote once daily through 10:59 a.m. Mon., Nov. 30. It's the sixth nomination, and it has been runner-up three times. NCTV17 says winners will be announced Thu., Dec. 3, at 11 a.m.
Illumination opens Nov. 14, and voting closes Nov. 30
- Nov. 14Illumination opens for its 14th season.
- Nov. 30Voting for the USA Today 10Best award closes at 10:59 a.m.
- Dec. 3The top ten 10Best winners will be announced at 11 a.m.
- Jan. 2Last day of Illumination's 2026-27 season.
Sources: Lisle Patch, Daily Herald, NCTV17
Sources: Lisle Patch, Daily Herald, NCTV17