Everyone that is familiar with Chicago can tell you ways to kick off your holiday spirit downtown. Ice skating in Millennium Park, looking at the window displays on the Magnificent Mile, and seeing a show of "The Nutcracker" or "A Christmas Carol" are holiday favorites. Christmas activities in the suburbs of Chicago are often times overlooked but there are many holiday activities in the suburbs.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Victorian home (no website; 951 Chicago Ave., Oak Park, Illinois; 708-808-1976) is a spectacular sight to see during the holiday season. The home is decked out with lights and donned with holiday decorations for Christmas time. The 30-minute tour, led by junior interpreters, addresses the Wright family's Christmas celebrations and traditions. Holiday music and hot chocolate typically follow the tour.
The Cuneo Mansion (cuneomansion.org) in Vernon Hills, Illinois has a Winter Wonderland Holiday Light Show every December. The grounds boast brightly lit figures of animals, elves and characters from children's stories. You can partake in a drive through show for a minimal fee per car or take a walking tour of the mansion during the evening hours when it is all lit up. The event opens around Thanksgiving each year and runs through New Years Day.
Illuminated with over 750,000 festive lights in a magnificent holiday display, the outdoor garden grounds of the Chicago Botanical Garden (chicagobotanic.org) are a spectacular sight. The outside is not the only sight to see; step inside the Regenstein Center, a 10,000-square-foot exhibition center that showcases miniature trains that wind over bridges, under trestles, past waterfalls and through more than 80 mini-replicas of Chicago's favorite landmarks.
What doesn't say Christmas time like a Christmas tree? The surrounding suburbs of Chicago boast many Christmas tree farms that are sure to kick of your holiday spirit. Cut a tree down, look for wreaths, drink hot cocoa and more at many of these farms. Visit Kidwinks.com website for a full list of Christmas Tree Farms in suburbs such as Plainfield, Barrington, Aurora, Downers Grove and Elgin, Illinois.
