Chicago Botanic Garden
Classes in Chicago
The Chicago Botanic Garden is a world-renowned living museum and conservation science center that offers multiple unique nature courses spread throughout 26 gardens and four natural areas on 385 acres.
46 classes with availability
Beginner Bird Walk Main Island
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Embark on an evening adventure through the garden as we search for songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors. Whether you're a seasoned bird-watcher or just starting out, this guided walk promises a delightful and educational experience. Binoculars are recommended but not required—come and enjoy the natural beauty and diverse birdlife.
Tue. Dec 1st, 3–4:30pm CT
(90 minutes)
Winter Bird Walk
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Take in the quiet beauty of winter on this engaging walk through the Chicago Botanic Garden. Expert guides lead you across the garden's striking landscapes while introducing you to the area's resident winter birds and the earliest spring migrants. Pack your binoculars and get ready for an inspiring look at nature in transition.
Sat. Dec 5th, 8–9:30am CT
(90 minutes)
Yoga Nidra Power HouHoliday De-Stress Yoga Nidrar
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Release holiday stress through a calming combination of movement, stretching, and restorative practices. Begin with gentle yoga to release tension and balance the body, then settle into Yoga Nidra, a deeply restful guided meditation designed to encourage relaxation and mindfulness. All skill levels are welcome. Bring a yoga mat and blanket for comfort.
Sat. Dec 5th, 10–11am CT
(1 hour)
Bonsai: Bring Your Own Tree Workshop
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Do you have a bonsai tree you’re just not sure what to do with? Bring your tree of any species for consultation with the Garden’s bonsai curator and learn new techniques for style and design in this studio-style workshop.
Wed. Dec 9th, 5–8pm CT
(3 hours)
Invasive Plants in the Chicago Region
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Discover the hidden dangers that invasive plants pose to our economy, environment, and health in this eye-opening course. Uncover their ability to thrive and spread outside their native habitats, and gain valuable insights on how to mitigate their impact.
Sat. Dec 12th, 9:30–11:30am CT
(2 hours)
Winter Bilingual Bird Walk
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Take in the quiet beauty of winter on this engaging walk through the Chicago Botanic Garden. Expert guides lead you across the garden's striking landscapes while introducing you to the area's resident winter birds and the earliest spring migrants. Pack your binoculars and get ready for an inspiring look at nature in transition.
Sat. Dec 12th, 2–4pm CT
(2 hours)
More classes to explore
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Hands-on Baking: Cake Decorating
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Learn the art of cake decorating at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Discover the secrets to creating beautifully decorated cakes using quality tools and techniques. Bring home your delicious creations and impress your loved ones at your next celebration.
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$118
Umami in Winter Vegetables
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Umami has been described as the “fifth taste.” Learn new techniques including specialized knife cuts and how to work with sushi rice, and apply these to recipes that bring out the umami in winter vegetables. Assist in cutting vegetables to use in the featured recipes that highlight this savory taste sensation, such as Mushroom Stroganoff over Cabbage “Noodles” and a California Roll Salad. Students will sample the dishes made in this...
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$50
Hands-on Cooking: Pestos and Savory Jams
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Discover the secret to elevating your meals with unique sauces and toppings in our hands-on cooking class. Master the art of making grilled plank potatoes with horseradish herb pesto, North Atlantic cod with peach and purple onion jam, and pasta verde with peas, asparagus, and leek pesto. Join us for a culinary adventure that adds an extra special touch to your dishes!
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$118
Hands-on Cooking: Fresh Italian Pasta
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Surprise your guests with fresh, handmade Italian pasta in our Hands-on Cooking: Fresh Italian Pasta class. Learn to prepare long, thin noodles for Roman carbonara and master the art of forming short-rib-stuffed ravioli topped with a brilliant grilled pepper coulis. Elevate your culinary skills with these authentic Italian dishes!
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$118
Hands-on Cooking: Ravioli Three Ways
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Unleash your creativity in the kitchen with the art of making homemade ravioli. Learn to mix, roll, and shape fresh pasta dough, then fill it with delectable ingredients like garlic and lemon-seasoned crab, mushrooms and chicken liver, and classic cheese with Bolognese sauce. Elevate your culinary skills and customize ravioli to suit your tastes in this hands-on cooking class.
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$118
Demo Cooking: Fresh Pasta Winter Edition
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Learn the art of making fresh egg pasta from scratch in this hands-on cooking class. Discover the secrets to creating the perfect dough and transforming it into mouthwatering lasagna sheets, linguine, and fettuccine. Elevate your pasta-making skills and impress your friends and family with delicious homemade dishes.
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$93
Hands-on Cooking: Knife Skills
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Build confidence and precision in the kitchen with essential knife skills. Learn proper cutting techniques and knife care while slicing, dicing, and julienning a variety of vegetables. Apply your new skills to create a delicious pasta dish, making this class ideal for beginners and home cooks eager to elevate their culinary technique.
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$118
Hands-on Cooking: Deep-Dish Pizza
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Handmade, Chicago-style pizza is totally doable at home! You will discover how to prepare all of the elements: a garden-fresh sauce, “100-turn” dough, and homemade sausage, plus techniques to bake in a home oven and still get a lacquered bottom, pillowy crust, and bubbling cheese.
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$119
Hands-on Cooking: Garden Party Apps
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Spend a fun night exploring delicious recipes perfect for outdoor entertaining. As you make corn fritters with aged cheddar, zucchini-cilantro soup shooters, tomato crostini with whipped feta, scallion crepes with roasted eggplant filling, and shochu watermelon lemonade, learn knife cuts, crepe-making, and frying, braising, and marinating techniques. Alcohol will be served in this class; participants must be 21 years of age or older.
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$75
Hands-on Cooking: Knife Skills for Salad
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Master the art of preparing vibrant summer salads in our Hands-on Cooking: Knife Skills for Salad class. Learn essential knife skills while creating dishes like spinach strawberry salad with mint lime vinaigrette, kohlrabi salad with summer berries and fennel, snap pea radish salad with vegan green goddess dressing, and roasted asparagus with dill, lemon, and shallots. Transform your salads into colorful, flavorful masterpieces!
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$93
Hands-On Cooking: Stir Fry Party
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Stir-fry recipes are an easy way to incorporate flavors, colors, and textures into meals. Learn to cut ingredients in consistent sizes for quick cooking. Featured recipes include: cauliflower and maitake mushroom orange-cilantro salmon with bok choy Kung Pao chicken white and brown rice blend. Alcohol will be served in this class; participants must be 21 years of age or older.
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$70
Dipping into the Garden Harvest
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Explore creative, no-cook ways to utilize seasonal fruits and vegetables from your garden. Learn to make a variety of dips, salsas, and salads, while gaining insights into plant parts and cooking science. Conclude with a tasting session and start an indoor herb garden to enhance your culinary skills.
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$30
Demonstration Baking: Challah Making and Shaping
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Learn to bake sweet, pillowy challah in this hands-on class. Master yeast bread basics—proofing, baking, and storing—while practicing weighing, shaping, and braiding for that classic look. Turn challah-making into an easy, satisfying process for perfect Friday-night bread.
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$93
Demo Cooking: Luscious Lemons
Chicago Botanic Garden See all classes by this school @ 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Versatile lemons work in everything from drinks to main courses to breakfast muffins. Discover a multitude of easy recipes that feature lemons as a primary flavor in this cooking class. You will learn: how to make limoncello, a golden aperitif from Italy’s Amalfi Coast that you can serve to guests or give as a gift simple syrups you can use in chilled cocktails or frosty lemonade on a hot summer day a quick Sicilian lemon and pistachio...
This class isn’t on the schedule at the moment, but save it to your Wish List to find out when it comes back!
$109
Reviews of Chicago Botanic Garden
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Demonstration Baking: Challah Making and Shaping
Excellent class from a knowledgeable baker. Exceeded my expectation as I'm hard of hearing and she wore a device so I was able to hear the demonstration. Pick up some good information for different challah shapes. -
Demonstration Baking: Challah Making and Shaping
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Spring Containers at the Garden
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Embroidery Basics: Onsite
The instructor was great. Good pace. -
Painting the Natural World
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Needle-Felted Halloween Friend
This is the second time I’ve taken a class with this instructor. She provides plenty of materials to fit everyone’s tastes and preferences and is positive, supportive and respectful in how she leads the group in learning new skills. The only reason that I have not given 5 stars is because she can be a little too soft spoken making it hard to hear everything she is saying. Otherwise, very fun, and her classes attract fun folks to spend a few hours with creating felted treasures. -
Beginning Digital Photography
Exceptional! The instructor was inspiring and being in the Chicago Botanic Gardens was inspiring and a perfect setting to hone my photo skills. I highly recommend this course and I will be taking the intermediate. -
iPhone Photography
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Spring Containers at the Garden
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Painting the Natural World
Judith was great! Can’t do next session, but will be back! M -
Wet-Felted Rose Workshop
Enjoyed learning the art of wet felting. Will definitely sign up for another class. -
Introduction to Houseplant Care
I loved the class, I learned a lot of things because I am a new learner in this subject, but I needed more time to take more notes -
Fiber Arts: Winter Bird Ornament
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iPhone Photography
I definitely learned from this class, although it was a bit disorganized. The instructor covered how to use the editing tools within the Camera app on the iPhone as well as an app called Snapseed. He also recommended a variety of other editing apps. He showed us examples of photos he had edited. The class was listed as 6 PM - 8:30 PM and actually was 6:30-8:30 PM. For the first class, I waited on Zoom from 6 PM wondering what was going on. The instructor would benefit from a planned curriculum. He seemed to meandered through tools and his own photos with a lot of repetition. -
Hands-on Baking: Cake Decorating
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Hydrangeas for the Home Garden: Online
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Creating a Garden Sanctuary: Online
Helpful. Good intro but not what I expected. -
Needle-Felted Pumpkin
The course was fun! Well organized, clear instructions and positive feedback. I love the pumpkin I made. My only criticism is that there is insufficient handicap parking at the learning center. In my opinion, all of the spaces right at the learning center should be reserved for handicapped people. -
Forest Bathing Experience
Loved this class! -
Elements of the Garden: Patios
It was a good class. I learned a lot. The instructor was quite informative and obviously an expert in this field of study.
