Chicago Botanic Garden Classes, Chicago

Learn the techniques and principles of photography. You will explore the basics of photography, including image composition rules, how the camera works, proper exposure, and the functions of lens aperture and shutter speed. The course requires a digital SLR camera. No previous experience is required. 

Do you love to shop at farmers’ markets or have a subscription to a CSA but are not quite sure how to use all of the unusual fruits and vegetables that you find? In this demonstration cooking class, instructor Emily Paster shares her approach to farmers’ market shopping and provides suggestions on how to branch out from familiar crops like corn,...

Did you buy a new camera recently? This workshop will help you set up your camera and learn basic operations. Please have your digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, mirrorless camera, or advanced point-and-shoot camera on hand. 

There are 28 gardens and four natural areas within the 385 acres of the Chicago Botanic Garden. Join our horticulturists for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Garden areas they oversee. Explore plant varieties and combinations, design elements, garden features, and fun stories as you soak up a wealth of knowledge from years of experience working in...

Learn about the Garden’s efforts to conserve native plant diversity across the Midwest by collecting and banking seeds. You will receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the Seed Lab in the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center and help save our natural world by preparing seeds in the lab to enter the seed vault.

Tai chi from the Yang style is a beautiful, slow-moving meditation in motion. Move through a selection from the 24 forms and some qi gong. Class level is best for students new to tai chi or the Yang form, or if you would like to refresh your practice.  This class will be held inside the Regenstein Center.

Enjoy a morning walk to explore the trees at the Garden. Each month, we will visit a different section of the Garden and learn about the trees unique to that area.

A more modern form of tai chi, Sun-Style is known for flowing movements and gentle postures. This class level is best for experienced students who have previously taken tai chi classes at the Garden and are familiar with the basic Sun form. This class will be held inside the Regenstein Center.

A more modern form of tai chi, Sun-Style is known for flowing movements and gentle postures. This class level is best for students new to tai chi or the Sun form, or if you would like to refresh your practice. This class will be held inside the Regenstein Center.

There are endless photographic opportunities with the architecture and city scenes of Chicago. We will visit Chinatown, Millennium Park/Lurie Garden, and North Michigan Avenue to capture the sights of the city. Explore new camera settings while learning to integrate landscape and hardscape photography.

Fall is the best time to prepare for a healthy, lush lawn for the upcoming season. Learn the basics of lawn renovation and how to prepare your lawn for winter. Discuss and observe proper techniques for installing sod, seeding and overseeding, and aerating and fertilizing—all aimed at revitalizing your lawn. Please dress for the weather.

Kick up your heels with SALSArobics®. Get fit moving through the Garden and learning footwork to traditional sounds from Latin America. Practice indoors and outdoors with varying activities designed to strengthen and condition your whole body at your own pace. Suitable for all fitness levels. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. Dress for the weather....

Exercising in “green space” stimulates your mind and body, providing benefits a gym could never surpass. Build endurance, work on postural alignment, gain core strength, increase cardiovascular capacity, and improve balance. Suitable for all fitness levels. Wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes. Dress for the weather. This class may be taken...

Join a staff horticulturist for a walk through our Native Shoreline and Dixon Prairie. Observe areas not traveled by most, learn about our magnificent Illinois native plants, and the wildlife that depend on them. Dress for the weather.

Explore the art of creating natural print design on fabric with flowers collected from the Chicago Botanic Garden. All levels welcome. All materials included.