Take In A Gorgeous Orchid Show At Chicago Botanic Garden

By Marielle Shaw in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 12, 2016 9:16PM

Photo Courtesy Chicago Botanic Gardens

It's Valentine's Day weekend, and stuffed animals, chocolates and roses are everywhere. But something else is in bloom, too: Saturday marks the beginning of Chicago Botanic Garden's month long Orchid Show.

Orchids represent all things exotic, fragile and beautiful, and are one of the largest families of flowering plants, with over 27,800 recognized species. These beauties are fragrant, medicinal and even edible, including the orchid from which we get vanilla.

The Orchid Show, which runs from 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13 to March 13 at 4 p.m., will have an astounding 10,000 different species of orchid represented. There's plenty planned to see and do around these plants too, from classes on how to keep them, an orchid photography gallery with work by Anne Belmont on display (and an orchid photo contest) and a Concert with The Orchids featuring the Accidentals on Feb. 18. Representatives from the Illinois Orchid Society will be also there to answer guest and gardener questions, and each weekend there will be an orchid sale, followed by the larger post show sale, in case you decide you'd like to care for one of these beauties.

This show promises dazzling colors and fantastic photo ops, and we recommend taking a stroll through it before it's over. Tickets sell for $8 for members of the garden and $10 for non-members, parking not included, or you can purchase an orchid two-pack, which includes tickets for two to see the show and a parking pass. For more information on the show click here.