The UT Gardens, Knoxville Garden Trip to Chicago, Illinois
Thursday - Monday, July 23 - July 27, 2020
Registration deadline Friday, May 1, 2020.
Strictly limited to first 52 registrants.
Don’t miss this opportunity to see the "Windy City" like you've never seen it before... through the eyes of horticulture! Chicago has many renowned public gardens that we'll visit, but we have found some private garden jewels that you'll only get to see on this trip. Join UT Gardens horticulturists Dr. Sue Hamilton and Holly Jones along with fellow gardeners as we visit the Chicago area for 4 days and nights to see a wonderful selection of private and public gardens to remember.
The DoubleTree Hilton in Rosemont, IL is our host hotel. Check-in is on Thursday, July 23rd during the afternoon (starting at 3pm) or evening. We'll meet everyone on Friday morning after breakfast, ready to start our tour by motor coach at 8am. Hotel checkout is Monday, July 27th and our tour will end mid-afternoon after we visit our final stop, the Chicago Botanic Garden. If you'd like to extend your hotel stay beyond our tour dates, the hotel will honor our special rate if rooms are available. Rosemont is a great location for getting around the Chicago area. It's just 5-minutes away from the airport, and the hotel has a complimentary shuttle. Direct flights out of Knoxville can be as low as $175. PLEASE NOTE: All travelers are responsible for getting to and from Chicago on their own.
We’ll have four fabulous, non-stop days visiting four choice private gardens; seven public gardens which include the Morton Arboretum, the Chicago Botanic Garden, Cantigny Gardens, Lurie Gardens and Millenium Park, Garfield Conservatory, Olbrich Gardens in Madison, WI, and Rotary Gardens in Janesville, WI; two distinct garden centers; and a special twilight riverboat architecture tour of downtown Chicago.
Our DoubleTree hotel in Rosemont has two restaurants and is just a short walk from shopping and several dining venues just perfect for our ‘on-your-own’ evenings. Rooms have complimentary Wi-Fi, mini-refrigerator, separate shower and bathtub, large desk, and 30-inch flat-screen TV. Self-parking is available at the cost of $15 per car per day with no in/out privileges or $29 per car per day with in/out privileges - all payable in cash or by credit card upon departure. Our discounted room rate will be honored for two days prior to and two days after our contracted arrival and departure dates, based upon room availability.
Trip fee is $765 per person for UT Gardens members. Trip fee includes motor coach transportation, bus driver tip, 4-night hotel stay (double occupancy), all admission fees, 4 (four) breakfasts, and 3 (three) lunches. PLEASE NOTE: Trip fee does not include travel to and from Chicago. All travelers are responsible for getting to and from Chicago on their own. Payment in full is required at the time of registration. Registration deadline is Friday, May 1 OR when number of registrants reaches 52. A single-room supplement is available for those who prefer it for an additional $320. Registrants who are not current members of the UT Gardens should add $35 to the registration fee. This additional fee will be applied to an individual membership for the participant. To minimize trip expenses, we will be accepting payment in the form of cash or check only, which eliminates credit card processing fees.
IF YOU EXPERIENCE ANY DIFFICULTY REGISTERING - please contact Beth Willis at ewillis2@utk.edu or 865-974-2712.
