Cider and Ale Festival at The Morton Arboretum

The Cider and Ale Festival is the arboretum’s fall tasting walk. According to the organizer, it runs Saturday, October 3, 2026, from noon to 3 p.m., with VIP ticket holders admitted at 11 a.m. Tasting tables from more than 30 local breweries and cideries line the Meadow Lake Trail, the Conifer Walk and the Frost Hill path, so you sample while you walk the early fall color rather than standing in a tent.

Tickets, per the organizer: $75 general ($65 members), $85 VIP ($75 members), $35 designated driver ($25 members) and $12 for children ages 4 to 17 (free for member children, advance purchase only). Tasting tickets require ID and age 21 or older; kids can come with a ticketed adult.

The festival opens the arboretum’s Fall Color Festival weekends. The rest of October brings the Glass Pumpkin Patch (October 9 to 11), Loteria on October 11, plant bingo on October 17, the Fall Color 5K on October 24 and Howl-o-Ween, a costumed dog parade, on October 31, with fall concessions in Arbor Court every Friday through Sunday from October 2.

Plan your visit

The arboretum is on Route 53 just north of I-88 in Lisle, about 25 miles west of the Loop. Metra’s BNSF line stops in Lisle, about two miles south; there is no bus link, so most people drive or take a ride-share from the station. Parking is included with admission and the main lots by the Visitor Center fill by noon on festival Saturdays, so arrive when gates open at 9 a.m. or expect to park in the overflow lots on the East Side. Wear walking shoes, since the tasting route is a couple of miles of trail, and bring a jacket; the lake trail is windy. Designated driver tickets are cheaper and still include the walk.