Lilacia Park in Lombard IL (A 32 minute, 23 mile drive from the Loop (or you can take the Metra)) is a stunning garden for strolling or as a photography location! It has distinctly different looks in each season. So come check it out these photos of Lilacia Park in Lombard IL and see for yourself!
Lilac Festival in Lombard IL
The Lilac Festival in Lombard IL is called “Lilac Time” and will take place between May 4 though 19 in 2024. During this time Lilacia Park is absolutely bursting with flowers! There are lilacs, of course, but also loads of tulips, daffodils, and blossoming crabapple trees. This is an extremely popular place to visit and many photographers love to photograph here. Lilacia Park does not require a photography permit. With the bright flowers and sweet floral fragrance, there is truly no better place to experience spring!
If you’re a gardener or plant enthusiast, you’ll love that the lilac varietals are clearly labeled so you can identify your favorites! The timing has not yet been announced for 2024, but near the date of the Lilac Festival in Lombard IL the Lombard Garden Club has a sale of exotic lilac varietals. The sale itself is under the covered pavilion on the northwest side of the park. Be sure to pre-order or go early, because we’ve tried without success to purchase plants for three years in a row!
Lilacia Park in Lombard IL
Lilacia Park in Lombard IL is frankly overlooked in the summer! For flowers, it offers beautiful pink coneflowers, black eyed susans, and a plethora of zinnias and lilies! It is a really lovely place to visit. Situated right next to the Metra train track, it’s also great for train-watching! In the summertime, my kids love to go check out the fountain in the middle of the park and run around on the big lawn. My favorite summer months to visit are July and August; I think the flowers are prettiest then!
Restaurants near Lilacia Park
For breakfast, I recommend nearby Egg Harbor, just one block east and two blocks north of Lilacia Park. For lunch or dinner, I recommend Babcock’s Grove House. Babcock’s offers a “Lilac Princess Float” which is grape soda with vanilla ice cream and purple sprinkles which my kids adored.
Lilacia Park Lights
Lilacia Park Lights is a beautiful, free event starting the beginning of December and going through the beginning of January. The lights turn on at 4:30 PM each day. It’s a fun light display you can walk through at your own pace on paved paths. On select days there is also free hot cocoa, cookies, and visits with Santa! Santa visits the park Friday-Sunday through December 17.
My (younger) kids loved this event, and we loved that it was lower key holiday fun that didn’t need to have a set timeframe for visiting. For sure there are many beautiful holiday light displays in Chicagoland (read my blog about them here!), but they often require tickets or at least a reservation time. Anyone with small kids knows it can be challenging to arrive on time! So the Lilacia Park lights are a much-appreciated lower-stakes way to celebrate the holiday season.
You may be interested in the following related blogs:
Places to see Holiday Lights in Chicagoland
My portfolio of Holiday Portraits
Interested in your own photoshoot at Lilacia Park in Lombard IL? Reach out! I’d love to help plan the photoshoot of your dreams. 🙂 Not ready right now for a photoshoot but maybe later? Join the newsletter to stay in touch! 🙂
Kristen Hazelton is an award-winning Oak Park, IL (West Chicagoland) and Livermore, CA (San Francisco East Bay Area) graduating senior, and family photographer. She occasionally photographs in San Diego, CA, Tucson, AZ, and Seattle, WA. You can inquire about your own photoshoot here!
