Chicago is Gorgeously Green  this July!

The sun has come out to stay and everyone has come out to play! People are outside enjoying the weather as well as the wide range of fun events that have become a tradition during July in Chicago. Let us show you this month’s entertaining Highlights!

Parks & Gardens Spring to Life Now that the summer is truly underway, parks and gardens around Chicago are blooming with flora, fauna and fun. Public spaces such as Millennium Park have great activities planned, while privately owned gardens open their gates and welcome visitors to enjoy their beauty. All around the city, beautiful outdoor spaces are becoming the site of exciting events this month!

Millennium Park is celebrating its fifth birthday with a Family Fun Festival, held from July 13th through 19th in the Chase Promenade North. The theme of the festival is the diversity of Chicago’s many neighborhoods. Several activities are planned that will enable visitors to learn all about the multicultural aspects of the city. At the festival you can make your own Artist Trading Cards using paraphernalia from different Chicago neighborhoods, or participate in a diorama project of the city’s neighborhoods that aims to reproduce much of Chicago in miniature. There is even an enormous puzzle of Chicago’s neighborhoods that will truly take a group effort to complete!

Spend more time outdoors by visiting some beautiful gardens; the 51st Dearborn Garden Walk is held on July 19th and begins at 1300 N. Dearborn Parkway. This five-hour walk will take you through several private gardens and teach you how to make the most of small outdoor spaces. Truly, these gardens are not only lovely but inspiring as well!

As another "Walk" alternative, also on July 19th is the 41st Annual Sheffield Garden Walk, beginning at Webster and Sheffield. This features over 100 gardens and a Garden Center. Refreshments will be available at the event. Kids will find that there are several activities just for them in the Kids’ Corner, including Story Time, a Sing-Along, a Ferris Wheel, Pony Rides and even Children’s Yoga! For the adults, there will be live music by bands such as Rusted Root, Funkadesi and Poi Dog Pondering. Garden lovers – and everyone else – will find that the Sheffield Garden Walk simply cannot be missed.

From small private gardens to an enormous public one, the fun just keeps coming. The Chicago Botanic Garden, located north of Chicago in Glencoe, is steaming things up in the evenings with Hot Summer Nights; during this series, professional dance instructors will teach you how to move to the music. Each night features a different genre of music, and the lessons will correspond accordingly. Learn Brazilian samba, tango, Celtic step dancing, belly dancing, West African dancing, Hawaiian dancing and much more! This series will be offered from June 11th through September 3rd.

The Botanic Garden also features Music on the Esplanade, which lets you enjoy the music in a different way: by sitting back and simply listening to it. There will be live musical performances on the Garden’s front lawn that include swing and jazz, country, blues, rock n’ roll and much more. Kick off your shoes, have a picnic and get lost in the music. The series will be offered June 9th through September 1st.

For another kind of relaxation check out the Botanic Garden’s Yoga and Meditation programs. The Garden is the ideal place to connect with nature and nourish your spirit; the Yoga and Meditation classes help to establish and deepen this connection. Classes are offered throughout the year and last about 1 hour and 15 minutes. They teach core movement principles that are the foundation of yoga practice; breathing and relaxation exercises are also taught. Through yoga, you will increase your strength and flexibility as well as your inner peace!

See other Parks & Garden activities in the Chicago Event Calendar.

Excitement on the Lakefront! Everyone knows the lakefront is the place to be in Chicago. People flock there day and night to enjoy the lake, the paths and the scenery. This July the lakefront is more magnetic than ever. Classic movies light up Grant Park, an exhilarating boat parade sets the lake aglow and dazzling fireworks displays have everyone gazing skyward. Find the perfect spot and have a front row seat to all the festivities!!

Chicagoans know that summer brings with it many fun traditions around the city. One of the best is the Chicago Outdoor Film Festival, during which classic American movies are shown on a massive screen in Grant Park. What could be better than watching a free movie in a beautiful park, surrounded by the Chicago skyline and the stars above?

This year some great films are scheduled, including Sunset Boulevard, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Psycho and Tootsie. Movies are shown on Tuesday evenings at dusk, from July 14th through August 25th.

Venetian Night is another Chicago tradition. This year it takes place on July 25th and it will be the 52nd year that festive, lavishly decorated boats take to Lake Michigan in a chorus of light and music. About 35 boats will sail between the Shedd Aquarium and the Chicago Yacht Club. 675,000 people are expected to attend this nighttime party on the lakefront, so arrive early to snag the right spot! The boat parade is followed by a fireworks display that is synchronized to music and usually accompanied by wild cheering. This night is all about having a good time!

For more fireworks fun, see the Navy Pier Fireworks Show throughout the summer, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. On Wednesdays at 9:30 pm and Saturdays at 10:15 pm, crowds throng to Navy Pier to see the show; of course, the fireworks are so grand that you can see them from farther away along the lakeshore as well. This summer there will be a total of 32 fireworks shows at the Pier, each coordinated with music by Jack FM and B96. There will also be a special holiday show on Sunday, September 6th. On the Fourth of July the show will begin at 9 pm and will be a special extended version in honor of Independence Day. Navy Pier’s fireworks shows have a reputation for being absolutely thrilling; come see why!

Go Green in Chicago this July! The weather beckons you to come outside and enjoy nature in all its glory. Are you inspired, as many are, to help the Earth so future generations can appreciate the beauty that you see? Are you simply intrigued by the Green movement that is sweeping the nation and want to learn more? If so, come check out how Chicago is participating in this movement, and start to become a little Green yourself! There are several Green Events going on this month that will help you get started!

The Green City Market is an ongoing market in Lincoln Park that offers locally grown, organic produce, meat, cheese and much more. Various chef demonstrations are held here as well. On July 16th from 6-8 pm, the market will feature a Chefs’ Summer BBQ Festival where over 65 chefs from Chicago’s best restaurants will cook up tasty dishes for you to enjoy. They will use ingredients that come from the market itself, so you know your entire meal will be not only delicious but organic as well. Make your reservation soon so you won’t miss this scrumptious opportunity! The market is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays and runs through October 31st.

Chicago is known for its bold, breathtaking architecture. Yet how does this architecture affect the environment? How are the city’s architects going green? For answers, check out a panel discussion entitled “Sustainability and the City” at the Harold Washington Library on July 16th. Several architects will be present to discuss topics such as green architecture and green retrofitting projects in Chicago. Architecture in Chicago has been the subject of countless lectures and classes, but this event will add an entirely new, fresh spin to the topic. Attend this discussion and be enriched!

Now that you have a newfound knowledge of green architecture, how can you apply it to your own home? To see how you can create a greener home that benefits not only the Earth but your family as well, check out the Chicago Green Home Fair on July 19th from 10am to 3pm at the Chicago Center for Green Technology. Learn how you can incorporate sustainable products into your home, such as non-toxic paints and finishes, energy-saving appliances, insulation and lights, and materials that are carbon neutral. Sustainable products can be very affordable and are just one way that everyone can get a little greener!

Learn how to go green when it comes to your body as well. In a lecture entitled “What is Naturopathic Medicine and What Can it Do for You?” at the Whole Foods Market in Lakeview on July 22nd at 6:30pm, Susan Wojcik will be teaching the philosophy of Naturopathic Medicine, which includes nutrition, homeopathy, herbology and acupuncture. The latest trends in organic food and raw diets are only the beginning; there is so much to learn about how we can be healthier while living more in harmony with nature. What you learn from this lecture can impact you at the deepest level!

Make Your Summer More Affordable! Chicago is home to countless attractions, dozens of museums and hundreds of restaurants. How do you choose? A great way to get ideas is by checking out the dozens of discount coupons and special savings that are available for attractions around the city. Chicago Traveler makes it easy to access these coupons. By seeing some of the most popular options, you will be inspired. And by seeing how much you can save with these coupons, you will be thrilled!

Here are some examples of the great savings available with these Chicago coupons:

• Attractions, such as a Buy One, Get One Free Admission to the Amazing Funhouse Maze at Navy Pier
• Dining, such as a 15% discount on your entire bill at the China Grill
• Entertainment offers include: complementary admission to the Sears Skydeck with purchase of a ticket to Blue Man Group,  2-for-1 tickets for any downtown walking tour on Mon - Thu, or 2-for-1 tickets on the Chicago Water Taxi.
• Museums, such as $2 off admission to the Chicago History Museum
• Shopping, such as an extra 15% off your purchase at Filene’s Basement

To see all available coupons, please click here.

Chicago Highlights is a monthly publication of Chicago Traveler written by Zahra Ink - Chicago Writing Services, for more issues, see the Chicago Highlights Archive.