The Morton Arboretum

What The Morton Arboretum does

The Morton Arboretum is a private nonprofit founded in 1922 and headquartered on a 1,700-acre site in Lisle, Illinois, 25 miles west of Chicago. It operates as a living museum of trees combining public visitation, scientific research, and conservation under a single institution. Its core technology assets include formal plant collections organized by scientific taxonomy, a herbarium of preserved specimens, and the Sterling Morton Library, which together support both public education and peer-reviewed research through the Center for Tree Science.

The institution generates revenue through seven primary streams: general admission tickets, tiered membership subscriptions (Individual, Dual, Household, Tree Advocate, Senior), venue rentals for weddings and corporate events, retail (Arboretum Store with 2,000+ items), food and beverage (Ginkgo Restaurant and Café), education programs (school field trips, adult classes, professional development), and Urban and Community Forestry Grants to municipalities. Membership includes reciprocal access through the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Garden Network. Discounted admission is available through EBT-based Museums for All, DuPage County resident promotions, and active-duty military programs, while group rates serve school and tour groups.

Beyond its 365-day visitor operations, the Arboretum pursues a global scientific mission through the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, the Global Tree Conservation Program, and partnerships including its contribution to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's digitization of over 7 million plant and fungal specimens. Recent scientific output includes a landmark PNAS study on oak biodiversity in Mexico and Central America. The organization employs 251-500 staff, maintains an A1 credit rating from Moody's, and is led by CEO Jill C. Koski and CFO James Fawley.

Name

The Morton Arboretum

Legal name

The Morton Arboretum

Website

https://mortonarb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Morton Arboretum is a 1922-founded nonprofit operating a 1,700-acre living tree museum in Lisle, Illinois, near Chicago, serving visitors, K-12 schools, municipalities, and the global scientific community through admissions, memberships, education programs, conservation grants, and peer-reviewed tree research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical Garden & Nature Education

NAICS

Zoos and Botanical Gardens (71213), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Museums (71211)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Zoos, Aquariums & Botanical Gardens (Educational Collections) (THAJADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH), Natural History Museums (THAJADAC), Conservation & Research Lodges (Citizen Science, Field Stations with Guests) (THAAAHAJ)

Keywords

• Botanical garden services
• Tree conservation research
• Nature education programs
• Outdoor recreation experiences
• Event venue hosting

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. General Admission Tickets: Visitors purchase tickets for entry to the 1,700-acre grounds. Online advance purchase offers $2 savings per ticket. Admission includes parking throughout the Arboretum.
2. Membership Subscriptions: Tiered membership model including Individual, Dual, Household, Tree Advocate, and Senior levels with free daily admission, member discounts, and exclusive perks. Two-year terms available with additional savings.
3. Event Hosting and Venue Rentals: Venue rentals for weddings, corporate events, parties, and celebrations including venues such as Thornhill Education Center, Firefly Pavilion, and various indoor/outdoor spaces.
4. Retail Operations: The Arboretum Store offers nature-inspired books, eco-friendly jewelry, art, home decor, and attire with over 2,000 items.
5. Food and Beverage: Ginkgo Restaurant and Café offers freshly prepared food with sustainable practices, local sourcing, and global flavors.
6. Education Programs: Adult classes, wellness programs, children's and family programs, and field trips for school groups with varying price points.
7. Community Grants: Provides Urban and Community Forestry Grants to municipalities for tree inventory and management planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Morton Arboretum is a 1,700-acre nonprofit outdoor tree museum and tree research center located in Lisle, Illinois. It offers general admission, memberships, event hosting, dining, retail, and recreational activities (mini golf, tram tours) along with formal and informal nature education programs for children and adults. Its core mission combines scientific tree research and conservation with public engagement through on-site experiences and learning programs.

Product overview

The Morton Arboretum is a 1,700-acre living museum of trees offering a comprehensive portfolio of visitor experiences and educational services. Core offerings include general admission tickets and membership programs providing access to gardens, trails, and natural areas. The institution hosts events including weddings, corporate gatherings, and seasonal celebrations through its venue rental and Ginkgo Catering services. Educational programming spans field trips for K-12 schools, adult classes in nature and wellness, and professional development for educators. Notable attractions include the Children's Garden (4-acre play space), rotating exhibitions like Vivid Creatures and Wonder Woods Mini Golf, seasonal events such as Arbor Evenings concerts and Illumination light displays, and tram tours. Amenities include the Ginkgo Restaurant and Café, The Arboretum Store, and bike rentals. Conservation and science initiatives include the Chicago Region Trees Initiative, Global Tree Conservation Program, Center for Tree Science, and a Plant Clinic offering expert tree care advice. The institution is participating in Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's global plant digitization initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• General Admission

Quantifiable outcome

• Contributed to digitization of over 7 million plant and fungal specimens for global open access
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Royal Botanic Gardens, KewflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026The Morton Arboretum contributed to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's landmark digitization initiative unlocking over 7 million plant and fungal specimens for free global access. The collaboration is part of the sixth State of the World's Plants and Fungi report, leveraging AI and global data-sharing platforms to accelerate species discovery and conservation.
• City of Edwardsville, IllinoiscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Edwardsville city received a $25,000 Urban and Community Forestry Grant from The Morton Arboretum to offset a $100,000 contract with ArborPro Inc. for an Urban Forest Tree Inventory and Management Plan to assess 7,500 trees on city-owned properties.
• ArbNetminorOthersArbNet is referenced as a related organization in the footer of the Morton Arboretum website, indicating a collaborative relationship within the arboretum and botanical garden community.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Missouri Botanical Garden: One of the oldest botanical gardens in the U.S. (St. Louis, founded 1859), with a comparable mix of public garden operations, scientific research (Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development), and educational programming. Closest analog in scale and mission depth.
• Longwood Gardens: 1,100-acre horticultural display garden in Pennsylvania operating paid admission, memberships, dining, retail, ticketed seasonal events, and major concert series. Closest analog for revenue model diversification and event monetization.
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Active scientific partner and global benchmark for botanical gardens. Comparable in research output (State of the World's Plants and Fungi report), herbarium scale, and global plant conservation leadership.
• New York Botanical Garden: 250-acre National Historic Landmark botanical garden with a major herbarium, leading tree research program, and large membership base. Operates very similar combination of public visitation, scientific research, and education as Morton Arboretum.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: Largest botanical garden in the Chicago region (385 acres in Glencoe), offering a very similar portfolio of admissions, memberships, education, research, and event hosting. Directly competes for the same Chicago-area visitors, school groups, and corporate event clients as Morton Arboretum.
• Dawes Arboretum: Ohio-based arboretum with similar tree-focused collections, education programs, and event venues. Smaller in scale but operates on the same admission/membership/event business model.
• Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University: 281-acre research arboretum managed by Harvard with deep scientific collections and free public access. Comparable in scientific mission, living tree collections, and herbarium-based research output.

Broad incumbents

• United States Botanic Garden: Federally operated botanical garden in Washington, D.C. with similar plant conservation mission and free public access model; competes less on paid visitation but is comparable on research and education programming.
• Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens: Much larger cultural institution in San Marino, California combining botanical gardens with library and art museum. Overlaps with Morton on garden operations, education, and events but operates a much broader portfolio.

Regional players

• Brookfield Zoo (Chicago Zoological Society): Major Chicago-area attraction competing for the same family and school group leisure dollars. Different category (zoo vs. arboretum) but directly competes for the same regional visitor base and education budget.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MortonArboretum
• Facebookfacebook.com/MortonArboretum
• Instagraminstagram.com/mortonarb
• TikToktiktok.com/@mortonarb
• Xx.com/mortonarboretum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-morton-arboretum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Morton Arboretum