It’s been a long winter, but as temperatures rise sporadically, we're venturing back outdoors. Spring has finally arrived, lifting spirits as it does each year. There’s never been a better time to welcome spring with outdoor fun and relaxation. Renewing social rhythms to the beauty of Chicago’s landscapes improves physical, emotional, and relational health.

Remember, outdoor recreation can be tailored to all levels of physical ability, and carries inherent benefits of boosting Vitamin D levels, reactivating stagnant muscles and improving bone density. From cardiovascular health to hormonal balance, physical dividends of recreating outdoors are almost immediate. Our outlook improves as well as social engagement when we take advantage of rich resources right here in Chicago.

River North Law Group welcomes Spring with the following ideas to bring you, your family, and friends together enjoying all this remarkable season offers.

Lincoln Park Conservatory ’Spectrum of Spring” Flower Show

Ever thought about trying to plant a small-scale garden on your balcony? Get some inspiration for planting vertically at Lincoln Park Conservatory's spring flower show "Spectrum of Spring," which covers more than a dozen freestanding pillars with flowers like geraniums, nemesias, snapdragons, fuchsias, and more. There are also colorful annuals, including ‘Whimsy Blue’ Nemesia and ‘Color Max Orange Clear’ Viola. Lots of perennial and shrub favorites return as well. Above the flower beds, you will find colorful, flowing baskets of calibrachoa, such as ‘Kabloom Cherry’. Don’t miss this explosion of color and floral fragrance this spring. Tickets must be reserved in advance and are available via their website.

EXPO Chicago

The month kicks off with a splash as EXPO Chicago returns to Navy Pier, April 24th through 27th, bringing together more than 170 galleries from across the world for a weekend of creative programming. The 2025 edition of Expo Chicago will see one significant change with the presence of 20 Korean galleries at the fair, part of a new partnership with Galleries Association of Korea (Gaok) that is supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. We recommend EXPO Chicago. https://www.expochicago.com/

The Chicago Botanic Garden

So popular, you’ll find many of its events are already sold out. Still, if you live in or visit the Chicagoland area, you owe it to yourself to visit this local treasure. The Chicago Botanic Garden opened more than 45 years ago as a beautiful place to visit, and it has matured into one of the world's great living museums and conservation science centers. Every year, more than one million people visit the Garden's 27 gardens and four natural areas, uniquely situated on 385 acres on and around nine islands, with six miles of lake shoreline. The Garden is also home to the internationally renowned Bonsai Collection. We recommend exploring its calendar with a close eye for events still available. https://www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Few things are more relaxing and enjoyable than taking in an old-fashioned baseball game. Chicago offers two iconic ways of enjoying the sport. At River North Law Group, we’re not partial to either team. However, for the sake of brevity, in this year's Spring Preview we’ll focus on the Chicago Cubs. After all, last year we recommended the White Sox!

A Cubs game is your best shot to experience the phenom, Shota Imanaga at work. At the Chicago Cubs website, you'll find travel packages from San Francisco to Washington, DC. There's no more relaxing way to enjoy the afternoon than to get a behind-the-scenes look at the legendary home of the Chicago Cubs with Wrigley Field Tours! In just 90 minutes, you can experience the beauty, charm and historic features fans have come to know and love, all while learning about our majestic ballpark that has captivated baseball fans for more than 100 years. For the schedule, visit here https://www.mlb.com/cubs/ballpark/tours.

Architecture Walking Tours

Take in Chicagoland architectural treasures, enrich yourself and your children its history while enjoying beautiful Spring days with any one of Chicago’s architectural tours. We recommend the calendar of events at Chicago Architecture Center, https://www.architecture.org/  Downtown Naperville Architecture Walking Tour, https://napervillemagazine.com/events/downtown-naperville-architecture-walking-tour/ and Frank Lloyd Wright Trust tours. https://flwright.org/tours

DIY Spring Welcome

Finally, you needn’t limit your outdoor festivities around seasonal structured events. At you own pace and on your own schedule you can celebrate Spring with any one of the following activities:

• Ride a local bike trail
• Plant a backyard garden
• Open your windows at home and listen to the rain
• Take your run from indoors to outdoors
• Invite friends for a round of golf
• Dine at a sidewalk café
• Hike a local trail with friends
• Enjoy a picnic in the park

However, you welcome the new season, RNLG wishes its clients and their families Happy Spring!