SunSpots: Music On the Esplanade

Just Hangin' Around

Music On the Esplanade with Rio Bambo!

Stephanie!
Soleil@so-LAZE.com
www.so-LAZE.com





While I have been to the Chicago Botanic Gardens on several occasions, I finally made it to Music On the Esplanade!  On Tuesday, June 14,  Rio Bamba, a Chicago-based Brazilian jazz-fusion band, performed.  While I was not impressed with the performance, the trip was well-worth it.   If you've never been to the Botanic Garden, you're in for a treat - the gardens are beautiful!  The Garden is about an hour away from the Loop, so it would be a good idea to ditch work a little early in order to beat rush hour(s) traffic. It's also a good idea because getting there early will give you time to enjoy a leisurely, meandering tour of the Garden before the performance.  It might take a couple of trips for you to see everything because the Garden is HUGE!!!



Generally, visitors are not permitted to picnic at the Garden, but exception is made for concert evenings.  So grab your lawn chair or blanket, bring your own food and drink or stock up at the Garden and enjoy the incredible view and live music.  Admission is free(!), but parking is $20, so grab a whole bunch of friends and pack that car to the rafters!!!  Or, if you plan to go regularly, a one-year membership to the Garden is $70 and includes free parking.

Music on the Esplanade:
Unwind after your work day as you listen to relaxing performances by local musicians set on the Chicago Botanic Garden's front lawn. This live musical series showcases an assortment of genres including Spanish guitar, jazz, and blues. The Esplanade offers a beautiful setting for great entertainment and seating for a wide variety of guests — and only on concert evenings, you may have a picnic there as well!

Top off the evening with light fare and a glass of wine, premium beer, or other beverages available for purchase on the Esplanade.

Music On the Esplanade continues on Tuesdays from 6-8pm through August 30, 2011.  Be sure to also check out Hot Summer Nights on Thursdays through September 1, 2011 - a SummerDance format with live music, preceded by dance lessons!

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="454"] Rio Bambo[/caption]

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