The Yorktown ReserveBlog
The Complete Guide to Lilacia Park (Lombard’s Lilac Village Landmark)
If you’ve ever spent any time in Lombard or you are from the Chicagoland area, you’ve probably heard someone talk about the lilacs. This isn’t a casual thing that the locals enjoy; it’s the highlight of the whole town.
Lilacia Park sits right in the middle of downtown Lombard, and for about half the month of May every year, it transforms into something that doesn’t look like it belongs in a suburb of Chicago. Still a beautiful park the rest of the year, but Lilac season is where it comes to life. Whether you’re new to the area or considering moving to Lombard, this is the best place to spend an afternoon.
A Quick History
Lilacia was originally the private gardens of a man named Colonel William Plum. According to Lombardhistory.com, “Colonel Plum, […] became enamored with lilacs while touring Europe with his wife Helen in the 1910s. Over the following twenty years, the Plums traveled the world and increased their collection to over 200 varieties […]”. When he died, he declared his entire estate to the village of Lombard, which they turned into the iconic Lilacia Park. This was the first public park in Lombard, and his home was the first public library. This act established the Lombard Park District and Lombard as “The Lilac Village”.
The park doesn’t feel like a typical Municipal-owned green space. There are many winding paths and even a sunken garden that people love. The way the plants are clustered feels composed rather than executed. It feels more like art, which can be rare for a public park.
What You’ll Actually See There
Since the Colonel was such an avid collector, the park has more than 200 varieties of lilacs and around 75,000 tulips. Hard to imagine until you’re standing in front of them – The tulips bloom first in late April and early May, and they come in waves of beautiful color that are planted fresh every fall and new every year. And after that, the lilacs follow. The flowers peak sometime in the first 3 weeks of May, depending on the weather.
When it stays colder for longer, it takes the lilacs longer to bloom. Since it’s just a short window of time for you to see them, it’s important to make the most of it. Plus, once you smell the grounds of Lilacia Park, you will wish they bloomed every month.
Once the lilacs are in bloom, the attraction takes over the village. People come from far and wide to attend Lombard’s festival, Lilac Time. Lasting 2 weeks, the festival is built entirely around the season of bloom. It can feature various activities, crafts, events, live music, and more. They even Crown a Lilac Queen. It’s cute, fun, and earnest in a small-town way that you don’t find often in a larger suburb.
Plan ahead if you want to go – the festival and the park can get pretty busy when the lilacs are in bloom, and parking around Downtown Lombard can fill up fast. The park is free to enter every day except during lilac time, and is open from dawn to dusk. It is managed by the Lombard Park District, and their website is the best source for current bloom updates and information on the peak season.
Lilacia Park is best treated as the centerpiece of downtown Lombard rather than its own attraction. With all the incredible small businesses, shops, and restaurants in the downtown area, you’d be remiss not to check those out too. All of these are just steps from the park, including a metro train station if you are coming from Chicago. The businesses in downtown Lombard are incredible: the kind of places that have been there for decades with the kind of people who have been there that long, too.
When to Visit if You’re Not Doing the Festival
While the park is definitely worth visiting year-round, April and May bring the tulips and the lilacs, which are, of course, the biggest attractions. June and July are quieter months for the park, but you will still see a lot of perennials and roses that make the trip worth it.
After the spring and summer, it’s not as fun to visit, with fall and winter doing their thing. Regardless of the season, the early mornings are when the park is least busy, and it will also have better lighting for photos. Maybe you’ll even catch a deer in the background!
What makes Lilacia Park worth it isn’t just the flowers. A lot of parks have flowers. It’s the rich and meaningful history behind the park and the rarity and specialness of the lilacs. It’s an incredible thing to think that throughout history, the village of Lombard pulls together every year for Lilac Time.
Residents have always loved having a space like this within walking distance. It changes how the neighborhood feels and improves a lot of people’s ordinary days. Stop by and smell the flowers!