Macy's Flower Show Plus

Spend a day rewarding your senses at Macy’s 2012 Flower Show from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4, sponsored by McHenry County College’s Trips and Tours Office.

Produced annually at the flagship store on State Street, this show features more than two million flowers and exotic topiaries from around the world arranged by renowned horticulturists to create urban sanctuaries. Tour the flower show led by a master gardener from the University of Illinois Extension program. The day will also include time to browse on your own through this historic store.

Visitors will enjoy a delicious lunch at Pompeii in Little Italy, followed by a stop at City Escape Garden & Design. City Escape has been instrumental in helping shape the gardens of Chicago and provides great ideas for the home gardener, including container gardening, garden fountains and gardens for larger spaces. This tour will help you get ready for spring gardening.

Cost is $95 per person. To register by phone with a credit card, call (815) 455-8588 and use course ID: NST S04 004.

For more information, contact Claudia Terrones at (815) 455-8782. Spaces are limited; be sure to register before March 23.

Spring Cruise To Horticultural World Expo

 McHenry County College’s Trips and Tours Program is offering a Rhine River cruise April 23 through May 2, 2012, featuring Floriade 2012, the Horticultural World Expo, offered once every 10 years in Holland.

Blended classic land touring with elegant river cruising aboard the exclusively chartered river ship, the MS Crown, creates the most relaxing way to experience the heart of Europe. A highlighted shore excursion will include an English-speaking guide in Amsterdam, Düsseldorf, and Strasbourg. Cultural entertainment and a cuckoo clock demonstration are among the many highlights featured.

The ever-changing scenes of magnificent castles, quaint villages, sloping vineyards and incredible cathedrals will unfold before your eyes. Tourists can retrace the routes of history from the comfort of the cozy lounge or outside on the sundeck of the cruise ship. Accommodations will be at the Mercue Aan de Amstel in Amsterdam.  Each tourist will receive $50 in Mayflower tour money.

Cost per person ranges from $3,733 for a twin on the Emerald Deck to $5,578 for a single on the Ruby Deck, with several other options in between. The cost includes home pickup and return, roundtrip airfare from Chicago, and 23 meals (eight breakfasts, seven lunches, and eight dinners).

For reservations or for more information, call Claudia Terrones at (815) 455-8782.