Sure somebody has been to Ravinia here, right?

How is it? Are lawn seats OK? For me, lawn at the World Tweeter Bank shed is a little too far back, is this place any better or no?

Lawn seats are great for eating and drinking whatever you like and listening to the music. Do not expect to se the show though. You can walk up and stand behind the pavillion and get a decent view, but for the most part, you get the lawn seats to have a picnic, relax and listen to the music.

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Lawn is great to for jazz, classical music, blues, etc. If you're really into the artist, I recommend getting seats.

Thanks for the info guys

agreed with the above.

We go to Ravinia at least weekly during the season. Generally lawn seats. We have found a good strategy for getting to see the performer while enjoying the picnic atmosphere on the lawn. Buy a couple of pavilion seats for the group, and have people shuttle in and out for a few songs each. Note that this does not work for classical shows, as they will not sit people during the performance.

The sound is best in the middle of the lawn. People tend to bunch up near the pavilion, but the sound is noticeably muddier there. Walk from the middle of the lawn up to the pavilion and you will hear what I am saying.

I know a lot of people will converge on Ravinia for James Taylor and Robert Plant. Nothing ruins the experience more than not planning for the traffic and parking hassles that accompany the big pop shows. The main lot at Ravinia is horribly undersized and fills up immediately. Everyone then ignores the flashing signs and tries to get in anyway. I'm not making this up - they had a consultant study the lot and one of the big issues is the number of people who try to talk their way into the lots after they are full. The Ravinia web site has parking maps that offer alternatives. Get there early, and try some of the lots near Ravinia train station. There are shuttles that run from these lots to the park, and back after the show. These lots are close enough to walk to after the show when the lines for the shuttles are long.

If you need to park in downtown Highland Park, blow off the main train station lot and park one block north, near the Chase bank. The buses stage there and you can get right on, instead of dealing with the hordes of people at the train station.

For these huge shows, it really helps to get there early. In you can take the train, do so. It drops you off right at the gate. Don't take the train that drops you off fifteen minutes before the show and expect to find a decent spot on the lawn. We get a lot of entertainment value at the confused looks of people standing at the edge of the walkway with armfulls of coolers and chairs, surprised that the lawn is actually full right before a sold out concert is set to begin.

I am a supporter and big fan of Ravinia. The park loses a lot of people who have such a bad time with traffic at the big shows that they never come back for the Chicago Symphony and other performances that are much mellower. So, plan ahead and enjoy the concerts.

I was at Ravina once to see Buddy Guy. And while he was great, I simply could not get into the atmosphere there. I'd much rather be shoehorned into a sweatbox and pound PBRs than sit on a blanket and eat cheese and crackers and sip wine. And that's even with perfect weather and a much higher probability of getting laid if you bring a date.

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Stink probably likes the Cell over Wrigley then too

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