Chicago Tourist

Please find below links for some of my favorite Chicago Gardens, Nature centers, Museums, and Antique malls :)


-----------GARDENS -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Garfield Park Conservatory

Garfield Park Conservatory - Jens Jensen, historic design glass conservatory. ~ 3 acres under glass, great all year round, donation, take the tours for added insight. Click on the "Garfield Park Conservatory" label on the Right hand side to see my blog entries on this awesome place!

Lurie Garden - Right downtown in Millennium Park, Summertime fun, and quick walk through cottage garden with awesome backdrop of the city

Chicago Botanic Garden - Trek to the burbs, summer-time outdoor gardens. Three miles plus of trails, a good place to take a walk and good (pricey) cafe.

Midewin Tallgrass Prairie National Park - Just a few miles west of Chicago but feels so much more out in the wild. 19K acres of prairie under restoration.








----------MUSEUMS - Off the beaten path------------------------------------------------

The Plant - Vertical Farm, closed food production business incubator, tours are pretty cool

International Museum of Surgical Science - kind of scary and cool at the same time. Took my kids there and they never complained about teeth brushing or taking meds again :)

Prairie Street District - The original "gold coast" in Chicago. Great old homes and museums help portray Chicago history. It's a really cool walking tour. Here is a blog post on classes I took at the Clarke House Museum.


-------------ANTIQUE SHOPPING ---------------------------------------------------------

Garden Antiques

There are plenty of places to hit - see my reviews on antiques and Antique shopping. A few favorites for year round fun

• Lincoln Antique Mall - Chicago Northside
• Randolph Antique Mall - Indoors and outside, awesome in summer (but can get crowded)
• Volo Antique Mall - North suburbs, can be a drive but a fun day trip