Chicago Favorites: Botanic Gardens Edition
To celebrate having officially lived in Chicago for one whole year (!), I thought I would do a short series here about some of my favorite places in the city.
Now some of you will know this, but Chicago essentially has two seasons—really really ridiculously hot and really really ridiculously cold. The shoulder seasons are virtually non existent. As I write this it is snowing outside and predicted to snow up to three inches today! With that in mind, I desperately needed a way to spend time in nature during winter without getting frostbite. Thankfully my new city has not one but two indoor botanic gardens i.e. my version of heaven.
Lincoln Park Conservatory
Lincoln Park is an adorable, well appointed, painfully over priced neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago. The architecture is just delightful and there is so much to do and see (and eat). It is also the home of the smaller of the Chicago Conservatories. Lincoln Park Conservatory was built at the end of the 19th century which is reflected in its Victorian architecture. While on the smaller side, it is such a charming space! Hands down, my favorite part is the fern room—a cozy, green oasis complete with benches and turtles. Its the perfect place to spend an afternoon reading or cuddling with your person while doing a crossword puzzle.
Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest botanical conservancies in the nation—there many are acres of green space, lagoons, gardens, and even a few sports pitches and tennis courts. But the crowning jewels, in my humble opinion, are the lush, tropical, glass encased rooms of the sizable greenhouse. I vividly remember the first time I visited the conservatory—I could not believe how large it was! There are so many different rooms including a desert house that my millennial dreams are made of. Currently they are tracking the growth/bloom of their Agave Americana and its just the cutest. Last time I checked it had grown 14 inches above the roof! You can follow its progress on their Instagram account @gpconservatory.
While I don’t appreciate Chicago’s winter weather, I sure appreciate being able to escape the arctic tundra for an afternoon. The next time you are in my neck of the woods I definitely recommend visiting one of these two green spaces. I promise you will not be disappointed!
