Chicago Botanic Garden

Warning: although the Garden itself is free, parking is expensive. $12 per car, more for larger vehicles. So fill up your car, spread the cost around. It’s so much more than worth it.

Was very lovely. They were still working on the lake but the waterfall garden had been opened again. The garden is lovely but I didn’t get to just get lost and wander as I really wanted to do, because I was with a friend who is especially goal-driven and not a wanderer at all. We went to see waterfalls, we went to see lake, we went to see prairie, we went to get water, we were done. Next time I’ll go alone and wander about because this place is very big and I’ve not seen much of it.

I do wish very much that I could get there on the train more conveniently. It’s a pain in the ass, and I don’t really like to drive.

If you don’t mind getting a bit damp, go on a rainy day. I went on Father’s Day and though there were fair number of people about I was told that it was nothing like the usual crowd becase it was drizzling all day. The colors of the foliage & the flowers are much brighter on seemingly dreary day.

There’s a little wooden bench perpendicular to a rose arbor in the English Walled Garden which was perfect for writing a journal entry when I ran out of film. No one walked by for ages and it felt quite special to have so much beauty to myself.

Worth it! Best time is in the spring…

I could wander around here all day. The variety of flowers is endless; its breath taking. One of the things that I noticed was that patrons are always dressed nice. Perhaps because it was located on the north shore. You know that if this was in the middle of the city, people would show up in ratty jeans and their favorite hoody.

I visited the gardens when Chihuly had his glass sculptures installed there. Very cool!

http://www.chihuly.com/

The Japanese Garden is especially serene. Absolutely worth a visit.

i spent the entire day there with my family last monday. well worth it; it’s SO BIG and there is so much stuff to look at and to do. it was quite hot the day we were there, but there were a lot of shady places to hide out. family favourite: the touch garden, english meadow & waterfall gardens. unfortunately the japanese garden was closed the day we went, so i guess i’ll just HAVE to make the trip back up there again … ;)

if not exactly in the city. Just outside of it, on Lake Cook Rd. in Glencoe, these 26 luscious gardens comprise the most serene and sacred spot in Cook County. This summer they’ve installed lights on Evening Island, which is a prairie paradise during the daytime, but with the lights on at night (immediately post-sunset, when the sun still colors the clouds) this island is a sanctuary of light in the darkness.