BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND
Summer officially began at 9:58 A.M. this morning, although I’m sure you’ve been enjoying our beautiful weather for awhile. But, despite global climate change, summer remains short in Chicagoland. In just a few months, our kids will be back in school, and a month or two after that, the leaves will begin changing color and the stores will start selling Christmas decorations way too soon. So, let’s enjoy summer while we can because it’s the best time to live in Chicagoland (in my humble opinion). Here are 14 things you should do this summer:
1. Visit One of Our Newest National Parks—Indiana Dunes National Park. Enjoy the towering dunes, sandy beaches, and crashing surf at this National Park Service (NPS) treasure, which is about 50 miles from downtown Chicago, but also check out its wetlands, rivers, prairies, swamps, bogs, marshes, and quiet forests. The national park’s 15,000 acres feature 50 miles of trails, as well as more than 1,100 native plants, which places it fourth in plant diversity among all NPS sites. More than 350 bird species have been sighted at the lakeshore. Looking for itinerary advice? Click here for tips on what to do if you have 1–2 hours, a half day, or an entire weekend to spend at the park.
2. Take a Road Trip to Galena and Dubuque, Iowa: Nestled on bluffs above the Galena River, Galena is a beautiful historic town about 155 miles northwest of Chicago near the Iowa border. It has more than 1,450 buildings on the National Historic Register, including President Grant’s home), and it’s one of my favorite weekend destinations. This charming town features great restaurants, antique shops, bookstores, art galleries, and live music (including my friend Katie Sullivan, who performs occasionally at the Irish Cottage Boutique Hotel; check her out on July 28 and 29, 2023).
Nearby, Elizabeth, Stockton, and other nearby towns offer interesting destinations, including:
- Elizabeth’s Grand Antique Co.: 28,000 square feet of antiques (Elizabeth)
- Apple River Fort State Historic Site: a re-built fort that was the site of a battle in the Black Hawk War of 1832, and at which Abraham Lincoln and his militia supposedly were present; great for kids—especially during the warm months when reenactments and other events are held (Elizabeth)
- Chicago Great Western Railway Depot Museum (Elizabeth)
- Apple River Canyon State Park: which is about 17 miles from Elizabeth
- Mississippi Palisades State Park: good hiking and stunning views of the Mississippi and Apple Rivers (Savanna)
- Valley of Eden Bird Sanctuary (Stockton). This 409-acre preserve has been recognized as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International and National Audubon because it provides critical breeding habitat for grassland bird species in greatest need of conservation. More than six miles of hiking trails, 100+ bird species sighted, and opportunities for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Dubuque, Iowa, an underrated city 25 minutes from Galena, has many interesting attractions, including the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, the Dubuque On Ice Brewfest (held each February), and the Dubuque Museum of Art. Crystal Lake Cave and Mines of Spain Recreation Area just outside Dubuque are also worth a visit.
3. Boycott the NASCAR race that will pollute Chicago’s air, damage our hearing, and close off our public spaces and museums by visiting the following nature destinations that are located outside of the city:
Indiana Dunes National Park and State Park
Check the This Weekend section of my website for more than 140 great destinations.
4. Visit the Chicago Botanic Garden. The Garden (1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022, 847/835-6801) is a beautiful, awe-inspiring place in any season, but the following upcoming activities are especially noteworthy:
- Model Railroad Garden. Check out 19 garden-scale trains on 1,600 feet of track, with nearly 50 miniature American landmarks amidst 5,000 plants in more than 300 different varieties. Open 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Morning Concerts
- Carillon Concert. Listen to a musical performance of carillon bells as you watch lights illuminate Evening Island. A preconcert carillon tour and demonstration are also offered. Contact the garden for the next event.
- American Craft Exposition. View and purchase beautiful art in 12 types of media, including jewelry, ceramics, metal, glass, leather, and baskets. Typically held in late September.
5. Hike All or Some of the Outerbelt Trail. The Outerbelt is a 170-mile hike through and around Chicago that winds its way through a variety of natural spaces. The trail is in its infancy, and detailed maps and perhaps even a guidebook are in the future. You don’t have to hike all 170 miles to get the Outerbelt experience, just a portion here or there. Click here for a map and more information. Additionally, REI offers a good article about the first through-hikers. Perhaps someday the Outerbelt Trail will become as famous as some of our nation’s other renowned through-trails.
6. Plant a Garden. It’s not too late to plant certain types of vegetables if you start soon. For example, you can still plant beans, peppers, and a few other warm-weather-loving plants. I’ll continue to plant beans until about September 1, but I’m an optimist and count on Chicagoland’s increasingly global-climate-change-warm autumns to keep the plants growing well past historical first-frost dates. To extend the growing season, you can also cover your favorite veggies with a plastic sheet or old towels on cold nights as I do.
Be sure to plant cool weather crops—kale, cabbage, carrots, spinach, lettuce, and peapods in late summer, and enjoy a garden harvest though mid-November (with a little extra care). Planting a garden will help you to feel healthier both physically and mentally. I’m currently growing tomatoes, peppers, beans, watermelon, cucumbers, rasberries, blueberries, and strawberries. For more of my thoughts on gardening, check out my blog post, “Why I Garden…And Thoughts on My Italian Ancestors, Farming, the Seasons, and What Not.”
7. Visit a Nature Center. This is a perfect way to introduce your kids or yourself to nature, hiking, and conservation. There are dozens of nature centers in Chicagoland. Some of my favorites include Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center, Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center, North Park Village Nature Center, River Trail Nature Center; Crabtree Nature Center, Sand Ridge Nature Center, and Sagawau Environmental Learning Center. Visit the “What to Do This Weekend” section of this site for more information on these and other nature centers.
8. Enjoy a Lazy Day at the Beach. Summer is short in Chicagoland, so be sure to take some time to lounge at one of Chicago’s 26 free beaches. If you’re not the sitting and sunning type, take a long walk on the sandy beaches of our vast inland sea (it’s the fifth-largest lake in the world). Skip some stones. Listen to the sounds of gulls and other birds. Dip your feet in the water and feel the energy of the waves. Better yet, dive in and splash around.
If you like birdwatching, check out the Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, often known as “The Magic Hedge” at Montrose Beach. (4400 N. Simonds Drive). Birders have recorded more than 300 bird species. If you head south from downtown, first check out Northerly Island, a 91-acre park that offers great views of migratory birds and a mile-long walking path with a stunning view of the Chicago skyline. Before you leave the area, don’t forget to check out Chicago museum staples such as The Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium. Next, head south from downtown to check out the South Shore Nature Sanctuary (SSNS, 7059 S. South Shore Drive) at the South Shore Cultural Center (which is a pretty amazing place in itself). The SSNS features 6 acres of dunes, wetlands, a woodland, prairie, savanna and shrubland habitats.
9. Visit a Few Farmers’ Markets: Fresh fruit and vegetables, artisan bread and cheese vendors, live music, activities for kids, people-watching, and much more—all in the great outdoors. Time Out offers a good list of popular farmers’ markets in Chicago. If you don’t live in Chicago, contact your town’s chamber of commerce for more information.
10. Check Out Visitation Prairie and Hike the Esker Trail at Cap Sauer’s Holding Nature Preserve. Cap Sauer’s Holding, which is located in the Forest Preserves of Cook County, is my favorite hiking destination in Chicagoland. I’ve hiked at Cap Sauer’s for more than 30 years—sometimes twice a week when I was in my 20s and fancy free. At 1,520 acres, it’s the largest roadless area in Cook County. At Cap Sauer’s, you’ll find hiking, biking, and horseback trails; wetlands, marshes, and streams; savannah, prairie, and forest; and much more. It’s easy—and enjoyable—to get lost in this vast nature area.
My first suggestion: hike to Visitation Prairie in the middle of Cap Sauer’s. It offers peace and solitude that can rival the remotest monastery; prairie grasses that sometimes grow as tall as LeBron James in the summer; Evening Primrose, Goldenrod, Prairie Sunflower, New England Aster, and other striking wildflowers almost as beautiful as my wife). Next, exit Visitation Prairie to the east and hike the esker trail back to your car at the Teason’s Woods parking lot at 104th Avenue and Route 83. An esker is a narrow ridge made of sand and gravel that, thousands of years ago, was a river bottom on top of or at the bottom of a glacier. The FPCC says that the esker at Cap Sauer’s is “one of the best examples of this rare feature in Illinois.” As you walk the esker trail, you’ll descend and climb through dense forest, wetlands, marshes, and wildflowers. You’ll hear spring peepers (a type of chorus frog), cricket song, and other animals in the wetlands and forests on each side of the trail. It’s a stunning walk (especially in late spring, summer, and fall), and I wish this esker was my own. I would walk it every day if I could. Click here to read my full article about Cap Sauer’s.
11. Check Out Red Gate Woods for Great Hiking and Biking and Glimpses of Remnants of the Manhattan Project. This area in Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) offers great hiking and a surprisingly wild experience so close to Chicago. Hiking trails range from paved flat paths, to boggy, muddy single-person-wide trails, to challenging hilly terrain. Camping is available at nearby Camp Bullfrog Lake. There are many lakes and sloughs (perfect for a picnic lunch or fishing), and wildlife in abundance at Red Gate Woodss, which is in Lemont. There are also remnants of the top-secret Manhattan Project above and below ground (bring your Geiger Counter…just kidding). There are only a few places in Chicagoland where can you walk three or four miles in the woods without crossing a road—and this is one of them. Don’t worry, you almost can’t get lost. The FPCC has installed an amazing system of trail signage that tells you where you are in this vast preserve, what trail you’re on, and which direction to take if you want to stay on a specific trail or switch to another one. To learn more about Red Gate Woods, check out my past blog post, “Red Gate Woods: Hawks and Hills, Sloughs and Snakes, and Ghosts and Buried Nuclear Waste, Oh My!”
12. See Some Bison. You don’t need to head to South Dakota or Wyoming to see bison. There are herds in our own backyard. One of my favorite places to view bison is Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (815/423-6370) in Wilmington, Illinois. The site was formerly a U.S. military ammunition and explosives production facility from World War II to the 1970s. It was decommissioned, and it became the first national tallgrass prairie in the country in 1996. Midewin’s restoration is being managed by the USDA Forest Service and dedicated volunteers. Approximately 13,000 acres, including 34 miles of trails, are open to the public for hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding. Nearly 150 bird species have been sighted at the prairie, and 18 endangered or threatened species, 23 species of reptiles, 40 aquatic species, and 27 species of mammals (including bison) make Midewin their home. But the nearly 30 bison at Midewin are the main attraction, so my best advice is to head to the Midewin visitor center to learn where the bison have most recently been sighted. (A buffalo webcam is also available.) The small, but interesting, facility offers exhibits that detail the site from its Native American era, to the time of white settlers, to its use as an ammunition plant, and now as a grassland (and larger ecosystem) in the process of restoration. The kids will enjoy the bison hide they can touch and the small exhibits on bison bones and fossils. A bookstore, a pleasant outdoor picnic area, and guided tours and presentations on select days round out the offerings at the visitor center. To learn more about Midewin and other places to see bison, check out one of my past blog posts. “9 Places to See Bison in the Midwest.”
13. Try Something New. Kayaking, canoeing, hiking, zip-lining (try Treetop Adventure at Bemis Woods-South in Western Springs), horseback riding, geocaching, fishing, etc. It’s never too late to learn a new skill and discover a new passion.
14. Visit the Morton Arboretum. If you love nature, Morton Arboretum is the place to be. It’s a special place filled with nearly 222,000 specimens representing 4,650 different kinds of trees and plants from the temperate regions (those that lie between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) in North America, Europe, and Asia. The arboretum has both East and West Sides, and there are trails, picnic areas, and pull-off parking areas throughout the grounds. Detailed maps of the grounds are available on-site and at the arboretum’s website. There is also a Morton Arboretum app that will be extremely useful to you during your visit. You can download it for free at the arboretum’s website, at the Apple® App Store®, or at Google Play®. Here are just a few things that you can do at Morton Arboretum:
- Head to the four-acre Children’s Garden, which is a wonderful place for kids to learn about nature and have a lot of fun. There are many things to see and do, such as Adventure Woods, where your kids can walk through forested pathways and climb on adventure-oriented playground equipment; a Secret Stream, where kids can learn about the properties of moving water and actually play in the stream; Evergreen Walk and Lookout, where visitors can climb a series of stairways that take them 14 feet above the garden; and Wonder Pond, which has stepping stones, a faux beaver dam, and pretty water plants. There are steppingstones that the kids can traverse across the pond but, on warm days, it’s almost inevitable (and encouraged by the arboretum) that kids will splash around in the water. Tip: Bring sandals or aqua shoes that your child can change into before going into the Wonder Pond or the Secret Stream. An extra set of clothes will also come in handy once the fun is done.
- Enjoy the arboretum’s 16 miles of trails that are maintained year-round for hiking, running, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Bring your bike and enjoy nine miles of paved trails. There are 16 miles of mulched, pedestrian-only trails that allow you to explore deep woods, wetlands, and prairies. If you’re looking to get away from the crowd, try the 1.11-mile Heritage Trail, which starts at Parking Lot 13 and takes you to Big Rock, a 14-ton granite boulder. At Big Rock, you can connect to the .56-mile Woodland Trail, which you can use to return to Parking Lot 13. (Note: The Heritage Trail is a loop path, so it will also return you to the parking lot if you complete the trail.) I highly recommend taking a long hike at the arboretum. My son and I had a wonderful time exploring the trails—especially in the heavily forested areas, the .74-mile Prairie Trail that winds its way through beautiful Schulenberg Prairie, and the .55-mile Meadow Lake Trail that circles the lake and features beautiful views.
- Check out the Of the Earth art exhibition. The outdoor art consists of five large-scale sculptures by Polish American artist Olga Ziemska.
- Enjoy the flowers. Although the arboretum is best known for its trees, there are beautiful displays of wildflowers to enjoy starting in the spring all the way through fall. Click here to learn more about the various types of plants and trees you can see at the garden, as well as special gardens such as the Fragrance Garden, Ground Cover Garden, Herb Garden, and Maze Garden.
- Take a class or participate in other learning opportunities. There are hundreds of events, classes, and other activities available at the arboretum. Click here to learn more.
15. Hike, Splash, Camp and Otherwise Recreate at Illinois Beach State Park. There are only 63 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline in Illinois (as opposed to 3,288 miles in Michigan), and much of this land has been developed as part of city lakefronts, heavy industry, and private beachfront property. That’s why Illinois Beach State Park (1 Lake Front Drive, Zion, IL 60099, 847/662-4811) is so important—and wonderful. It’s the last remaining large swath of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline in the state. It’s a place where you can still have a natural experience at the lakeshore—especially if you get away from the popular beaches and picnic areas.
The 4,160-acre park (which is officially known as Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park) consists of two separate areas: a North Unit and a South Unit. The North Unit features the North Dunes Nature Preserve and opportunities for hiking, biking, fishing, cross-country skiing, picnicking, swimming, and birdwatching. In the North Unit, you can hike or cross-country ski on the Camp Logan Trail, a 1.8-mile multi-use loop path. The North Point Marina—a full-service marina with 1,500 slips, a boat service center, and food concession—is located just north of the park. Note: The North Unit was formerly the site of an Illinois National Guard rifle range, so some locals still call it “Camp Logan.” At the South Unit, you’ll find the Visitor Center, Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center, and the park’s campsite, as well as opportunities to hike (including on the Dead River Trail and other trails), bike, swim, fish, picnic (including a picnic area for those with disabilities), and do other activities such as birdwatching (at the lakeshore and at the Illinois Beach Nature Preserve). The park’s campground has 241 Class A Premium sites with electricity and access to showers and sanitary facilities. You can reserve a site at https://camp.exploremoreil.com. Some campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but the campground fills up quickly on summer weekends. There are also three campsites for people with disabilities. The park also has a hotel. The Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center is the only hotel in Illinois that’s located directly on the shores of Lake Michigan. There are 96 rooms—all with lake views. Reservations can be made by calling 847/625-7300 or by visiting its website.
16. Enjoy Chicago’s Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is a 1.25-mile-long path along the Main Branch of the Chicago River. It begins at Lake Street at the confluence of the North, South, and Main branches of the Chicago River and travels 1.25 miles along the Main Branch of the river to Lake Michigan. It is a wonderful—although sometimes crowded—addition to downtown Chicago. Here are some things you can do on the Riverwalk. Use this map to plan your visit.
- Enjoy the great views of the busy river (pleasure boats, kayakers, wildlife, etc.) and the Chicago skyline. There are six “coves” along the Riverwalk that offer different experiences—from tree-shaded areas and floating wetland gardens, to one with a fountain that the kids can play in, to those filled with dock areas and restaurants and cafes.
- Admire Chicago’s beautiful buildings. Chicago is one of the world’s greatest cities for architecture, and the Riverwalk provides an excellent chance to view some of its noteworthy buildings. Some of my favorites include 150 North Riverside Plaza (designed by Goettsch Partners), One Illinois Center (Mies van der Rohe), 333 West Wacker (Kohn Pedersen Fox), Marina City (Bertrand Goldberg), and the Wrigley Building (Graham, Anderson, Probst & White). The Chicago Architecture Center (in partnership with First Lady Cruises) and other private cruise companies offer architecture tours that travel up and down the various branches of the river as well as onto Lake Michigan. Another option is to ride the less-expensive Chicago Water Taxi to various stops (including beautiful Ping Tom Park, which has a children’s play area, swimming pool, and other amenities) along the river like my son and I did awhile back. The water taxis travel to various destinations on the Main, North, and South Branches of the river.
- Rent a boat and explore the river. You can rent a kayak (or take a tour on one), reserve a seat on a cycleboat (or reserve the entire boat for a group of family or friends), rent an electric boat or retroboat, or book a spot on a charter party boat. You can even dock your own vessel along the river.
- Have a picnic. There are tiered steps and other spots in various areas of the Riverwalk where you can enjoy a picnic lunch and savor the sights and sounds of the city. There are a few rules for picnicking. You cannot bring your own alcoholic beverages to the picnic areas; they must be purchased from vendors. And you cannot bring your own food or drink into restaurants and cafes along the river.
- Enjoy dinner and a drink at a variety of riverside restaurants and bars. Let’s be honest. The Chicago Riverwalk is probably best known for its entertainment options, where downtown workers blow off steam after a hard day on the job and tourists take a break after jamming a gazillion activities into one day and slowly walking six abreast down bustling Michigan Avenue. There are approximately 10 restaurants, cafes, bars, and sweets stands along the Riverwalk to choose from.
- Enjoy some birdwatching. You may see American coots, barn swallows, red-winged blackbirds, Caspian terns, mallards, ring-billed and herring gulls, rock pigeons, American robins, European starlings, peregrine falcons, and other birds along the river and near Lake Michigan. Audubon Great Lakes offers monthly guided walks along the river. Click here for more information about the walks and the birds that you might see.
- Ride your bicycle. The Riverwalk can get very crowded during warmer weather, so the best time to do this would be early morning or later in the evening. You’ll be required to walk your bike in certain areas. You can ride your bike (or rent one from Divvy, Chicago’s bike share program) to Lake Michigan and head north or south on the Lakefront Trail.
- Visit museums and memorials, including the McCormack Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum, Chicago Architecture Center, Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Plaza, and S.S. Eastland Memorial.
- Go fishing. Drop a line and try to catch a largemouth bass, sunfish, channel catfish, or carp. Although health authorities say that it’s safe to eat these fish in small quantities and/or those that are less than 12 inches in length (common carp), do your own research to determine the health risks of eating fish caught in the river. Regardless of whether you “catch and release” or “catch and eat,” you’ll need to obtain a fishing license from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
- Enjoy some public art. There are permanent and rotating works of public art displayed along the Riverwalk. Look for The Radiance of Being, a mural by Kate Lynn Lewis that celebrates 100 years of art deco; Ellen Lanyon’s Riverwalk Gateway, a 27-foot-long trellised walkway that links the river to Lake Michigan and depicts the history of Chicago and the river from explorations of Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673 to modern times; and Carolyn Ottmers’ Allium, a 10-foot-tall aluminum flower. Finally, check out Art on theMART, the largest digital art projection in the world. It covers more than 2.5 acres of theMART’s river-facing façade. Art on theMART is available for viewing on select evenings from April through September.
17. Say Goodbye to Summer at 1:49 a.m. (CDT) on September 23, 2023. I hope that your summer is filled with quality time with family and friends, hiking and kayaking, camping, and engaging in any other activity that gets you outdoors under the sun and stars. But nothing lasts forever. I hope that you won’t have any regrets when the time comes to say goodbye to summer and hello to fall, you—ideally with your favorite drink in hand, friends and family nearby, the sounds of the lake, forest, or just your background around you, and the stars overhead.
Copyright (text) Andrew Morkes; all photos copyright Andrew Morkes except the image of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (photo courtesy of Michelle Michael, NPS) and bluejay photo (Frank Miles, USFWS)
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Looking for some great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $18.99.
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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES
I have been a writer and editor for more than 25 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the editorial director of the CAM Report career newsletter and College Spotlight newsletter; the author and publisher of “The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends” blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I’m also a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 40 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, the Vault Career Guide to Accounting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series) and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades and Cool Careers in Science series).
My poetry has appeared in Cadence, Wisconsin Review, Poetry Motel, Strong Coffee, and Mid-America Review.