BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND It's a snowy weekend in Chicago, but that's no reason to stay at home. A 10-mile winter hike = NO! Camping = NO! But you can still get out and take a short walk or, more realistically, enjoy one of our area's many natured-oriented places, museums, and … Continue reading More Than 20 Museums, Nature Centers, and Other Destinations to Visit In Chicagoland on a Winter Day
A beautiful, hilly area of Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota that will have you saying, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in the flat Midwest anymore.” A story about a company that puts its employees and protecting the environment ahead of profit 40-foot limestone cliffs, a stream, beautiful waterfalls, and a pond–all in Chicago's Bridgeport … Continue reading The 8 Most-Popular Stories at Nature in Chicagoland in November 2019
UPDATED AUGUST 2025 Flat. Boring. These are two common words that come to mind when people think of much of the Midwest. But there's a special place in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin that features limestone bluffs, rolling hills, wooded valleys, waterfalls, creeks, wetlands, rivers, caves, Native American Effigy Mounds, and rare ecosystems and plant … Continue reading Author and Professor Discusses the Magical Driftless Area
Chicagoland is currently playing the lead actor in a bomb of a play called "Polar Vortex." While you may not be able to take a long hike or go camping (unless you like risking frostbite after spending 30 minutes outdoors), there are many natured-oriented places, museums, and even an auto museum you can visit to … Continue reading 15+ Museums, Nature Centers, and Other Destinations to Visit in Chicagoland on a Teeth-Chattering Winter Day
I want to send a 500-foot-tall, Godzilla-like thank you to all of my Nature in Chicagoland readers for visiting my blog in 2018. In about 30 blog posts and more than 46,000 words (I didn't count them, so I'll have to trust my data analytics software), I’ve covered everything from troll hunting, snow shoeing, and … Continue reading Hello 2019…Goodbye 2018!
Model Trains and Chicago Scenes at an Arboretum, Indoor Oases for Weather-Challenged Winter Weekends, A Book About an Illinois Environmental Legend, Trolls, The Wildest Place in Cook County, A Walk With My Son Amidst Political Chaos. These were the topics of the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in November 2018 based on page views … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in November 2018
This weekend in Chicagoland is expected to be snowy and cold. While you may not be able to take a long hike or go camping, there are many natured-oriented places, museums, and even an auto museum you can visit to get out of the house and stay out of the snow and cold. Try the … Continue reading 9 Indoor Spots to Visit in Chicagoland During a Snowy Weekend
Ghost Stories, Trolls (the fun kind), Buried Remains of the Manhattan Project in a Suburban Forest Preserve, Indoor Oases for Weather-Challenged Fall and Winter Weekends, An Amazing City Park, and Places to See Bison in Chicagoland. These were the topics of the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in October 2018 based on page views … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in October 2018
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND 2023: Check out 20 Indoor Places to Visit in Chicagoland on a Canadian-Wildfire-Apocalyptic, Smoke-Filled Day or Just a Rainy or Wintry One for an updated and expanded version of this article. This weekend in Chicagoland is expected to be rainy. While you may not be … Continue reading 8 Indoor Places to Visit in Chicagoland During a Rainy, Fall Weekend
Things to Do Before the End of the Summer, Camping Tips for Kids, Trolls (the fun kind), Trump, Ghost Stories, and Beautiful State Parks in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. These were the topics of the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in August 2018 based on page views by my readers. If you missed … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in August 2018