I want to thank all of my Nature in Chicagoland readers for visiting my blog in 2017. I launched the blog last March not sure how many people would want to read about nature, but the number of visitors grew almost every month, with visitor and page views peaking last month. Not a bad way … Continue reading Goodbye 2017…Hello, 2018!
Category: hiking
All Aboard for Winter Fun at the Chicago Botanic Garden!: Model Trains, Chicago Landmark Miniatures, and Much More
Looking for some indoor winter fun with the kids? If so, you should check out the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Wonderland Express. It's an annual holiday extravaganza that features model trains journeying around and above dozens of Chicagoland’s major landmarks—from Wrigley Field and the Baha’i Temple, to Sears Tower and The Bean—all lovingly created with the … Continue reading All Aboard for Winter Fun at the Chicago Botanic Garden!: Model Trains, Chicago Landmark Miniatures, and Much More
Thanksgiving Day: On Escaping Chicago, Spending Time with Family, and Enjoying a Fire and the Stars
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Of course, it's a time for gratitude for good things such as one’s family, but I also love Thanksgiving because it allows me to escape densely packed Chicagoland with its 9 million+ people rushing to somewhere or nowhere, honking drivers, packed expressways, and light pollution, which makes it more likely … Continue reading Thanksgiving Day: On Escaping Chicago, Spending Time with Family, and Enjoying a Fire and the Stars
REI Puts Employees Ahead of Profit and Encourages People to Get Out Into Nature
For the third straight year, outdoor gear and sporting goods retailer REI has announced that it will close its 151 stores in the United States on Black Friday (November 24, the biggest shopping day of the year), process no online sales, and pay its employees to head out to enjoy the great outdoors. In a … Continue reading REI Puts Employees Ahead of Profit and Encourages People to Get Out Into Nature
More Than 20 Halloween-Related Events Available for Kids in Chicagoland Forest Preserves, Parks, Zoos, and Other Nature Areas
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ARTICLE IS FROM 2017 AND HAS NOT BEEN UPDATED; CHECK WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS AND NATURE CENTERS BELOW FOR THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION Local parks, forest preserves, botanical gardens, zoos, arboretums, and national parks in Chicagoland offer a variety of Halloween activities … Continue reading More Than 20 Halloween-Related Events Available for Kids in Chicagoland Forest Preserves, Parks, Zoos, and Other Nature Areas
Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center: Not Your Parents’ Little Red Schoolhouse
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND BLOG UPDATED MARCH 2026 This blog often focuses on unique or off-the-beaten-path nature destinations, but there’s nothing secret, but a lot that’s special, about today’s blog destination. The Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center (LRSNC) in Willow Springs, Illinois, has been a school field trip destination for decades, … Continue reading Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center: Not Your Parents’ Little Red Schoolhouse
New Book Spotlights 111 Off-the-Radar Destinations in Chicago
YOU WON'T FIND DEEP DISH PIZZA PLACES (okay, there’s one, but it’s a gem), Navy Pier, beef-sandwich joints, and Willis Tower (or Sears Tower, as it is still referred to by many lifelong Chicagoans) in 111 Places in Chicago That You Must Not Miss, by Amy Bizzarri. And that’s a good thing. I cringe when … Continue reading New Book Spotlights 111 Off-the-Radar Destinations in Chicago
Orland Grassland: A Respite From Malls, Motorways, and Modernity
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED 2023 Where: 167th Street & South LaGrange Road--About 35 miles southwest of Chicago city-center Quick Summary: A large restored grassland complex with prairie, oak savannas, shrublands, ponds, wetlands, and woodlands. Perfect for hiking and birdwatching. THIS DOESN'T LOOK PROMISING, I thought to myself, as I drove … Continue reading Orland Grassland: A Respite From Malls, Motorways, and Modernity
Forest Preserves of Cook County Offers Photo Contest, But You Need to Act Fast
Do you love the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC), Brookfield Zoo, and the Chicago Botanic Garden? Are you the next Ansel Adams? Do you want to earn some bragging rights and a bunch of free calendars? If so, you should enter the FPCC’s 6th Annual Photo Contest. All you have to do is submit … Continue reading Forest Preserves of Cook County Offers Photo Contest, But You Need to Act Fast
On the Joys of Carrying My Son
My first view of my son was in the delivery room on the day he was born. I looked down at my wife Amy lying on the hospital bed, and I saw the top of his head and a shock of his hair in the “delivery zone.” Would he ever come out, I wondered? My … Continue reading On the Joys of Carrying My Son