BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND NOTE: THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN 2019; THE LEGO EXHIBIT HAS CLOSED. What would life be like without LEGOs (or LEGO® bricks as The LEGO Group likes to call them)? Well, the floors of my house would be cleaner and I’d have fewer cuts on … Continue reading LEGO Exhibit at Morton Arboretum Helps Kids Connect With Nature
An excellent destination if you're tired of the flat, boring topography of most of Chicagoland More than 200 Native American burial mounds in what many consider to be one of the most beautiful areas of the Upper Mississippi River Valley A beautiful nature area with easy trails, a nature center with live animals and a … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Stories at Nature in Chicagoland in June 2019
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF THE “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG UPDATED JUNE 2024 Western Avenue between Peterson and Bryn Mawr Avenues is an urban speedway. Cars race through this densely-packed neighborhood as if there’s a pot of gold waiting at road’s end in each direction. (Western, by the way, is the longest road—24 … Continue reading West Ridge Nature Preserve: An Oasis in Chicago
Where: 7402 W. Lake Katherine Drive, Palos Heights, IL, 60463, 708/361-1873, Facebook, Map Open: Nature Center: Weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The park is open daily from dawn until dusk. Quick Review: A beautiful nature area with easy trails, a nature center with live animals and a play … Continue reading 11 Things to Do at Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens
The story of a fun journey from Chicago to Washington, DC, by train The wildest nature spot in Cook County The remnants of the Manhattan Project…and some great hiking and biking opportunities One of the best places to see spring flowers in Chicagoland A personal ghost story and tales of Resurrection Mary and other ghosts … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Stories at Nature in Chicagoland in May 2019
Where: 501 East Romeo Road, Romeoville, IL 60446, 815/886-1467, Website, FacebookOpen: Visitor Center: Tuesday-Saturday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sunday: Noon–4 p.m.; Monday: Closed. The preserve is open 8 a.m. to sunset daily. Quick Review: A well-organized and attractive museum on an island in the Des Plaines River. It provides information on the fur trade between the … Continue reading Isle a la Cache Museum: Midwest Fur Trade History, Great Views of the Des Plaines River, and 9 Other Reasons to Visit
Spring is here in Chicagoland—at least if you look at the calendar, but not the thermometer. Warmer weather is on the horizon, and summer will be here in no time. But before the hot, stifling days of summer are upon us, here are 15 things you should do outdoors this spring in Chicagoland: Photo courtesy … Continue reading 15 Things to Do Outdoors This Spring in Chicagoland
The terrible story of a boy who fell through the cracks, and what we can do to be better people A look at tallgrass prairies in Chicagoland and info on a new book The wildest nature spot in Cook County A story of three funeral directors (one of whom was my father) The remnants of … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Stories at Nature in Chicagoland in April 2019
Willa Cather, one of my favorite authors, once described the Midwest (especially Nebraska) as a "Sea of Grass." But farms, miles of pavement, and cities and suburbs have replaced much of this vast ecosystem. This is especially true in Illinois, which is misleadingly known as the "Prairie State." Approximately 60 percent of Illinois, or about … Continue reading Author Discusses the Joys of the Tallgrass Prairie
When I learned that Walter Kosary died recently at age 93 (in 2019), I have to admit I was surprised. Mr. Kosary buried my father, aunt, uncle, minister, scoutmaster, principal, and many other of my family, friends, and acquaintances. He did the same for the families of other parishioners at my long-closed, but beloved, Hope … Continue reading A Tale of Three Funeral Directors: Thoughts on the Passing of a Funeral Industry Icon, My Dad, and the Man Who Took Me to My First Blues Bar