Ghosts of ChicagolandBison! The wildest nature spot in Cook CountyThe remnants of the Manhattan Project…and some great hiking and biking opportunitiesA spring road trip idea for bird loversA book about a conservation pioneerAnd those crazy trolls that everyone loves at The Morton Arboretum These were the topics of the seven most-popular articles last month at … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Stories at Nature in Chicagoland in March 2019
Today is the two-year anniversary of my blog, Nature in Chicagoland. In the last 730 days, I’ve published nearly 80 articles about the great outdoors. I've covered everything from eagle watching and views of the mighty Mississippi River at Mississippi Palisades State Park, to remnants of the Manhattan Project and great wildlife viewing in Red … Continue reading Celebrating the Two-Year Anniversary of Nature in Chicagoland
View of the Chicago skyline from Palmisano Park A few weeks back, I contacted the 14 Chicago mayoral candidates to see if they would answer the following questions: What's your experience using Chicago's parks or forest preserves in Chicago or its suburbs?What are the top three environmental concerns facing the next mayor?How will you protect … Continue reading Chicago’s Mayoral Candidates (Well, at Least Some) Discuss Their Favorite Parks and Their Views on Protecting the Environment
It’s so cold today in Chicagoland that [fill in your punch line here]. So, today is a perfect day to…stay inside and read some of my favorite all-time posts at Nature in Chicagoland and dream of warm weather, summer skies, forests of green, happy dancing deer (okay, maybe I have mental frostbite), and all the … Continue reading 15 Nature in Chicagoland Stories to Check Out on a North Pole-Like Day
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
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED FEBRUARY 2025 Winter hiking is the perfect antidote for a Saturday morning marathon of Netflix’s Nailed It. That’s what I discovered last Saturday as I managed, after several hours of finagling, to pull my 8-year-old son away from the amateur baking competition culinary-astrophe (just … Continue reading 12 Tips for a Successful Winter Hike in Chicagoland and Beyond
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!
Can you love doing something that you stink at? That was the axe-istential question as I threw axes for about an hour this past Saturday at BATL (4842 W. Irving Park Road) in the Portage Park neighborhood of Chicago. (Note: Until recently, BATL was known as Thunderbolt Axe Throwing.) I was as bad at axe-throwing … Continue reading Throw Your Cares Away by Tossing an Axe
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
For thousands of years, Native Americans lived where our (meaning everyone who arrived after the Native Americans) homes, stores, and parks now stand. They hunted for game in the hills, ravines, and forests of Chicagoland; collected mussels and clams and fished in what we now call Lake Michigan; and fell in love, cherished their families, … Continue reading The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian: A Great Place to Learn About the First Americans