August is here, and summer is in its third and final act. The “actors” are still on stage: the leaves are green, the flowers are in bloom, the beaches are packed, the kids are still out of school, the sidewalk cafes are jammed with summer revelers, and the sun doesn’t set till around 8 p.m. … Continue reading 14 Things to Do Outdoors in Chicagoland Before Summer Ends
Category: kids activities
The 6 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in July 2018
Bogs, Bison, Trump, Trolls (the fun kind), Ghost Stories, and a Beautiful State Park in Wisconsin. These were the subjects of the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in July 2018 based on page views by my readers. If you missed any of these stories, check out the links below: 1. Volo Bog: An Ice … Continue reading The 6 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in July 2018
Volo Bog: An Ice Age Remnant and the Only Quaking Bog in Illinois
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED AUGUST 2023 About 12,000 years ago, the last of the towering glaciers that covered parts of what is now the Chicago area began melting. As one of the massive glaciers melted, a water-filled depression was left in its wake. The depression eventually developed into … Continue reading Volo Bog: An Ice Age Remnant and the Only Quaking Bog in Illinois
Take a Drive to the Volo Auto Museum for Vintage Cars and a Blast of Americana
The Back to the Future car is there. So is the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine (two, actually), several Batman cars, KITT from Knight Rider, Princess Di’s Rolls Royce, Elvis’s Cadillac, and more than 40 other movie and celebrity cars. There is the Volo Auto Museum (27582 Volo Village Road, Volo, IL 60073, 815/385-3644). But these cars … Continue reading Take a Drive to the Volo Auto Museum for Vintage Cars and a Blast of Americana
More Than 10 Nature Centers and Other Destinations to Visit to Beat the Heat
Chicagoland is baking in a 90+ degree heat wave. Heat indexes are expected to exceed 105 degrees during the next few days. A hike, horseback ride, or run in the forest preserves are probably not on your list of must-do activities during this extended summer scorcher, but there are many indoor nature- or history-oriented spots … Continue reading More Than 10 Nature Centers and Other Destinations to Visit to Beat the Heat
Joe the Guardian, Sneaky Socks Alexa, and the Other Trolls Are Waiting to Be Discovered at The Morton Arboretum
Troll Hunt concluded on January 31, 2021, and the trolls are no longer at the arboretum. But the arboretum remains an excellent place to see nature, and its next major exhibition, Human+Nature, will debut in 2021. When my eight-year-old son and I arrived at the bucolic Morton Arboretum (4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL 60532, … Continue reading Joe the Guardian, Sneaky Socks Alexa, and the Other Trolls Are Waiting to Be Discovered at The Morton Arboretum
Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center: Big Bugs, Tons of Fun Activities for Kids, and Great Hiking Trails
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED AUGUST 2023 Massive bugs are everywhere at Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center (3609 Spring Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523, 630/850-8110), which is located in Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve. A five-foot-long praying mantis perches atop the entrance to the center, a large grasshopper peers down … Continue reading Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center: Big Bugs, Tons of Fun Activities for Kids, and Great Hiking Trails
Graue Mill and Museum: Learn About Life in Illinois in the 1800s, the Underground Railroad, and Much More
BY ANDREW MORKES (updated July 2021) Breaking News: There’s a wormhole near Ogden Avenue and I-294. When my 8-year-old son and I were pulled into it on Tuesday, we were transported back to 1852. In this year: Millard Fillmore was president of the United States. Chicago was not even 20 years old. Levi Strauss had … Continue reading Graue Mill and Museum: Learn About Life in Illinois in the 1800s, the Underground Railroad, and Much More
The 4 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in May 2018
In case you missed them, here were the most-popular posts at Nature in Chicagoland in May 2018 based on page views by my readers: 1. Black Partridge Woods: Cool Ravines, Great Hiking, and 6 Other Reasons to Visit 2. Why I Love the Outdoors Despite Once Being Impaled by a Cactus, Nearly Run Over by … Continue reading The 4 Most-Popular Posts at Nature in Chicagoland in May 2018
Why I Love the Outdoors Despite Once Being Impaled by a Cactus, Nearly Run Over by a Bison, and Having a Scratched Cornea Ruin My First Date With My Future Wife
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED AUGUST 2023 If you view many people’s Facebook, X, and Instagram posts (including mine sometimes), nature is pretty, awe-inspiring, often cuddly, and almost perfect in its beauty. In photos and stories, the spring flowers are a multi-colored blanket of … Continue reading Why I Love the Outdoors Despite Once Being Impaled by a Cactus, Nearly Run Over by a Bison, and Having a Scratched Cornea Ruin My First Date With My Future Wife