BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF THE NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND BLOG UPDATED JUNE 2025 Spending outdoors is great unless the weather is life-threatingly cold or hot or other conditions (e.g., wildfire smoke) exist that make it unsafe. But on some days, we just need to stay safe. The good news: there are many nature … Continue reading More Than 20 Indoor Places to Visit in the Chicago Area on a Freezing or Boiling Hot Day
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Many forests in Canada are on fire due to global warming and other factors, which has currrently made Chicago and other Midwestern cities very smoky. This smoke is hazardous to our health and today is not a good day to take a long hike or … Continue reading 23 Indoor Places to Visit in Chicagoland on a Canadian-Wildfire, Smoke-Filled Day or Just a Rainy or Wintry One
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND UPDATED FEBRUARY 2025 Chicago has a population of nearly 2.7 million people, more than 4,000 miles of streets, and large industrial areas with factories spewing pollution into the air, the Chicago River, and Lake Michigan. Like most U.S. cities, it also has problems with crime, racial inequity, … Continue reading Toto, I’ve a Feeling We’re Not in Chicago Anymore: 11 Nature Destinations Where You’ll Swear That You’re Not in the City
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND It's been a challenging year in many ways as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the contentious presidential campaign, and other factors. But amidst the stressful conditions, there have been two constants: my great family and nature. My family has provided support, solace, companionship, … Continue reading 14 Amazing Nature Spots I Visited This Year That Should be on Your Chicagoland “Nature Bucket List”
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
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
...America’s current state of political rage behind as we entered North Park Village Nature Center on a just-right, late-fall day—the sun shining brightly, the trees a beautiful leafy tapestry of bright reds, oranges, and yellows, the wind blowing softly. My eight-year-old son had a rough week, and so had I as I watched the level … Continue reading Lamenting the Ugly Mood in America is a “Good Walk with My Young Son Ruined,” So I Left…
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
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
Where: 5801 North Pulaski Road, Chicago, Illinois 60646, http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/North-Park-Village-Nature-Center Open: 7 days a week (excluding Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s holidays) from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Quick Review: A nature preserve and educational facility that offers easy walking trails through woodlands, wetlands, prairie, and savanna; a hands-on exploratory room of natural objects (antlers, shells, … Continue reading North Park Village Nature Center: An Oasis in the City