Cantigny1S151 Winfield RdWheaton, IL 60189
Cantigny is a 500-acre park in Wheaton, 30 miles west of Chicago. In addition to vast formal gardens and picnic and camping grounds, Cantigny offers two history-rich museums: the Robert R. McCormick Museum and the Cantigny First Division Museum, fascinating for children and researchers alike. The Cantigny estate includes ornamental landscapes and idea gardens covering several acres around the residence.
Chicago Botanic Garden1000 Lake Cook Road,Glencoe, IL 60022
The Chicago Botanic Garden is a 385-acre living plant museum situated on nine islands featuring 23 display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. It is where the wildflower commonly called shooting star (Dodecatheon meadia) is blooming in the woods, prairie, and Native Plant Garden. True to its name, this unique native gives the appearance of shooting stars falling toward earth.
Fell ArboretumCampus Box 9100Fell Arboretum 116Normal, Il 61790
The Fell Arboretum is located across the campus of Illinois State University in Normal. It consists of a 490-acre site established with thousands of trees representing over 154 species. In 1995 the campus was formally registered as an arboretum and named in Fell’s honor, the university’s founder.
Garfield Park (Chicago park)100 N. Central Park Ave.Chicago, IL 60624
Garfield Park is a 184-acre site located in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side. In 1934, Garfield Park became part of the Chicago Park District, when the city’s 22 independent park commissions merged into a single citywide agency. It is home to the Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the largest and most impressive conservatories in the United States.
Mabery Gelvin Botanical GardenP.O. Box 1040Mahomet, Illinois 61853
The Mabery Gelvin Botanical Garden is a 7-acre botanical garden located just off State Route 47, one mile (1.6 km) north of Interstate 74, in Mahomet. The garden boasts some of the most beautiful and diverse flora in East Central Illinois. The garden includes waterfalls and an All-America Selections Display Garden featuring bedding plants and vegetables.
Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden2715 S. Main StreetRockford, IL 61102
Klehm Arboretum and Botanic Garden (155 acres) is a nonprofit arboretum and botanical garden located in Rockford. The combination of native plants and those from around the world provides a unique botanical resource for study.
Ladd Arboretum2024 McCormick BoulevardEvanston, IL 60201
The Edward R. Ladd Arboretum is located at Evanston and occupies 23 acres in a narrow three-quarter mile (1.2 km) stretch between McCormick Boulevard and the North Shore Channel on land leased from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. The Evanston Ecology Center is the arboretum’s nature education facility. Today the Ladd Arboretum remains a magnificent place to visit year-round.
Lilacia Park150 S. Park AvenueLombard, Illinois
Lilacia Park, an 8.5-acre garden, located in The Lombard Park District, specializes in lilacs and tulips. It now features more than 200 varieties of lilacs and 50 varieties of tulips, a horticultural park, greenhouse and a historical building, as well as picnic areas and drinking fountains.
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden2301 East Lake Drive,Springfield, Illinois 62712
The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden is a self-governing 100-acre woodland and prairie garden owned by the city of Springfield and managed by the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Garden Foundation. Although the woodland appears old, the Garden was founded in 1936, and nearly all the trees were planted in the years immediately following.
Lincoln Park Conservatory2391 North Stockton DriveChicago, IL 60614
The Lincoln Park Conservatory (3 acres) is a conservatory and botanical garden in the Chicago Park District. It is where you will find tropical palms and ancient ferns, right in the heart of Lincoln Park.
George L. Luthy Memorial Botanical Garden2218 N. Prospect (corner of Prospect & Gift)Peoria, IL 61603
George L. Luthy Memorial Botanical Garden, usually called just Luthy Botanical Garden, is a 4.5-acre botanical garden and conservatory located in Glen Oak Park, near the corner of Prospect Avenue and Gift Avenue in Peoria. The Garden offers a place to escape the rush of everyday life and enjoy a relaxing time in one of Peoria’s most beautiful sites.
Morton Arboretum4100 Illinois Route 53,Lisle, IL 60532
The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle, covers 1,700 acres and is made up of gardens of various plant types and collections of trees from specific taxonomical and geographical areas. There are many gardens located on the east and west sides of the Arboretum. Each has a distinct theme or purpose, ranging from fragrance & color to education & adventure. The Arboretum offers an extensive Education Program dedicated to a broader understanding of plants and nature and ways to improve our world.
Oak Park Conservatory615 Garfield StreetOak Park, IL 60304
Oak Park Conservatory is a conservatory and botanical garden located at 615 Garfield Street in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park. The conservatory now provides 8,000 square feet of growing areas, making it the third largest conservatory in the Chicago area, and contains more than 3,000 plants, some of which date back to 1914.
Don Opel Arboretum2998 West Pearl City Road,Freeport, IL 61032
Don Opel Arboretum is located on the 140-acre campus of Highland Community College, Freeport. The arboretum is surrounded by natural prairie, woodland and athletic fields.
Quad City Botanical Center2525 4th Avenue,Rock Island, IL 61201
Starhill Forest Arboretum12000 Boy Scout Trail,Petersburg, Illinois
Starhill Forest Arboretum is a 48-acre private arboretum located in Petersburg. Arboretum staff provide lectures about oaks, historic trees, native trees, and other tree-related topics. Presentations are available in any English-speaking country and can be tailored for any audience level.
University of Chicago Botanic Garden1000 Lake Cook Road,Glencoe, IL 60022
The University of Chicago is located in a lakefront marsh ecosystem, Glencoe. The Botanic Garden is an educational resource intended to grow, display, and document plant materials of both ornamental and scientific interest suited to the environment of the Chicago lakefront.
University of Illinois ArboretumUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign CampusLincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL
The University of Illinois Arboretum (57 acres) is a newer arboretum on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. The Arboretum is a living laboratory, including plant collections and facilities that support the teaching, research, and public service programs of several units throughout campus.
University of Illinois Conservatory and Plant Collection1201 S. Dorner DriveUrbana, Illinois
The University of Illinois Conservatory and Plant Collection is a conservatory (2,000 square foot) and botanical garden located in the Plant Sciences Laboratory Greenhouse on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. The conservatory houses over 200 species and 60 families of tropical and subtropical plants selected for their botanical interest or economic importance.
Washington Park (Springfield, Illinois)1400 Williams BoulevardSpringfield, IL 62704
Washington Park in Springfield is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of Central Illinois’ major horticultural attractions with 20 acres of land featuring more than 1800 species of plants in 10 specific garden areas and the Conservatory. It is open daily during the afternoons; admission is free.
Wilder Park Conservatory225 Prospect Ave.Elmhurst, Illinois.
The Wilder Park Conservatory is a conservatory and botanical garden located with the historical Elmhurst Park District. The conservatory and greenhouse are informally dedicated to the memory of some of Elmhurst’s first families who at one time resided in the building which today has become the Elmhurst Public Library.
