Despite its name, the world-class Chicago Botanic Garden is located 25 miles north of the city in the suburb of Glencoe. Owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and managed by the 110-year-old Chicago Horticultural Society, this 385-acre living preserve includes eight large lagoons and a variety of distinct botanical environments -- from the Illinois prairie to an English walled garden to a three-island Japanese garden. Also on the grounds are a large fruit and vegetable garden, an "enabling garden" (which shows how gardening can be adapted for people with disabilities), and a 100-acre old-growth oak woodland. If you're here in the summer, don't miss the extensive rose gardens (just follow the bridal parties who flock here to get their pictures taken). The Botanic Garden also has an exhibit hall, an auditorium, a museum, a library, education greenhouses, an outdoor pavilion, a carillon, a cafe, a designated bike path, and a garden shop. Carillon concerts take place at 7pm Monday evenings from late June through August, with a preliminary hour-long tour.

Every summer, the Botanic Garden stages a special outdoor exhibition (one year giant animal-shaped topiaries were placed in unexpected locations throughout the grounds; another year, model railroads wound through miniature versions of American national parks). Check the website or call for event schedules.

Allow 3 hours.