BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER & AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND I lived for 15 years on the “mean streets” of…well…well…Jefferson Park—a “nice-streets” neighborhood on Chicago’s far Northwest Side. Not a concrete jungle, but certainly a city neighborhood, with pretty houses packed closely together; mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, and bars hanging on for dear life during the … Continue reading Discovering Nature and Finding Peace During the Pandemic: A Story of Three Seasons in Chicago’s Southland
A beautiful fall hiking destination with easy trails and diverse ecosystems A Nature Conservancy gem in Northern Indiana that features prairies, oak forests, and bison Ghost stories of Chicago’s southwest suburbs and my own ghost story Great destinations on Chicago’s South Side and in the Southland to check out this weekend and beyond Nearly 22 … Continue reading The 7 Most-Popular Stories at Nature in Chicagoland in September 2020
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND Looking for something to do this weekend and beyond? If so, check out these 20+ great places on Chicago’s South Side and in its south and southwest suburbs. I’ve also included Indiana Dunes National Park, one of our nation’s newest national park, and it’s just as beautiful … Continue reading 20+ Great Destinations on Chicago’s South Side and in the Southland to Check Out This Weekend and Beyond
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND It's a snowy weekend in Chicago, but that's no reason to stay at home. A 10-mile winter hike = NO! Camping = NO! But you can still get out and take a short walk or, more realistically, enjoy one of our area's many natured-oriented places, museums, and … Continue reading More Than 20 Museums, Nature Centers, and Other Destinations to Visit In Chicagoland on a Winter Day
BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND I want to thank all my Nature in Chicagoland readers for visiting my blog in 2019. In nearly 35 blog posts and more than 59,000 words (I didn’t count them, so I’ll have to trust my data analytics software), I’ve covered everything from an adventurous trip down … Continue reading Goodbye 2019!…Hello 2020
copyright Andrew Morkes I’ve traveled thousands of miles to visit national parks, visited more than 100 natural and historic spots in Chicagoland, and lived in Chicago for 50 years, yet I’d still not visited the “tree-rific” (bad pun intended) Sand Ridge Nature Center (SRNC) (15891 Paxton Avenue, South Holland, IL 60473, 708-868-0606, Facebook) that’s less than … Continue reading Sand Ridge Nature Center: Indoor and Outdoor Education and Fun in All Seasons
Local parks, forest preserves, botanical gardens, zoos, arboretums, and national parks in Chicagoland offer a variety of Halloween activities this weekend through October 31 for kids. They range from scary hikes, spooky stories, hay rides, encounters with fearsome animals such as spiders and bats, pumpkin-carving, and Halloween parties. A small fee is required for some … Continue reading More Than 20 Halloween-Related Events Available for Kids in Chicagoland Forest Preserves, Parks, Zoos, and Other Nature Areas
Nature in Chicagoland 