Description: Christmas afternoon. You've opened the presents, put batteries in the new electronic gizmos, been to church and back, and had dinner. What next? This year, my family decided to try something new and headed over to Morton Arboretum for some time in the snow. Admission is free on Christmas, or $11 other days of the year.
Morton Arboretum is a huge nature preserve just west of Chicago, right off of I-88. Encompassing over 1600 acres, it showcases a variety of ecosystems, from woodlands of various types (oaks, buckeyes, conifers,...), to prairies and wetlands, to more formal gardens. If you're feeling lazy, there's a seven mile road loop that will let you catch a glimpse of the trees here, but the joy here is getting out and going for a stroll, a cross-country ski outing, or a bike ride.
Morton has many miles of hiking trails, some paved, some covered in wood chips. So you can just pick up a map at the entrance and hit a trail. It also has paved paths through its more formal gardens, such as the Children's Garden, a Fragrance Garden, and a hedge maze. Of course the best cross-country skiing takes you on one of the paths through the woods and makes for a really enjoyable nature experience. Many of its trails are only about a mile or so in length, so you can easily build as long of an excursion as you want.
Close