Walking/Hiking Trails: Chicago Botanic Garden

The place that tore Catawba-Lynn and I away from the North Branch Trail and had us walking elsewhere was the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Does that map not look familiar?  That is correct!  The Chicago Botanic Garden is basically attached to the North Branch Trail.  The loop that I love in the North Branch Trail – there is one spot where you can cross the street and head into the back side of the Chicago Botanic Garden.  I did not take that way in – even though I thought of it, I went in a different way.

Like I had said in my previous post, my daughter, Catawba-Lynn, was becoming more mobile and she wanted to move.  My weight was much better (one year difference from my last post’s picture) and I could afford to slow down a little on my walking. 

Catawba-Lynn wanted to get in on the action!  I looked up outdoor things to do in the area and found the Garden.  I did not look to see how much it cost, but saw it was close to the North Branch Trail, and figured if it was too expensive, I would just walk the North Branch Trail loop again.  I could let Catawba-Lynn walk next to me on the loop as I only had to watch for bicyclists and not cars.  When she got tired, she could hop in the Chariot.

I drove into the Garden parking lot and found it costs $25-$30, depending on the day, to park.  But admission was free.  I verified with the parking attendant – it is free to come in, but parking costs money and he confirmed my statement.  I said I was very sorry, just checking the area out and that I just needed to turn the car around and leave.  He had no issue with it, so I drove up a little ways, U-turned, and left.  Catawba-Lynn and I drove to the loop and walked it.  I seriously thought of walking in through the back way by walking 2+ miles into the loop and then walking around the garden.  But I figured as soon as I got into the garden, Catawba-Lynn would get ornery and I would have to turn around and walk 2+ miles back to the car with a cranky kid.

That night at the hotel I scouted out the area and I found Turnbull Woods.  Let me show you a map from the last post:

To do the loop, I would park at Tower Road Parking and walk the 4.4 miles.  The red “You Are Here” star up my Glencoe is where one can cross the street and head into the garden.  Understand that there is not street parking around the garden.  I found that if I parked at Turnbull Woods, there was a trail that was kind of a part of the Chicago Botanic Garden, and it would lead me right in.  For free.  So, I woke up the next day with a lunch packed for Catawba-Lynn and I and we went as soon as I dropped Lucas off at work.  (As we were in the area for his remote consulting work that he would do at the time).  The walk in was beautiful, with educational boards pointing our different species of plants, the importance of ecosystems and insects in the area, dotting the trail.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is huge. 

There are several different gardens ranging from prairie, to aquatic plants, to a Japanese garden, to a farm and orchard, to a rotating specialty exhibit and more.  There are also biking trails and walking trails.  There is a tram that takes riders all over the garden in case one is short on time or is not capable of walking the whole garden.  There are daily/weekly activities.  There are guided tours.  There is a gift shop and a café.  There is a miniature train exhibit.  There is a fully running research facility that visitors can stop in at and peer through the glass to see scientists and botanists and anyone else in the field, working on whatever they are doing.  And there is a children’s garden. 

Catawba-Lynn loved the rolling hills that children are encouraged to play on.  Tawbs loved the natural playgrounds constructed on boulders and logs.  And her almost number one activity in the children’s garden was playing in the river – which again, children are encouraged to do so.

I am so thankful I used to bring changes of clothes, just in case we had accidents.  (Or just in case this happened) :

The above picture is actually from the Milwaukee County Zoo, but you get what I am saying, I pack extra clothes so that my kid can act like a kid.

What was her number one, favorite activity in the children’s garden?  Butterflies – because the Chicago Botanic Garden has that, seasonally, too.

I told Tawbs over and over and over again – butterflies are fragile.  You cannot poke or pick at them.  Be careful where you step.  If they land on you, they get to stay on you, it is part of the deal.  And Tawbs wanted a butterfly to land on her so badly.  We have a bird at home who will walk on your finger if you show him your finger.  Tawbs was certain that the little butterfly would crawl on her finger if she showed the butterfly her finger.  Sadly, no butterflies landed on Tawbs.

Side story – I do not like moths.  Kind of afraid of them.  Really do not like them.  See, I used to clean a laundromat with my mother (and brother) at nights from about 1^st grade until the beginning of high school.  Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, we would head up to the laundromat and clean it.  Now, I liked insects when I was a kid.  I do not mind insects now – so long as they are not invading my house or ruining my stuff.  But as a kid I was fascinated with them.  We were finishing with cleaning, my mom was in the  back locking up and my brother and I were sitting at the side door waiting to leave.  There was this giant, black, furry, moth that was just sitting on the chair next to the wall.  I was young, maybe 7.  I pointed and said “Mom!  Look at the big moth!”  And as soon as I did, the thing flew into the air and flew right into my mouth and tried crawling down my throat!  I screamed in horror!  I tried pushing it out with my tongue, but it just kept trying to crawl down my throat.  I was afraid to reach in my mouth for fear I would squish it or agitate it.  My mother rushed over to my, totally unaware of what was going on.  She was more than concerned, grabbing me by the shoulders.  The moth flapped it wings in my mouth and I was able to force it out of my mouth with my tongue!  My mother, wide eyed, watched as this giant, black, furry, moth flew out of my mouth.  I shook and cried and had nightmares that night.  I had a fear of moths ever since. 

I was in Indianapolis, Indiana with my father, brother, and cousins for the Brick Yard 400.  We were staying at a run-down hotel a ways outside the city and a bit from the track – but we stayed there every year and knew what to expect.  I was outside at night, on the phone with my mother.  I was sitting on the walkway when all of the sudden, out of the sky a winged creature fell down off of the overhand I was sitting under.  It was all white – like a giant lunar moth, but I was not sticking around to look at it.  I stood up, trying to keep composure, my mother still blathering on about I don’t know what, because I was on code red with the biggest giant moth I had ever seen falling out of the night’s sky right in front of me.  I calmly backed towards the door, key card in hand to swipe to unlock the door.  This winged thing started to get up and flop around on the concrete.  My heart was racing.  I swiped the door fob but I was too quick, so it did not register – still locked out.  The moth flopped closer.  I tried the key fob again.  Too quick – locked.  The moth got even closer.  I was now in a panic, screaming and swipping and pulling on the door until it finally worked.  I shot in the door and slammed it shut, looking outside to see the white moth thing flopping around.  My mother was freaking out on the phone as she had no clue what was going on – her daughter was screaming on the other end of the phone.  “Dianne!!  Dianne, are you okay!!???” she was yelling into the phone.  “It was a moth.” I said, out of breath.  “A moth?  All that for a moth?!” she responded.  Well, she called my father who had his phone on speaker and my brother and cousins heard about my trials with this giant white moth, and I did not live it down for the next several years to come.

I do not like moths.  Imagine my surprise when one of the butterfly exhibit attendants came up to me with a smile.  She loved my daughter, just loved Catawba-Lynn – “what a sweetheart!”  Were we in for a surprise!!  There were two caterpillars in the exhibit that would turn in to giant moths!  The moths would only live for a week before passing away.  And the attendant was there to show me exactly where these giant moths were!  I gritted my teeth.  I kept my mouth closed.  I smiled.  “Oh really?” I said.  She pointed directly over my shoulder and there, two huge moths were hanging out side by side.  Thankfully I kept it together because I mean honestly, I can keep it together so long as they are not chasing me or attempting to pry my lips apart and crawl down my throat.  And I was able to get two pictures of them:

It was very nifty to see.  Tawbs loved it.  And I loved that she loved the exhibit.

We got to see some other insects too at the gardens, getting a close up of this one:

When Catawba-Lynn would get bored or tired or hungry, she could hop into the jogger, and I could go for an extensive walk around the perimeter of the garden.  There was a great trail in place.  When I did not want to be on the outside trail, I could head into the prairie and “get lost” in the tall grasses.  It was great to have the option for Catawba-Lynn to learn, play and explore while getting quite a bit of exercise and I being able to do the same thing – exercise.

The garden became our go to walking place.  I phased out at least half of my North Branch Trail walking and replaced it with the Chicago Botanic Garden outings.  I may have been working on losing weight – but it was more important to me that Tawbs had a good healthy foundation which means she needed to be up and moving too.  Catawba-Lynn had such a good time at the Chicago Botanic Garden that I decided to invite friends and family out for my birthday to head down and see the place in 2019.  I got to go to a pumpkin patch on my birthday (there is a vegetable garden there which was growing pumpkins at the time) – and everyone loved it.  Good, healthy, fun feels great!

Have you been to the Chicago Botanic Garden?  I would highly recommend it.  I am looking forward to going again.  I will schedule the whole day for it too.  Excellent place for little to no cost.  Looking forward to writing about the next trail!  Have a great one everyone!