Being in Glenview, a suburban village in Cook County Illinois, you get to experience and learn about nature in many different ways, either through arts, sports or all kinds of hands-on activities. Your kids will love to hang out at the museums with lively exhibits or explore their adventurous spirit through climbing. Both adults and children will also get a chance to gain a better understanding of humanity. These activities let you learn different things while being a part of Glenview.
1. Reconnect with nature at Chicago Botanic Garden
Chicago Botanic Garden is in Glencoe, which is a 12-minute drive from Glenview. If you are a plant lover, you will be delighted to come to this place. The gardens are the gems of Chicago Botanic Garden, showcasing different types of plants. You will be dazzled by the waterlilies in the aquatic garden, the jasmine in the Bonsai Collection with a strong fragrance after sunset, the Heritage Garden where plants are displayed like the olden days, blooming lavender in Dixon Prairie, romantic roses in Krasberg Rose Garden and much more.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Address: 1000 Lake Cook Road, 60022 Glencoe, IL
Website: Chicago Botanic Garden
2. Canoe your way through Skokie Lagoons
Located in Glencoe (12 minutes’ drive from Glenview) and Winnetka (9 minutes’ drive from Glenview), Skokie Lagoons is a nature preserve with seven interconnected lagoons. One way to explore Skokie Lagoon thoroughly is to kayak, canoe, rowboat or sailboat on the shallow water. You can mobilize your craft at the public boat launch on the south side of Tower Road or rent a boat from Chicago River Canoe and kayak at the east of Tower Road.
Skokie Lagoons
Address: Skokie Lagoons, Illinois, USA
Website: Skokie Lagoons
3. Get back to nature in Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area
Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area is situated in Riverwood which is a 16-minute drive from Glenview. A great place for you to hike and enjoy some me-time or family time. The trails are clean and sometimes you will be walking on leaves. Following the trail along Des Plaines River, you will see you several historical buildings and venture into woodland.
Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area
Address: 21950 North Riverwoods Road, 60015 Riverwoods, IL
Website: Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area
You might be interested in these Airbnbs!
Upstairs Suite with private full bath-Adults Only
Glenview, Illinois, United States
Garden Suite with Private Full Bath-Adults Only
Glenview, Illinois, United States
Secluded guest house/inlaw apartment with parking
Glenview, Illinois, United States
4. Kids takes pleasure in learning at Kohl Children's Museum
Kohl Children’s museum takes learning to a new level with a combination of fun and education for kids from birth to the age of 8. Your children will be able to engage in exhibits that are specially designed with the principle of Universal Design for them to learn through multi-sensory experiences. It has a total of 17 different interactive exhibits like Adventures in Art where your kids can unleash their inner creativity through painting, clay sculpture, recycled art and more.
Kohl Children's Museum
Address: 2100 Patriot Boulevard, 60026 Glenview, IL
Website: Kohl Children’s Museum
5. Cultivate your knowledge of nature at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
Brushwood Center is another paradise inside Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area. This place offers an opportunity for you to connect with nature via art, photography, music, literature, film and more. Get involved in programs such as Botanical Art Workshops teaching you basic painting and drawing skills and the Environmental Graphiti exhibition using contemporary art to educate you about the science of climate change. These are just some examples of activities, so update yourself with the current ones on the website during your visit.
Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
Address: 21850 N. Riverwoods Rd, 60015 Riverwoods, IL
Website: Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
6. Challenge your kids' limits at Funtopia
Funtopia is where kids can challenge themselves in conquering their fear and anxieties through climbing. The place is creative with different kinds of climbing adventures, not just reach the top kind of climbing. Two of the challenges, suitable for aged 5 and above, are Ropes Courses which can train your balance, coordination, strength, and endurance through different levels and The Rocktopia Cave for you to probe through different wonders of the cave like rocks, stalactiteс, stalagmites and cave pearls.
Funtopia
Address: 2050 Tower Dr, 60026 Glenview IL
Website: Funtopia
7. The Grove, where nature meets history
The land was a forest that transformed from a glacier, but under the circumstances of climate change, it turned into prairies. The Grove is the remaining forest on the prairies. It then became the home of Native Americans until horticulturist and educator Dr. John Kennicott brought his family and settled there. His son developed his love for nature and founded Chicago Academy of Sciences.
The Grove
Address: 1421 Milwaukee Ave, 60025 Glenview, IL
Website: The Grove
8. Connecting to nature in both extreme and moderate ways at Harms Woods
Harms Woods is divided into two sides by the Chicago River. In the east, a big part is covered by wet woodlands where there is a shaded North Branch Trail that attracts hikers, dog-walkers, cyclists, in-line skaters and cross-country skiers. Also in the east, there are unpaved trails winding through where you can catch a glimpse of birds, such as woodpeckers and warblers migrating along the river during spring and fall.
Harms Woods
Address: Harms Rd, 60025 Glenview, IL
Website: Harms Woods
9. Learn humanity through history in Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
You will need a 13-minute drive to reach Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center from Glenview. The purpose of this museum is to honor the remembrance of the lost by educating us about sympathy and battling against hatred, preconception, and indifference. The museum carries out this mission through different exhibits like Legacy of Absence Gallery which educates people about the abiding effect of the Holocaust, genocide and human rights abuses through contemporary art, photographs, multimedia installations by world-renowned artists and Karkomi Holocaust Exhibition which lead you through pre-war and post-war life and Holocaust and liberation.
Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center
Address: 9603 Woods Drive, 60077 Skokie, IL
10. Be amazed by the nature diversity of Gallery Park
Gallery Park is gifted with diverse landscape: lake and wetlands, naturalistic landscapes, formal or structured landscape and woodlands. Countless activities such as fishing, paddle boating, canoeing, and kayaking can be done on the Lake Glenview, surrounded by walking trails. Around the lake are the wetland areas with shallow waters supporting the habitat of multiple living creatures. The islands and canoe channels in the lake make your canoe experience more interesting.
Gallery Park
Address: 2001 Patriot Blvd, 60026 Glenview, IL
Website: Gallery Park
Let traveling be your teacher
Learning is the appendant of traveling. Through the activities above, you will get a handful of knowledge of nature, humanity, and arts. Your kids might also overcome some of his fears. Despite being a little village, Glenview teaches you things you might not learn in your daily lives.