It was cold outside today, unseasonably cold.  Too cold to do anything outside, so we decided to go to the park – the indoor park.  How many of you have been to the Garfield Park Conservatory?  Probably not many.  Most people we talk to don’t even know it exists.  If you haven’t been there, it’s worth checking out for a Date Day.  If you have been there, it’s worth going again.

The Conservatory, one of the largest in the country, was designed by landscape architect Jens Jensen and opened in 1908.  To say it’s impressive is an understatement.  The inside of the Conservatory is comprised of 8 distinct zones and takes up over 2 acres.  The ceilings are covered in glass, stretch to 65 feet high and almost make you feel like you’re outside.  We enjoy spending a few hours here every now and then.  It’s a very calm and relaxing environment and there is never a crowd.  We each have our favorites, but always visit all the areas when we are there.

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The Palm House is designed to mimic a tropical landscape and is the largest room in the Conservatory.  It contains over 70 palm trees, including one that that reaches to the ceiling.  Make sure you look for the small fountain on the right side of the room.  There’s always an interesting image, made of pennies, at its bottom.  We love wandering around this room, but it can get quite hot and humid.

The Fern Room is meant show what Illinois may have looked like millions of years ago.  It’s a rocky and swampy landscape that is teaming with ferns and other plants that thrive in similar conditions.  On this trip, we learned that ferns don’t have seeds or flowers.  They reproduce through spores (like mushrooms).  This room also has a waterfall, a small lagoon full of fish and a family of turtles.  If you are with kids, and ask nicely, you may be able to feed the fish.  Just don’t ask around a lot of people as they try to keep this “feature” quiet.

The Desert House is Tom’s favorite.  It’s a nice respite from the heat and humidity of the other houses and contains a huge array of cacti and succulents.  There are hundreds of strange and fascinating plants to see in this house.  Everything from small rock-like plants to huge agave and saguaro cacti.  We enjoy playing the, “What does that one look like?” game, as we stroll amongst the plants.  Theresa usually see’s whiskers, animals and candy, while Tom tends to see sea monsters and sexually related body parts.  It must be that Mars and Venus thing.

The Aroid House, or Houseplant House, is filled with lots of familiar looking plants.  Aroids are very tolerant of low light conditions and therefore make prefect houseplants.  We usually spend just enough time in this room to check out Chihuly’s Persian Lilies.  These, mostly yellow, glass sculptures add a bit of vibrant color to an otherwise almost all dark green room.

Other houses in the Conservatory include a Children’s Garden, complete with climbing platform and slide amongst the plants and the Sugar from the Sun room.  This room features plants and trees that produce edible fruits, herbs and spices.  Here we saw the largest lemons we have ever seen, vanilla pods growing on their vines and many different types of ginger.

Last, but not least, is Theresa’s favorite.  The Show House.  This large and open room is where the Conservatory stages their annual flower shows.  Today, we saw; Hashtag No Filters.  This show is a dazzling array of colors and smells and worth the trip on its own.

The Conservatory may not be in the greatest neighborhood in Chicago, but if you stick to the private parking lot you will be fine.  It’s worth a visit.

Lunchtime, lunchtime, lunchtime.  What to do?  Today we headed to the West Loop to check out the Little Goat Diner.