Arboretum, Art, Botanical Garden, Children's, Culture, General, History, Historic House, Library, Military

Located in Wheaton, Ill., this sprawling, 500-acre park is where families wander through nature, get lost in history, play golf at an award-winning course, attend a big band concert, tag monarch butterflies, make a snow globe, take classes, introduce children to the age-old custom of afternoon tea, attend a wide variety of special programs and events --in short, spend quality time together.

In addition to vast formal gardens and picnic and camping grounds, Cantigny offers two history-rich museums: the Robert R. McCormick Museum and the Cantigny First Division Museum, fascinating for children and researchers alike.

Botanical Garden, Historic House

Botanical Garden, Science

With "wows" around every corner, the Chicago Botanic Garden is a 385-acre living museum featuring 23 display gardens, including Evening Island, Fruit & Vegetable, Japanese and English Walled. Ths mission of the Chicago Botanic Garden is to promote the enjoyment, understanding and conservation of plants and the natural world.