Lincoln Park Conservatory

A nice place to go and getaway in Chicago. Worth making a trip to visit and since it is free you can go for a short or long time whatever you prefer.

One of my favorite things I went to in the city! It’s right across the street from the Nature Museum and around the corner from the lily pond. Hitting all three of those up will surely be a healthy dose of nature for the day.
I think the most important part of the Conservatory is that it’s free to the public, so come on in!
I love plants a lot. It says not to touch them, but I do anyway. They need to be told that they’re loved! When you breathe in, they’re just fulfilling your oxygen needs and they don’t even ask for anything in return.
Seriously though, plants are wonderful. In this Conservatory, there are a couple different rooms you can go in and check out. They’re pretty similar in the types of plants shown, but the setup is slightly different between the rooms. There are a couple of places where you can plop down and look at the plants, while «meditative» (slightly creepy, jurassic park music) plays in the background. Got to love it.
Final thought: Keep an eye on your child, please. The plants aren’t meant to be clambered on, or the koi fish disturbed in their habitat. It’s exciting to see all the wonderful plants, but staff shouldn’t have to yell at your child for leaning into the koi pond.

many a fun time had here if you like plants. lots of things to see and do …

Such a beautiful place! Had a mini photoshoot there. Be awarded that it’s very human inside!

Lincoln park is such a great place to spend the day! It has a zoo and a conservatory that’s FREE!

I would put this in the category of really neat places that make Chicago a great place to live. Unless you love conservatories, this is probably not a destination, but it is located right next to Lincoln Park Zoo (it could easily be considered part of the zoo as its front door is probably 50 feet outside an entrance to the zoo). If you are at the zoo or for some other reason in the neighborhood, this is worth checking out. You can’t beat the price (free). The place is meticulously maintained (at least as viewed through the eyes of somebody who doesn’t have a lot of experience with conservatories.) My boy (1 and ½ years old) can probably spend a good hour in the place walking around and not get bored and being engaged by the diverse plants. Same issues with parking for this place as the zoo.

Hidden gem! Everyone always goes to the zoo and rarely makes it here. It’s free and surprisingly large. A bunch of smaller rooms filled with different plants and flowers. Great place to go with your mom on a Sunday afternoon!

I wanted to go here for a long time but I was pretty disappointed. This place is smaller than I thought. I wasn’t too amazed by the plants too. I guess I’ve been spoiled by botanical gardens so this was boring in comparison.

What a beautiful sight in the midst of a rainy winter day. I think I enjoyed it more considering how grey and wet it was outside.
Free admission & located right outside of the Lincoln Park Zoo, I passed by on my way out of the zoo and went in 10 minutes before closing — just enough time to walk through. The conservatory isn’t too large, but it is filled with a spectacular of plants and flowers. They have a room dedicated to just orchids and another one for ferns, but the colorful, full blooming azaleas were my favorite part.
One of the rooms is really humid so watch your phone so it won’t get water damage.

This place was the best thing I could have gone to on a snowy/​icy day. I was a little put off when I walked in, and heard some kid yell out «That’s it??? It’s just a circle???» Turns out that kid was a little pain the butt.
I walked in that circle, then through the rest of the place– and it was amazing. I had signed up for a run, and missed it because I got too caught up here.
If Asheville had a spot like this, I’d be there all the time.

The conservatory is very well kept and the plants inside are gorgeous. I loved the fern room and the orchids they had. For a free experience I had an amazing time gazing at all the gorgeous plants. Thank you Chicago for showing a Bostonian this incredible conservatory!

Walking through the door the smell of a vast forest hits you, something especially welcome during the winter.
There a guides there who are happy to answer any questions you have and who can beat the price of free.
It’s a bit small and maybe not something I’d go out of my way for, but if you’re in Lincoln Park it’s definitely worth a visit.
Parking is $ 5 in the lot but there’s a lot of free street parking on Canon.

I grew up just a few blocks from here — and in the 1960s, 1970s, and even the 1980s, this was THE only place to experience jungles and forests and rose gardens all at the same time during every season.
It is free — it smells fresh and green — and it is warm and lovely in the winter.
This is a wonderful public space — that all can enjoy. And it is half a block east from the Shakespeare statue, half a block north of the Lincoln Park Zoo — and two blocks west of the beach and east of Clark Street where there are restaurants and shops.
So it is very much centrally located.

Loved this little nature corner in Chicago. It was perfect for us considering outside it was a whooping temperature of 9 degrees. Inside is so warm and cozy. You can sit down on their several benches through out the trail. The staff was watering all the plants and trees so it smelled like a tropical forest after a summer rain.
Free entrance, go warm up for few minutes inside ! It took us about 20 minutes to finish it all, not so big but gorgeous !
Thumbs up for the staff for keeping this nature Gem clean and free for us!

One of my favorite places in Chicago, it’s only a 120 yrs older than I am. The indoor portion is like a hideaway from all the traffic, pollution and noise. The outdoor portion is just as beautiful and peaceful «botanical garden». It’s nice that it’s free and right next to Lincoln Park Zoo. So you can spend time at both locations in the same day.
I suggest you park on Stockton for free! People are always in an out so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find.

So beautiful and WARM on this cold winter day! It was really interesting looking at all the different plants and the atmosphere was so relaxing. Definitely recommend stopping here if you’re nearby, combining it with a trip to the Nature Museum, Zoo, and History Museum made a perfect day trip to Lincoln Park for me.

My girlfriends and I took a vacation to Chicago at the end of August 2015, and we decided to visit this conservatory before heading to the zoo on our last day.
We arrived early around 9AM, right as they opened. It was empty and we practically had the entire place to ourselves. The best thing about it is that it’s FREE! I’m not a botanist and I don’t know anything about plants except that they look nice, but I was able to appreciate the upkeep and educational signage. It was refreshing to see all of the plants in the huge greenhouses and fun to walk around and take it all in.

I’m not good with plants. I don’t have the patience to keep them alive, but every time I’m around them in mass quantities I feel happy healthy good.
Since being a kid, one of my favorite smells has been that of a damp dewy musty earth. My dad was a geology major, so family vacations consisted of random cave exploring stops and time with nature. I also remember liking the taste of dirt as a kid. What does any of this have to do with the Conservatory? This place not only triggers a lot of smells from my past, but it’s one of the most beautiful places in Chicago.
On a family outing to the Lincoln Park Zoo, stopping here was an absolute requirement for us. I wasn’t sure my boys would be excited to visit, especially since they were super excited to get on to seeing the monkeys, but they absolutely loved it! Of course the first plant we saw was a banana tree with baby bananas on it, a coffee tree, and then the fun began. From an amazing collection of ferns, to ponds to water fountains, we even saw venus fly traps, and fruit trees. I even got some great ideas for plants that might work for the exterior of my house.
It’s magical here. The gardens will capture your spirit. The smell in the air is clean and fresh. The trees and plants are species from all over the world. Don’t miss the opportunity to pay a visit to the Conservatory. It’s so worth it. And, my greatest piece of advice… don’t forget to breathe.

Lincoln Park Conservatory is definitely a hidden gem especially during the cold winter and wind chills. It’s a free conservatory where you could walk in and take in the wonderful smell of the different flowers. I wouldn’t recommend it if you are allergic to pollen.
Also, there are Easter eggs all of the conservatory. The hidden items are toy dinosaurs in the gardens. It’s definitely worth the trip to warm up in the middle of the winter cold.

Not many attractions are free when you’re on vacation but the Lincoln Park Conservatory was. This place is a short walk from the zoo.
Since many of the rooms are climate controlled, it could feel a bit muggy at times. Overall, the conservatory had a beautiful collection of orchids, palms, and seasonal flower displays.