Lincoln Park Conservatory

The Lincoln Park Conservatory is a Victorian glasshouse at 2391 N Stockton Dr in Lincoln Park, on Chicago's North Side in Illinois. Built in 1895, it is one of the oldest surviving conservatories in the United States and admission is free. The building is divided into four main display houses: the Palm House with tall tropical palms, the Fernery with a rock-lined pool and ferns inspired by prehistoric landscapes, the Orchid House with seasonal blooms, and the Show House, which hosts changing flower displays through the year. Visitors walk through warm, humid rooms where tropical plants, bromeliads and rare orchids grow beneath a glass roof. Seasonal shows, such as spring and fall flower displays and holiday exhibits, change the look of the Show House. The visit is short, usually 30 to 60 minutes, so it works well as a stop next to Lincoln Park Zoo or the nearby Nature Boardwalk. Crowds are small on weekday mornings and larger on winter weekends, when the warm interior is a draw during cold weather. Rainy days and winter are the best times for the indoor greenery. For photographs, the Fernery pond, the arched palm house windows and the colorful flower displays in the Show House are popular. The outdoor gardens and the Grandmother's Garden next to the conservatory are also worth a walk in warmer months. The conservatory is reached by CTA bus 151 or 22, or by walking about 15 minutes from the Armitage station on the Brown and Purple Lines.