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The Conservatory Celebrates Its 100 Year Birthday!

 

The Garfield Park Conservatory along with the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance welcomes you to explore our site and discover the treasures within this historic Chicago botanical conservatory.

 

Did you know that Chicago’s botanical gem under glass, the Garfield Park Conservatory, has been home to rare tropical plants for almost 100 years? (The Garfield Park Conservatory opened to the public in April of 1908.) So grab your party hats, and get ready to help us celebrate the Garfield Park Conservatory’s birthday all year long during our  Centennial Celebration.

During your visit, make sure to brush up your Conservatory history. The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance is offering a number of exciting programming events that will enhance the family-oriented visitor’s experience of both history and horticulture.

 Become A Member

 

The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, a non-profit organization, strengthens community through the unique combination of the Garfield Park Conservatory Campus, other botanical resources, and the engagement of community members.

With its innovative programs, the Alliance enhances the environmental, social and economic vitality of Chicago’s West Side and encourages the larger community to explore the fundamental connection between plants and life. Membership in the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance supports one of Chicago's great botanical resources.

So step into our world and step into another place and time, where it's always warm and lush, where you will be surrounded by some of the most historic and dramatic architecture of our time. [JOIN NOW]

 

ADDRESS

Garfield Park Conservatory
300 N. Central Park Ave.
Chicago, IL 60624-1996
 

HOURS

The Garfield Park Conservatory is "Open Every Day of the Year" like its sister facility, the Lincoln Park Conservatory.

 

Daily Hours: 9 am - 5 pm
Thursday: 9 am - 8 pm
  

TELEPHONE

(312) 746-5100

 

FAX

(773) 638-1777  

 

 

"Flower Power" Summer Flower Show

Our summer tropical show will feature showy flowering plants in addition to those selected for colorful foliage. The theme “Flower Power” will be enriched by a soundtrack of hit 60’s and 70’s songs playing in Horticulture Hall that include flower and plant names in them. The show opens Saturday June 7th and runs through Sunday September 28th.  [MORE]

 

 

 

The Greenest Show On Earth

The Conservatory opened to the public in April 1908.  To honor
and commemorate the Centennial of this significant structure the Chicago Park District, the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, and other civic and cultural institutions will partner to present a series
of events celebrating this important milestone.  [MORE]

The Legacy Music Series:
A Celebration of Diversity in Music

It’s time you discovered our oasis in the city – and immersed yourself in sound and celebration during exciting evening performances on our Bluestone Terrace.  We’re Chicago’s only venue where you can tour legendary greenhouses en route to an outdoor concert space.  So while you’re catching an eyeful of grand palms, spectacular succulents and the Sugar from the Sun exhibit, you’ll be getting an earful of some of the most innovative and
intriguing performers yet assembled.  [MORE]

 

  

Become A Member - It's Easier Than Ever!

When you become a member of the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, you’ll have access to some of the most beautiful landscape architecture in the world and a collection of the most exotic plants ever found under glass … and that’s just during normal visiting hours! Membership in supports one of Chicago's great botanical resources. [JOIN NOW]

 

  

 

 

Sugar from the Sun Now Open

1,850 plants 200 tons of stone 3,900 linear feet of steel.  Built in the former Sweet House, this ground-breaking immersion experience will plunge visitors into the life of the Conservatory’s tropical collection – from mangos and bananas to oranges and papayas. Visitors will use all five senses as they experience how a plant uses air, water and light to make sugar -- the energy source not only for plants, but for all life on earth.  [MORE]

 

 

 

Conserve-A-Story Exhibit: A Collaborative Exhibition Celebrating A Neighborhood's Unwritten History!

Opening April 10th in the Community Room as part of Garfield Park Conservatory’s Centennial Celebration, “Conserve-A-Story” will unveil some of the untold stories of the surrounding area through the eyes of those who have lived here. This exhibition is a collaborative community project, in which residents showcase neighborhood history through a collection of narratives and portraits.!  [MORE]

 

 

 

Get Ready! Get Set! Grow! Kid & Family Fun!

The Conservatory is a fantastic place to bring family members of all ages. Something’s always growing, and there’s always something new to discover! To make your “growing” experience here even more enjoyable, we offer a number of special educational opportunities FREE for kids and families!  [MORE]

 

 

 

Teachers Enhance Your School Field Trip

Teachers are invited to lead their groups through the collection of the Conservatory at no cost. Or they may enhance their existing curricula by reserving an Exploration Kit to use within the unique and exotic plant collection that is found at one of the world’s
largest conservatories!  [MORE]

 

 

 

Museum of Botany: Plants Have Ancestors

As a tribute to the Conservatory's historic role as the Museum of Botany (a name bestowed by the City of Chicago in 1931), a section of the Show House becomes a botanical museum. This living time capsule not only displays important plants of past decades, but addresses botanical concepts that bring to the forefront the role a conservatory plays in the enduring connection between people and plants!  [MORE]

 

 

 

Inspired By Nature — A New Conservatory Book

Published in honor of the centennial, "Inspired by Nature: The Garfield Park Conservatory and Chicago's West Side " blossoms into a living history that looks to the future, and covers everything from the history of the conservatory and Garfield Park to the revival of the surrounding community. This fascinating and comprehensive volume includes historical essays, archival photography and plans, as contemporary photography. [BUY NOW]

 

 

 

Volunteer at the Garfield Park Conservatory!

Enjoy the beautiful, lush surroundings of the Garfield Park Conservatory while sharing your time and skills as a volunteer. Opportunities abound! The Conservatory is undergoing a revitalization of its buildings and programs. We are looking for motivated and committed volunteers of all ages to lend a hand and share their skills. Join our team today!  [MORE]

 

 

Join Us On For Our Summer ID Walk

Learn how to identify city trees through the seasons with Treekeeper Jim DeHorn of Openlands Project. We will explore the trees of the beautiful and historic Garfield Park. Dress appropriately for weather. These walks take place rain or shine. The Summer Tree ID Walk is free and takes place July 18th from
10 am – Noon. Meet in the Conservatory Lobby.  [MORE]