The Finest Fall Activities in Chicago
The Finest Fall Activities in Chicago
Fall in Chicago is russet-ravishing but short-lived, so make the most of this clement, colourful season with our pick of the best outdoor pursuits, from foodie festivals and fruit-picking to admiring the fall foliage.
Chicago abounds with reddening autumn foliage and peaceful spots from which to enjoy it. A mere 30-minute drive from The Peninsula, Chicago Botanic Garden is a 385-acre eden of four natural habitats and 27 gardens straddling nine islands in the Cook County Forest. The Waterfall Garden is particularly resplendent with its bald cypress, dawn redwood, and larch trees turning a burnished feathery gold. Kick back in the all-season beer garden afterwards.
Just a hop further (at 40 minutes) is the epic Morton Arboretum, an ‘outdoor museum and living tree laboratory’ that is hands-down Chicago’s greatest leafy asset. Make your way through its dense, luscious woodlands and swaying tallgrass prairies on foot or hired bike via one of its many recommended trails – all 1,700 acres of it! There’s also a nifty cafe-restaurant and eco-souvenir shop.
Expect muddy slacks and ruddy cheeks after a day out at Honey Hill Orchard, where adventurous kids can pluck up to 25 varieties of apple from the orchard, race through corn mazes, take a wagon ride, climb hay bales, pet farm animals and run riot in the play area. Grownups, meanwhile, will be glad of the onsite Feeding Trough Kitchen, serving fresh-pressed apple cider, doughnuts and homemade pies. Well worth the 90-minute drive, plus lovely Shabbona Lake State Park is nearby if you still have the legs for a long walk.
With Halloween just around the corner, there’s no better time to gather up your little pumpkins and take them on a fun-filled day trip to the small but perfectly formed Sonny Acres Farm. As well as picking their own pumpkin, and other seasonal gourds, this family-run farm offers hayrides, pony rides, a petting zoo, kiddie corral, cotton candy stand, and Halloween costume and decoration shopping.
The popular, adults-only Bacon and Beer Classic is coming to Soldier Field for the fifth year in a row on 12 October, 2019. Sample over 100 regional and international craft brews with the perfect salty, smoky pork-centric accompaniment courtesy of local vendors including Joy District, Chicago Q, Big Fork, and the Berghoff. Plus games, giveaways, live music and bacon-eating contest. Go all out with the ‘unlimited’ ticket.
Chicago Botanic Garden / 1000 Lake Cook Rd / Glencoe / +1 847 835 5440 / 7am-9pm daily / chicagobotanic.org
Morton Arboretum / 4100 Illinois Highway 53 / Lisle / +1 630 968 0074 / 7am-sunset daily / mortonarb.org
Honey Hill Orchard / 11783 Waterman Rd / Waterman / +1 815 264 3337 / 9am-5.30pm daily / honeyhillorchard.com
Sonny Acres Farm / 29W310 N Ave / West Chicago / +1 630 231 3859 / 10am-6pm daily / sonnyacres.com
Bacon & Beer Classic / 12 Oct, 2019 / Soldier Field / Museum Campus / 1-5pm Sat / baconandbeerclassic.com