Back in June I was treated to a wonderful afternoon with my daughter Sarah at the Morton Arboretum, located in Lisle, Ill., one of Chicago’s western suburb villages. In exchange for enduring having both daughters living far from our home in Oregon, my husband and I have enjoyed at least a couple of trips to Chicago each of the last few years. Each time we get to explore new places and try out new restaurants; and Sarah, knowing my love of the outdoors and gardening, made an excellent choice in introducing me to this 1,700-acre treasure. We drove to it easily on a very warm and humid afternoon, located as it is just north of Interstate 88 and straddling Illinois 53. The arboretum was founded by Joy Morton, who founded the Morton Salt company in Chicago in 1885. His father had been Grover Cleveland’s secretary of agriculture and originator of Arbor Day, so Morton’s interest in trees and such came naturally. Starting from his family’s Thornhill Estate in 1922 when he was 65, Joy oversaw its development until his death in 1934, when the arboretum encompassed just over 700 acres. After that his family and a board of directors continued to grow the area to its present size. It is an impressive complex of roads, trails, special gardens and groves. A fairly recent renovation has added an attractive visitors center with restaurant, gift shop and meeting and educational facilities. We weren’t too surprised to see that there were at least two wedding parties on the grounds that day, for one couldn’t ask for a more beautiful setting for an outdoor wedding, with lakes and formal plantings backed by gentle hills covered with mostly hardwood forests.  Because of the heat, we decided to hop the tram for a half-hour guided tour of the highlights of the place, and then afterwards we picked a few short trails to wander on our own. There seems to be something for everybody here: a 5-acre Children’s Garden which lets the kids climb, splash and play while adults find their way through the formal boxwood maze, get gardening advice from experts at the plant clinic or just enjoy the grounds. A glance at the events schedule showed that all through the summer months there are outdoor concerts to suit any taste, theatrical performances and “flicks in the forest,” seminars and exhibits, in addition to guided hikes and nature walks and all kinds of flora- and fauna-related activities. Our brief visit to the arboretum made me wish for more time there and a chance to come back in other seasons. By late June we had missed the exuberant blossoms of the spring, and we were of course too early for the vibrant colors of fall. I was also curious to see the 100-acre tall-grass prairie and a few more of the specialty gardens. Guess that just means I’ll have to plan future trips to Chicago to coincide with the seasons and schedule time to get out to the Arboretum again! If you have a chance to visit Chicago (or are lucky enough to live in the area), I could easily recommend time spent here, especially if you are ready for a little time outside of the city and in the open. –Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader