No matter the time of year, when we visit my daughter’s family in the Chicago area, we always try to schedule a visit to the Morton Arboretum, conveniently located for us right in their town in the western suburbs, Lisle. We gift Sarah and Dan with a family membership every Christmas, and there are always special exhibits, performances, classes or plant sales — in addition to acres and acres of trees, shrubs and flowers — to take in. Founded by Joy Morton (of Morton Salt fame, and whose father founded Arbor Day) in 1922, the Arboretum’s mission is to collect and study trees and plants from around the world and display them in a natural landscape for visitors to enjoy.

This isn’t just some peaceful little park for white-haired garden club members, however. One of the spaces we’ve come to know quite well since our oldest grandson was born is the expansive and entertaining Children’s Garden. Made up of two main areas, Backyard Discovery Gardens and Adventure Woods linked by a central plaza with a picnic pavilion, this area provides a natural playground and a place where kids can learn about the environment and growing things in interactive, get-down-in-the-dirt ways.

On this particular May Saturday, we arrived to check out the newly renovated Wonder Pond habitat, which includes a gentle stream one can splash and wade in   leading to a large pond home to frogs, water plants and other aquatic life. This pond is separated into two sections: one natural and open    and the other shallow and crisscrossed with large slabs of stone, some slightly submerged, creating pathways over and through the water.           One can imagine what a magnet for sweaty kids this would be on a hot summer day, but even on this overcast, cool day, kids and their parents were enjoying getting up close to the tadpoles swarming in the water (those frogs will come later!).

A four-year-old’s attention doesn’t linger long in any one spot, however, even when water and wiggly critters are involved, so we soon turned our attention to the slides, rope obstacle course   and the Treehouse complex nearby.    The latter consists of swaying rope suspension bridges connecting to stationary platforms,  eventually leading to a large treehouse fort/platform, all in an enclosed loop, so kids can’t escape their parents’ supervision by exiting other than where they entered. Running up and down this circuit proved great fun for kids and not-quite-grown-ups (that would be me), although my knees and I had quite a conversation about the wisdom of such activity the next day.

No matter your age or activity level, the Morton Arboretum offers something for everyone. Now through June 21, you can observe Danish artist Thomas Dambo constructing six 15- to 20-foot-tall trolls from reclaimed wood in locations throughout the Arboretum. (We saw one such partially constructed figure — impressive and whimsical — near the entrance gate.) These structures will remain indefinitely upon their completion in late June, and visitors can enjoy a “Troll Hunt” as they travel the roads and trails of this wonderful place.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor