Lurie Garden, Chicago

Just south of Millennium Park鈥檚 Great Lawn, where joggers trot and selfies happen on a near-industrial scale, lies something quieter鈥攂ut no less ambitious: the Lurie Garden. Now, this isn鈥檛 your grandma鈥檚 flower patch. Clocking in at 2.5 acres, it tosses out the old 19th-century garden rules and instead goes full prairie chic鈥攚ith over 130 native plant species doing their thing right in the middle of downtown Chicago.

Designed by a globe-trotting trio鈥擪athryn Gustafson from Seattle, Piet Oudolf from the Netherlands, and Robert Israel from L.A.鈥攖his living artwork features a dramatic 15-foot-tall 鈥渟houlder hedge.鈥� This leafy wall is a tribute to Carl Sandburg鈥檚 poetic depiction of Chicago as the "stormy, husky, brawling, City of the Big Shoulders." A bonus here is the beautiful illumination at night...

Now, talking of its layout, there's a tidy boardwalk called The Seam slicing through the garden, tracing the ghost of old lakefront retaining walls. On one side, you鈥檝e got the Dark Plate鈥攎oody, shady, and woodsy鈥攚hile on the other: the Light Plate鈥攕unny, breezy, full of perennials living their best life.

Curious souls can dive deeper on Sunday guided tours, running from mid-May to September. The tours leave every 15 minutes from the BP Bridge, starting at 10 am. It鈥檚 casual, it鈥檚 enlightening, and it doesn鈥檛 cost a dime.

This peaceful prairie hangout sandwiched between skyscrapers is officially recognized as the world鈥檚 largest green roof. Plus, it鈥檚 small enough not to wear out your feet鈥攚hich, speaking of...

Pro tip:
That cool little stream running through the garden 鈥� yes, you can dip your feet in. Your toes will thank you.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Chicago. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Lurie Garden
Sight Location: Chicago, USA (See walking tours in Chicago)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Millennium and Grant Parks Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Chicago, Illinois

Create Your Own Walk in Chicago

Creating your own self-guided walk in Chicago is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Chicago Introduction Walking Tour

Chicago, perched on the shores of Lake Michigan in Illinois, is a city steeped in history and urban vibrancy. Known by numerous nicknames such as the Windy City and the City of Big Shoulders, it boasts a skyline marked by towering structures. The area of today's Chicago, initially inhabited by Native American tribes, saw its first European-settled reference as "Chicagou" in 1679, a... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.9 Km or 2.4 Miles

University of Chicago Walking Tour

Founded in 1890, the University of Chicago is among the world鈥檚 most prestigious educational institutions. As of 2020, the University鈥檚 students, faculty and staff have included 100 Nobel laureates, giving it the fourth-most affiliated Nobel laureates of any university.

Set in the heart of Chicago鈥檚 famous eclectic neighborhood, Hyde Park, the campus is worth a visit as it offers a... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.5 Km or 1.6 Miles

Millennium and Grant Parks Walking Tour

The city of Chicago is renowned for its outdoor green spaces. One such 鈥渇orever free and open鈥� space, is called Grant Park and was established in 1844. In fact, upon foundation, it was called Lake Park, but was renamed in 1901 after the American Civil War General and United States President, Ulysses S. Grant.

Popularly referred to as 鈥淐hicago's front lawn,鈥� this lakefront park is... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles

Chicago Old Town Walking Tour

Settled in 1850 by German immigrants, Chicago鈥檚 Old Town neighborhood is a popular destination for locals and visitors who cater to the entertainment venues, restaurants, pubs, coffee shops and boutiques 鈥� all of which have turned an area once referred to as the 鈥淐abbage Patch鈥� into an attraction that rivals Navy Pier, Wrigley Field and the Magnificent Mile.

Start your Old Town walking... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.6 Km or 1.6 Miles

Chicago Chinatown Walking Tour

Tucked away just south of the Loop, the Chinatown of Chicago was established in 1912 and is considered one of the best examples of American Chinatown. While it may be one of Chicago鈥檚 smallest neighborhoods geographically, it is big on character, colors, sights, sounds, and flavors. Here, you鈥檒l find a wide range of unique boutiques, specialty shops, religious sights, authentic Chinese... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles

Loop District Architecture Walking Tour

The Chicago Loop District鈥攅ssentially the city鈥檚 historic downtown鈥攈as long been a stage for architectural innovation and an open-air museum of American architecture.

The construction boom started after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed much of the central business district, gave architects a blank canvas to rebuild the city from the ground up. What followed was a surge of... view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.7 Km or 2.9 Miles

View all walking tours in Chicago, Illinois

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