Fodor's Expert Review Chicago Botanic Garden

Among the 27 different gardens here are the three-island Malott Japanese Garden, the 5-acre Evening Island, and the Grunsfeld Children's Growing Garden. Three big greenhouses showcase desert, tropical, and semitropical climates where beautiful and fragrant flowers bloom year-round. Weather permitting, 40-minute trams tours ($8) are offered daily from 10 to 4, April through October. Special summer exhibitions include the 7,500-square-foot Model Railroad Garden with 17 garden-scale trains traveling around nearly 50 models of American landmarks, all made from natural materials. Butterflies & Blooms, a 2,800-square-foot white mesh enclosure, is filled with hundreds of colorful butterflies interacting with plant life; an $8 admission fee applies for each.