The Chicago Botanic Garden is easy to find and easy to reach, approximately 20 miles north of Chicago.
The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Illinois.
Getting to the Garden by Car
From Chicago
Follow the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) west to Edens Expressway (I-94) and U.S. Route 41. Exit at Lake Cook Road and travel ½ mile east to the Garden.
From the north
Head south on U.S. Route 41 or I-294. Exit at Lake Cook Road and travel east to the Garden.
From the west
From I-90, take I-294 toward Wisconsin. Exit at Lake Cook Road and travel east four miles to the Garden.
From the south
Take I-294 north, exit at Lake Cook Road, and travel east four miles to the Garden.
From Indiana
Take I-90 or I-80/94 to I-94 northbound through Chicago, and then follow the directions from the city (see above).
Getting to the Garden by Train
The Garden is located near the Braeside Metra train station on Metra's Union Pacific North Line. For a schedule of trains, contact Metra at (312) 836-7000 or metrarail.com.
Once you arrive at the Braeside station, you may walk to the Garden. This is a beautiful and ADA-accessible walk of only .8 mile. Follow the North Branch Trail, which also links bike riders to trails south of the Garden. You may also call the 303 Taxi Cab Company at (847) 729-0303. From the Glencoe Metra station, you may take a Pace bus to the Garden.
For more information, call (847) 835-5440.
Getting to the Garden by Bus
For the most up-to-date information, contact Pace Suburban Bus Service at (847) 836-7000 or pacebus.com.
Bus connections are available from Davis Street in Evanston, and the Glencoe and Highland Park train stations. Take the 213 Pace bus marked “Northbrook Court.” Buses run north and south on Green Bay Road and then west on Lake Cook Road to the Garden. Buses do not run on Sundays or holidays.
Getting to the Garden by Bicycle
Leave the car behind, discover the bike trail, and explore the Garden from a new perspective. The one-mile link between the Green Bay Trail and the North Branch Trail is a multiuse path that passes through the Garden’s McDonald Woods and through Turnbull Woods, which is part of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. In partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Forest Preserves of Cook County, the Garden created this beautiful and accessible trail. Look for interpretive signs describing the moraine, wetland, and woodland regions of the Garden's landscape.
Cyclists can slow down to smell the roses—and the lilacs, geraniums, and other fragrant plants. To allow bicyclists to take a stroll through the gardens, bicycle racks are conveniently located near the Garden's parking lots.
The Garden gates at Lake Cook Road and Dundee Road are open when the grounds are open. No pets, rollerblades, or skateboards are allowed into the Garden.
View/download a map of the bike route on Garden grounds.
View/download a bike map to the Garden.