Cantigny Park

When Col. Robert R. McCormick, longtime publisher of the Chicago Tribune and World War I veteran, died in 1955, he left his 500-acre estate to be used for public enjoyment. Located just outside of Chicago, Cantigny Park’s exquisitely cultivated grounds feature brilliant display gardens, serene natural areas, rotating art installations, a children’s playground, visitor center, military museum and 27-hole championship golf course.

Cantigny Park (pronounced “can-TEE-nee”) is named after a small village in France, where America’s first victory in World War I took place. McCormick, a devoted member of the U.S. Army’s First Infantry Division, led an artillery battalion there, and the on-site military museum recounts the history of his division, nicknamed  Big Red One, from its inception in 1917. Outside the museum, tanks and armored vehicles from World War I, Desert Storm and Desert Shield are on display. 

A 3-mile hiking trail runs the perimeter of the park, intersecting with shaded seating areas. Each garden area is themed, like the elegant Rose Garden or the botanically diverse Rock Garden. Native aquatic plants hug the edges of the Gold Pond, and wildflowers and small wetlands can be seen in large swaths of prairieland. In honor of America’s 250th anniversary celebration this year, the park is planning a red, white and blue textile art installation that will serve as the backdrop for a themed experience in the gardens reminiscent of the 1893 Columbian Exposition.

Cantigny Park is also part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and attracts nature lovers and bird-watchers alike, as the park offers plenty of avian diversity with visiting bluebirds and purple martins that make stops in the park each year. 1S151 Winfield Rd., Wheaton, Illinois 60189, 630/668-5161, cantigny.org