Plan a Visit

Address: 125 W Fullerton Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60614

Hours: 7:30am to the earlier of dusk or 7:30pm mid-April to mid-November, weather permitting. The Lily Pool is closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday the weekend of the Chicago Air and Water Show.

Daytime Phone: (773) 883-7275

Chicago Park District 24-Hour Security: (312) 747-2193

Handicap Accessibility: The Lily Pool is handicapped accessible, except for a section of the main walkway adjacent to the waterfall. Wheelchair entrance and adjacent parking can be accessed on Cannon Dr. just south of Fullerton Pkwy before entering the Lincoln Park Zoo parking kiosks.

Docent Tours: Volunteer docents are on-site mid-May to October Fridays from 1pm-4pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-4pm. Private or group tours are available by appointment with at least seven days advance notice. Please call the Lincoln Park Conservancy office.

Please note, the Docent program is currently on hold in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Permits: Events, professional photography, and filming require a permit in advance – contact us at (773) 883-7275.

Visitor Etiquette: While visiting the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, please:

• Wear a mask and practice social distancing during your visit.
• Please follow a counter clockwise path through the Lily Pool to reduce face to face interactions and increased risk of exposure to Covid-19 during the Pandemic.
• Stay on the public paths – do not climb on the waterfall, rock ledges, or trees.
• Wildlife depend on flowers for food, please do not pick flowers.
• Wildlife eat a healthy, natural diet, please do not feed them human food.
• Food and beverages can attract unwanted pests, do not bring food or beverages (except water) into the Lily Pool.
• Skateboards and bicycles can be dangerous to other visitors, do not ride bicycles or skateboards in the Lily Pool.
• Coins are harmful to aquatic wildlife, do not throw coins into the pond.
• Supervise children and refrain from playing music so everyone may enjoy the quiet of a Lily Pool visit.

Address: 2391 N Stockton Dr., Chicago, IL 60614 

Under public health safety guidelines, the Lincoln Park Conservancy and Chicago Park District are excited to announce that the Lincoln Park Conservatory is open to the public on a limited basis.

Hours: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, last admission at 2:00 pm. 

(Hours posted on the Park District Web page may not be accurate.)

Registration required for entry. Timed entry every 15-minutes from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, all guests must exit by 3:00 pm. 

A limited number of pre-registered, timed-access tickets to enter the Lincoln Park Conservatory will be released every Friday at 7:00 am, one week prior to the visitation date.

To reserve a ticket, visit our Eventbrite page or find button below. Please be sure to review the Covid-19 required changes described here. 

Important! Please arrive at the START of your ticket time. Due to Covid-19 precautions, late arrivals may be denied entry.

Daytime Phone: (312) 742-7736 

Handicap Accessibility: Two wheelchairs are available for your convenience while visiting the Conservatory, but must remain within the building. Wheelchairs are free and may be borrowed on a first-come, first-served basis, with a credit card or driver’s license, which will be held for deposit until the wheelchair is returned. 

Currently, because of Covid-19 safety protocols requiring a one-way path through the Conservatory, wheel chairs, strollers, walkers and other wheeled devices may be limited to the Palm Room.

Detailed Covid-19 mitigation measures: 

• To ensure safety, the number of people admitted at one time  is at reduced capacity to help ensure social distancing. 
• Hour-long reservations, consisting of one circuit through the Conservatory, are available with timed-entry every 15-minutes from 10am to 3pm Friday through Sunday, with the last entry at 2pm. 
• It is crucial to our continued operation that you arrive on time at the START of your visit. If you are more than five minutes late your tickets may be canceled and given to someone waiting at the Conservatory. 
• At this time, we are allowing 15 people to enter the Conservatory every 15 minutes. Visits must be booked in advance. A limited number of tickets may be released if ticket holders don’t arrive for their scheduled visit.

• All visitors and staff are required to wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth at all times and social distance during their visit. 
• All visitors to the Conservatory are required to follow a counter clockwise path through the four rooms, no backtracking will be allowed. Please make sure to visit restrooms before or after your visit as no re-entry is allowed at this time. Only one circuit of the Conservatory at this time. 
• All visitors are encouraged to complete a COVID self check (available on the ticket page) before visiting the Conservatory. If you have are experiencing symptoms because of an unknown cause, please stay home.   

Docent Tours: Due to COVID restrictions, docent tours of the Conservatory are temporarily on hold. Check back for more information as we hope to offer tours later this year. 

Visitor Etiquette: While visiting the Conservatory & Gardens, please: 

• Wear a mask over nose and mouth at all times and practice social distance. 
• Only travel once through the Conservatory, following a counter clockwise circuit through the display rooms.

• Stay on the public paths. 
• Leave all flowers and fruits where you find them for others to enjoy. Do not pick flowers or touch the plants. 
• Food and beverages can attract pests that damage plants, please do not eat or bring food into the conservatory. 
• The fish and turtles are on a controlled diet, please don’t feed them.
• The metal in coins can be harmful to the fish, please don’t throw coins into their pools. 
• Supervise your children so everyone may enjoy their Conservatory visit. 

Read more Frequently Asked Questions about visiting the Conservatory LPC-FAQ-Reopen2021

2021 Flower Show Calendar 

• Spring Flower Show: Pretty in Pink, official dates March 13 to May 9, 2021
• Winter Flower Show: Poinsettias – theme and dates TBD 

To learn more about the Conservatory visit our Conservatory project page. 

Covid-19 compliant, one-directional path through the Lincoln Park Conservancy.

COVID-19 Self Check

All visitors are encouraged to complete this self check before visiting the Conservatory.

• Have you, or anyone in your household, had any of the following symptoms because of an unknown cause in the last 14 days: Fever (temperature over 100.3 F), Cough, Sore Throat, Shortness of Breath, a Loss of Smell or Taste.

• Have you, anyone in your household, or anyone you have been in close contact with, been diagnosed with COVID-19, or been placed on quarantine for possible contact with COVID-19 in the past 14 days?

• Have you or anyone in your household traveled to a high transmission area outside of Illinois or the country in the past 14 days?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please schedule your visit for another date. We look forward to welcoming you then.

Address: The 15-acre sanctuary is located in Lincoln Park between Fullerton and Diversey Parkways, and Stockton and Cannon Drives.

Hours: 6 am to 11 pm every day

Daytime Phone: (773) 883-7275

Handicapped Accessibility: The North Pond Nature Sanctuary is handicapped accessible, except for certain mulched shoreline paths and the fly-casting pier.

Visitor Etiquette: While visiting North Pond Nature Sanctuary, please:

• No fishing — the pier is for fly-casting practice only.
• Protect habitat by staying on the paths.
• Do not pick flowers or remove natural elements.
• Dogs and bicycle-riding are not allowed on the shoreline nature trails.
• For their own safety, please keep dogs leashed and out of the water.
• No swimming or boating allowed.
• Keep off ice in winter

Why We Ask You Not to Feed Wildlife:

• Feeding birds at the Pond is a fun interaction, but harmful in the long run. Human food is not meant for their digestion, and leftovers attract rodents.
• Feeding waterfowl can disrupt natural migratory behavior.
• Feeding ducks and geese increases their numbers and alters the ecosystem. Huge flocks of these birds pollute the water and litter the lawn with their droppings. When birds are crowded, diseases spread more quickly.
• Birds need natural nutrients from a diet of plants, seeds, and insects. Bread and human food are like junk food, filling their stomachs with unhealthy food that can make them sick. It also discourages birds from foraging for natural food.
• Feeding causes dependency on people and make birds susceptible to human abuse or harm when they become trusting of everyone they approach.
• Feeding wildlife makes them bold. When animals lose their natural fear of humans, it causes uncomfortable, even fearful, encounters with park visitors who do not trust or like such close encounters with wild animals.