Many of us wait anxiously for spring. It’s finally here! One of my Favorite Things to do outside is to visit Thatcher Woods in River Forest. The primary entrance is at Chicago Avenue and Thatcher Road. It is a nearby way to experience nature and walk in the forest.
Thatcher Woods comprises 245 acres along the Des Plaines River and is home to more than 250 native plant species, 45 bird species and wildlife. This area is a combination of floodplain forest, savanna and prairie. I was fortunate to go on a walking tour sponsored by the Oak Park River Forest Museum in April and experienced the floodplain firsthand, as the parking lot was flooded and we were advised to park on side streets. Our hike was led by John Elliott, who joined the Cook County Forest Preserve as a naturalist in 1976. Before retiring, he was education manager.
John provided many insights on Thatcher Woods. Did you know that the Trailside Museum building, a 16-room Victorian Italian Villa-style mansion built in 1876, was once a school for young ladies and then a boys’ boarding school? It reopened in 1931 as a place to educate the public about plants and animals found in Cook County, with assistance from the Field Museum and the Chicago Academy of Science. The museum displays include the growth of a tree, animal skulls, a dinosaur fossil and an interactive children’s play/learning area. Outside there is a play area and cages with local animals like hawks and owls, which are designated “ambassador animals.” They are permanent residents who, for a variety of reasons, can’t survive in the wild.
Adam Kessel is the Nature Center director at Trailside Museum, 738 Thatcher Ave. in River Forest, 708-366-6530. Since this column is called Favorite Things, I asked him for a few of his. He said, “One of my favorite early spring activities is searching for the first flowers to emerge. Spring ephemerals are plants that use their energy to sprout, bloom, and go to seed before the forest floor becomes shaded by the leaves of trees above. Greeting these flowers each year feels like seeing an old friend after a long absence. At Trailside Museum, we offer many art and nature programs that focus on the inspirations one can gather from the natural world.”
Adam said he also enjoys talking with hikers, birders, anglers, and people discovering the area for the first time. Readers can learn about upcoming programs at the Forest Preserve’s website, https://fpdcc.com/places/locations/trailside-museum-natural-history.
Did you know that Thatcher Woods has a rental event space called Thatcher Woods Pavilion, located north of Chicago Avenue, across from the parking lot for Trailside Museum? It can be rented for meetings, receptions and parties. This space has two meeting rooms that can be used either as a single space or two separate functions, plus a prep kitchen.
Joy Aaronson is an Oak Park resident who writes stories for Wednesday Journal about her favorite things in our community.