Liberty Prairie Reserve
Lake County, Illinois

Begin your adventure at the Conservancy farmhouse by picking up literature and maps for a self-guided tour. You’ll also find brochures describing Conservancy programs such as their Eco-Explorer Summer Camp for 8-to-11-year olds, field trips to identify animal tracks, and workshops on the Reserve's wildlife.

Next, turn the corner to visit the Prairie Crossing market (Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. June 30 until mid-November) that sells only organically grown produce and fruits in season, eggs, honey, and prairie flowers (bring cash). After you’ve filled your tote bags, stay for the 10:00 a.m. event, perhaps a magic show, ukulele-strumming folksinger, or sheep herding.

Continue with a stroll along the meandering paths that loop through clusters of Prairie Crossing homes nestled in sweeps of blazing star, penstemon digitalis, and prairie dock, and the butterflies (mulberry wing, great spangled frittillary, silvery checkerspot, and monarch) flitting through bluestem and Indian grass, or hug the shorelines of ponds pulsating with the voices of chorus, bull, and green peeper frogs. This conservation community prizes its pesticide-free surroundings and energy efficient construction on a scant 30 percent of the land, with the remainder devoted to open spaces.

A mile northwest of the Crossing, visit some of the gingerbread Victorians scattered about the crossroads town of Grayslake. Call the Grayslake Historical Society for information (847) 223-7663.