Come and enjoy a program, browse our displays, or discover something new outside. View and learn about live native animals, walk on winding trails through oak woodlands, and learn about the ecology and natural wonders of our local Forest Preserve at a nature program or guided walk. The Museum features an indoor children's area, educational displays about local nature, live animals such as turtles, owls and more, and an outdoor Nature Play area. Trailside Museum is free to visit, family-friendly, and a popular destination for school field trips and scout groups. Parking is also free, in a lot on the south side of Chicago Ave., or along the street on Thatcher Ave. About Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Don’t you sometimes just want to escape? Explore the natural beauty of Cook County for an hour, a
day or even a night. When you’re surrounded by 70,000 acres of wild and wonderful, there’s no
better place to feel free. This page has been created for the Forest Preserves of Cook County (LOCATION: Trailside Museum of Natural History) and its visitors to share news, ideas and events. We welcome your engagement and feedback, but
comments posted by a member of the public are the opinion of the poster only, and do not
necessarily imply endorsement of or reflect the opinions or policies of the Forest Preserves. Comments containing any of the following content will not be permitted and are subject to removal
and/or restriction at any time and without prior notice:
• Obscene, sexual or pornographic content and/or language
• Content that promotes discrimination by the government on the basis of race, age,
religion, gender or other protected class
• Private, personal information published without consent
• True threats to any person
• Conduct that violates any federal, state, or local law or encourages illegal activity
• Spam, commercial promotions or links to malware or viruses
• Actual defamation
The Forest Preserves reserves the right to deny access to our social media sites for any individual
who repeatedly violates the Forest Preserves social media policy, at any time and without prior
notice. All comments posted to any Forest Preserves social site are bound by the social media
platform’s terms of use or code of conduct. Users who enter private or personal information do so at their own risk, and the Forest Preserves is
not responsible for any damages resulting from the public display of, or failure to remove, private or
personal information. Content posted on the Forest Preserves of Cook County’s social media sites
may be subject to disclosure under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act and retention under the
Local Records Act. This policy and terms of use may be amended from time-to-time, without further notice.
