Chicago's Wooded Island

Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux are famous for designing large parks like New York's Central Park and smaller parks as well like the 16 acre Paul Douglas Nature Sanctuary, also known as Chicago's Wooded Island. It is a place of sanctuary in the middle of the hub bub of one of the biggest and busiest cities in the country. It sits in the middle of 1050 acre Jackson Park, which was created by Olmsted and Vaux at 6401 S. Stony Island Avenue.

Wooded island is untouched by the modern world, making it a sanctuary for 250 species of birds, so be sure to bring your camera and binoculars. Back in 1893, Chicago was host to the World Columbian Exposition, one of the original World's Fair and today you can still see some of what was created on Wooded Island for that. If you go to the south side of the island, you can see the remains of the original Rose Garden, fenced off from the public, but a bit of history non the less.

Wooded Island is not left to the wild life all the time. There are festivals held at the Osaka Japanese Garden on the north end of the garden. Every year in September there is a Japanese Tea Ceremony held in the Osaka Japanese Garden in Chicago's Wooded Island. Admission is always free, you just pay for the tea.

Chicago's Wooded Island is not a place to come for excitement and playgrounds. It is a place to come to for a chance to walk among some of the grandest natural beauty. That is the way Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux envisioned it would be. They had the magic touch that could create a peaceful oasis in the middle of commotion. Somehoe it seems they knew how busy cities like Chicago were going to be and created their parks to withstand the onslaught of the modern age and when you consider they did it almost 150 years ago, it is almost like they used a crystal ball.

So, the next time you are in Chicago, take some time to come to Jackson Park, walk across the bridge to Wooded Island and let the cares of the day slip away. Believe me, you will not be alone. There will be many others who need the same break as you do and Wooded Island is one of the few places that will fill the bill. Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux will be very happy you did.