Explore the Garden
• Aquatic Garden
• Bonsai Collection
• Bulb Garden
• Children's Growing
Garden
• Circle Garden
• The Crescent
• Dwarf Conifer Garden
• Enabling Garden
• English Oak Meadow
• English Walled Garden
• Esplanade
• Evening Island
• Fruit & Vegetable
Garden
• Gardens of the
Great Basin
• Greenhouses
• Heritage Garden
• Kleinman Family Cove
• Lakeside Gardens
• Landscape Gardens
• Japanese Garden
• McDonald Woods
• Native Plant Garden
• Plant Conservation
Science Center
• Plant Evaluation
Gardens
• Prairie
• Railroad Garden
• Rose Garden
• Sensory Garden
• Skokie River
• Spider Island
• The Trellis Bridge
• Water Gardens
• Waterfall Garden
Explore the Garden
• Model trains
• American landmarks
• Tunnels, bridges, and water
• Tiny trees and plants
Brian Busse from Applied Imagination talks about setting up the Model Railroad Garden.
Model Railroad Garden: Landmarks of America
take a tour
Open May 11 through October 27, 2013
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, weather permitting
Wednesdays until 8 p.m., June 5 – August 28, 2013
View slideshow
ADMISSION
Adults: $6
Seniors: $5
Children (3–12 yrs): $4
Children (3 and under): Free
Members receive $1 off each price. Garden Plus members are free on Wednesdays. 10-visit pass $40 member/$45 nonmember
Strollers are not permitted in the exhibit; however, stroller parking is located near the entrance.
New For 2013
• Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
• Lumberyard/Railroad siding prop for the Pacific Northwest area.
• Refurbished White House that will be updated and made to look white in color.
Fun Facts
• There are 18 model G-scale (garden-scale) trains running on 17 tracks (one track runs two trains)
• The longest track usually runs the Santa Fe Super Chief
• The shortest track runs the ladybug and caterpillar cars
• There are close to 50 miniature American landmarks
• There are 26 bridges throughout the Railroad Garden
• 5,000 plants (including annuals) in more than 300 different varieties are in this garden
• The trains travel more than 22,000 miles each season
IT'S A G-SCALE WORLD
The 7,500-square-foot Model Railroad Garden features trains running on 1,600 feet of track. The garden-scale trains are 1/29th the size of life-size trains. Train and garden enthusiasts, young and old, return year after year for the delightful sights and sounds of the miniature trains traversing high and low through tunnels, across bridges, and around buildings. All are intricately handcrafted with natural materials, including twigs, bark, leaves, acorns, and pebbles. More than 5,000 tiny trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and flowering plants of close to 300 varieties re-create the topographical landscape of America. Vignettes of tiny people and animals give the exhibit a storybook feel, while sound effects and a working geyser capture visitors’ imaginations.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
The Model Railroad Garden can be the first of your fun outdoor activities for families at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Close to the city, on Chicago's North Shore, the Garden has a year-round calendar of family activities and entertainment, including free kids' concerts, drop-in activities, plant giveaways, weekend family classes, and outdoor family entertainment, while also offering children the chance to explore outdoors. The Garden is one of Chicago's premier attractions, where visitors walk, enjoy nature photography, and celebrate each season with outdoor and indoor activities for families and kids of all ages.
