On June 18 six members of the Loveland Garden Club flew in to Chicago Midway Airport to attend the Lake Forest Garden Club House and Garden Walk. The members were Chris Webster, Mary Pat Paul, Engra Andersen, Melissa O’Neill, Sharon Larmore and me, Marilyn Martin.
Our first destination was the Chicago Botanical Garden – a really large botanical landscape – located southeast of Urban Chicago. Due to traffic complications, our driver, Mary Pat Paul, delivered us safely late in the afternoon. We were able to take advantage of member’s Omaha Botanical Gardens memberships, which offer reciprocal admission. We traveled by tram throughout the vast garden and toured the Butterfly garden, as it was late in the day.
We left the Botanical Garden to check in to our hotel – The Residence Inn—in Lake Foremast. That evening, we dined at the reknown Deerpath Inn – A magnificent Tudor architectural treasure featuring multiple restaurants and very charming gardens. Our dinner in the Scottish pub was delicious.
The next morning, April 19, we met for breakfast at our hotel, and following checkout, headed -for the Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, where our tour of houses and gardens was prefaced by a delicious lunch in an extraordinarily beautiful dining room. Photos were not allowed either in the Club or on the tour, however, I learned of this rule after I took a few photos in the Club dining room. After a quick look at the vendor marketplace – where the Lake Forest Gaarden Club assembled an amazing collection of exquisite worldly goods – purses, silk scarves, clothing, jewelry, and ceramics.
Next we boarded buses to tour four exquisite homes and gardens: one was a former Cudahy mansion, restored by the Adrienne Smith family. He is the architect of the tallest building in the world in Dubai. We visited a Japanese house and garden; a beautiful traditional family farmhouse with partieere gardens, and a gorgeous French Country Pool House with Trellis gardens. All of this was during a steady rain ( and we didn’t bring umbrellas.)
After our final house tour, Mary Pat Paul skillfully drove us to Midway Airport to catch our 7PM flight home.
We all agreed that we would “do this again” as the experience was wonderful for getting to know our members better, and the experience fell under the adage, “you don’t know what you don’t know” in terms of seeing beautiful gardens, homes, interiors and experiencing lovely events in gorgeous environments.