East Garfield Park

Picturesque gardens and organic produce markets cross paths with vintage graystones and soul food restaurants in this long established - and now re-established - west side Chicago neighborhood. East Garfield Park is probably best known for the Garfield Park Conservatory which is one of the largest in the U.S. Like taking a step into another hemisphere, the conservatory is your ticket to a lush tropical climate with 30-foot palm trees and fragrant orchids, even in the dead of winter. The rest of the 185-acre park transports visitors to a fashionable Parisian-inspired commons with grand promenades, large ponds and landscaped grounds. On the restaurant front, East Garfield Park is a jackpot of American cuisine with a twist of southern cooking thrown in. Red hots, hamburgers and fries, fried fish and chicken, macaroni and cheese, submarines, peach cobblers and any other comfort food you can think of. For a taste of East Garfield Park's retail business just head over to Madison Street for the best shopping stops.