Hotels near Jackson Park and the Osaka Garden

Jackson Park was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted and hosted the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, the fair that gave Chicago the nickname the White City and left behind the building now housing the Museum of Science and Industry. The Osaka Garden on the Wooded Island is the other survivor: a Japanese strolling garden originating with the fair's Japanese pavilion, with a moon bridge, stone lanterns and a waterfall.

Japanese maples turn late and hard, which makes this the best colour in the city in the last week of October, well after the western suburbs have dropped. The Wooded Island around it is a designated bird sanctuary and unusually quiet for somewhere inside city limits. Entry is free. The park is on the South Side and the Metra Electric line is the easiest way down.

Pro Tip: Come in the final week of October rather than mid-month. The maples here peak after almost everywhere else in the region, so this is the entry that rescues a late trip when the Morton Arboretum has already gone past its best.