5 Hidden Gems Chicago

Why it made the list: One of the largest conservatories in the world, and free, a series of grand Victorian glass houses on the West Side filled with palms, ferns, desert plants, koi ponds and turtles. It's a warm, lush escape any time of year, and one of the great under-the-radar things to do in the city.

Why it made the list: Behind a heavy 1888 facade in the financial district hides one of the most beautiful interiors in Chicago, a soaring, glass-roofed light court that Frank Lloyd Wright remodeled in 1907, all white marble and gold ironwork. It's a working office building, but the lobby is open and free to walk into.

Why it made the list: A five-mile labyrinth of pedestrian tunnels beneath downtown, connecting dozens of buildings, train stations and landmarks, part practical winter lifeline, part strange, retro underground world of vintage signage and quiet corners. Exploring it is a genuinely offbeat, free way to see a hidden layer of the city.

Why it made the list: A 27-acre nature park in Bridgeport with an unlikely past, first a 1900s limestone quarry, then a landfill, and since 2009 a beautiful reclaimed park of walking paths, native prairie, a stocked fishing pond in the old quarry pit, and one of the best quiet skyline views in the city.

Why it made the list: Just north of the city in Wilmette stands one of the most extraordinary buildings in the region, a gleaming white, intricately carved Bahá'í temple ringed by formal gardens and fountains, one of only a handful in the world. It's serene, free, and utterly unexpected, right at the end of the CTA Purple Line.