The Chicago Botanic Garden is a living plant museum situated on nine islands in the Cook County Forest Preserves. It features 27 display gardens in four natural habitats: McDonald Woods, Dixon Prairie, Skokie River Corridor, and Lakes and Shores. The garden is open every day of the year. An admission fee has been approved to start in 2022, not to exceed $35. The Chicago Botanic Garden is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, and managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972, and is home to the Joseph Regenstein Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a number of classes and certificate programs. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). Garden facts The Chicago Botanic Garden has 50,000 members, the largest membership of any U.S. public garden, and is Chicago's 7th largest cultural institution and 12th-ranking tourist attraction. The 25 display gardens and four natural habitats include: The Aquatic Garden Bonsai Collection The Bulb Garden The Grunsfeld Children's Growing Garden The Circle Garden Crescent Garden Dwarf Conifer Garden Enabling Garden English Oak Meadow English Walled Garden Esplanade Evening Island Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden Great Basin & Water Gardens Greenhouses The Green Roof Heritage Garden Kleinman Family Cove Lakeside Garden Landscape Gardens Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden Mary Mix McDonald Woods The Plant Evaluation Gardens Suzanne S. Dixon Prairie Native Plant Garden Model Railroad Garden The Bruce Krasberg Rose Garden Sensory Garden Skokie River Spider Island Waterfall Garden Architecture The architectural design for the Chicago Botanic Garden began with the creation of the master plan by John O. Simonds and Geoffrey Rausch. Several famous buildings have been designed by well-known architects since 1976. 1976, Education Center, Edward Larabee Barnes 1982, Japanese Garden, Koichi Kawana 1983, Heritage Garden, Geoffrey Rausch 2004, Esplande, Dan Kiley 2009, Conservation Science Center, Booth Hansen Conservation The Chicago Botanic Garden opened the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center, located at the south end of the garden, to the public on September 23, 2009. In September 2010, the Plant Science Center earned a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating from the U.S. Green Building Council for its sustainable design. The Chicago Botanic Garden conserves rare plant species, and works with regional, national and international organizations