During Preservation Month, from May 11 to May 21, Cantigny Park is waiving its parking fee for Wheaton residents. For free entry, just show proof of Wheaton residency at the entrance. A valid driver’s license is preferred.
Cantigny Park, part of the Chicago-based Robert R. McCormick Foundations, is the 500-acre estate of Robert R. McCormick (1880-1955), longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The grounds feature gardens, the McCormick House, the First Division Museum and a 27-hole golf course. All are open to the public. McCormick House was listed on the Wheaton Register of Historic Places in 2011 by the City of Wheaton Historic Commission.
Cantigny is in the second year of Project New Leaf, a comprehensive multiyear revitalization. Certain areas of the park are closed during the project, but McCormick House remains open, and a full calendar of events is set for 2018. The newly renovated First Division Museum also is open, and the park’s formal gardens will reopen this summer. Much more about Project New Leaf is posted online at Cantigny.org.
Museums, gardens and other attractions inside the park are free admission.
Enter Cantigny Park on Winfield Road, just south of Roosevelt Road. For more information, visit Cantigny.org or call 630-668-5161.