Green City Market/Farm at the Lincoln Park Zoo

We recently went to the Green City Market and, with the girls, a trip to the market also means a trip to the farm at the Lincoln Park Zoo.  Both the Green City Market and the Farm at the Lincoln Park Zoo are fun, free activities.  Even though we subscribe to a CSA, we still love to go to farmer's markets when we have the opportunity, especially Green City since it is pretty much the best in the City.  The Market is located at the south end of Lincoln Park between Clark and Stockton and is open between 7 am and 1 pm Wednesdays and Saturdays.  The Market, for the most part,  runs year round moving to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum during the winter from November until  April.  Green City also offers a children's program called Green Sprouts, which encourages kids to try a new item at the Market.  For each taste the child gets a stamp and after 8 stamps they get a certificate.  Our kids have never participated in this program because we just don't get to the Market enough.

The one downside to Green City, though, is parking and it is hard to get to via public transportation.  We used to live right near there and would have to circle the area, sometimes for an hour in the summer, just to find street parking near our apartment - that's why we never drove anywhere.  Now when we go, we pretty much just give in to the paid parking lot.  You get a couple dollar discount if you get your ticket validated at the Market's main tent and stay for only two hours.  In this situation, I think parking is $9.  Also, don't forget to bring cash and reusable bags.  The Market is always crowded but it's a little easier for us to maneuver now that we don't bring a stroller.  The girls used to hate to go to farmer's markets and would drag their feet until they realized there was free samples.  They have a good time trying the cheese and fruit at the various stands.  They have also discovered a place that sells yummy donuts.  The best part is that everything is local and organic.  After getting some delicious stuff and spending way to much money we were  ready to head over to the farm. 

The farm is a pretty short walk from where the Market is set up.  It opens at 10:00 so it is always a balance of getting to the Market early enough that it's not too crowded but late enough so that we don't have to wait for the farm to open.  The farm has a schedule of activities such as a milking demonstration and an opportunity to brush and pet the goats.  My girls always want to be there to feed the cows.  On the Saturday we were there, this wasn't scheduled until 11:00 so we spent some time doing everything else first.  The farm has pigs and usually piglets in the summer, ponies, steer, cows, goats, and an owl. Also they have an edible garden in the middle that is sponsored by the Green City Market. Bathrooms are in the barn with the tractor.  I kind of think the farm is geared towards really young kids more than the rest of the zoo is, but my 5 year old still enjoys it and she has been there a lot of times.  Part of the reason I think it's better for younger kids, though, is that they don't let you get very close to the animals (except the cows and the goats) and the activities in the barn, crawling through the chicken egg, listening to the animal noises, even crawling up into the tractor seemed to appeal to a younger crowd.  Maybe it's just because everyone who lives in Lincoln Park only has babies so that's what I see when we're there.    All in all, the combination of these two activities makes for a fun filled Saturday for our whole family.