Saturday, September 21, 2024
​10 am to 4 pm

Nachusa Grasslands Visitor Center
2075 Lowden Road, ​Franklin Grove, IL 61031​

• This annual event is open to the public.
• Gates open at 10 am.
• Parking is $5 per car.
• Donations will be accepted at the Welcome Pavilion and Bison Tours Tent.
• No Rain Date

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Activities at the AOTP Site
10 am to 4 pm

Riding Prairie Tours — Look for Bison
Departing from 10:15 am to 3 pm​​

• You will ride on a trailer through the preserve.
• LOW MOBILITY. Visitors with low mobility must be able to walk to the path entrance, ride a UTV to the fence gate, and then climb a ramp or stairs into a trailer.
• Finding the bison is not guaranteed, as they roam where they please.
• The last tour will leave at about 3 pm, so please get in line before 2:45 pm.

Guided Hiking Tours
Departing from 10:30 am to 3 pm​

• Meet at the Hiking Tours Tent at least 5 minutes before the scheduled departure..
• Experienced guides will lead walking tours of Nachusa's prairies, woodlands, and wetlands.
• Shuttled tours will drop you off and pick you up at a place on the preserve and then return you to the AOTP site.​
• Sturdy shoes and long pants are recommended for the hiking tours, as most are off trail with hills.
  

Prairie Hiking Tour Descriptions

Discovery Tent

• Hands-on and noses ready! Touch animal fur, bison bones, and fossils. Smell leaves and flowers. See how seeds travel or observe skulls found at the preserve. Learn how Native Americans used parts of a bison—we have objects made from hide, bone, hooves, and horns.

Food & Drinks

• Catering by Headon's Fine Meat food truck
• There are choices available for omnivores, vegetarians, & vegans.
• Kettlecorn by Farming Heritage, Inc.

​Raptors

• Northern Illinois Raptor Rehab & Education Live Birds of Prey Program

Self-guided Option

• Explore our Visitor Center Plant ID Walking Path. This self-guided option allows you to set your own pace and enjoy the freedom of discovering nature on your own schedule.

Music

• Enjoy live music by Mike Crowe, in the dining tent.

Shuttle

• Shuttle Service from the parking lot to the Visitor Center by Gene and Diane Rod

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Click images to enlarge

​T-shirts — U.S. grown, undyed, organic cotton — $15.00
​This year’s shirts feature an ornate box turtle surrounded by prickly pear cactus, old field goldenrod, round headed bush clover, hairy hawkweed, fringed puccoon, spiderwort, and little bluestem. 

They are made in the U.S. from U.S. grown, undyed, organic cotton and were printed with more sustainable water based inks at Barrel Maker Printing in Chicago. 

Moving to more sustainably made t-shirts is important to us. They are more expensive to produce than our previous shirts, so we've had to increase our prices, but we still sell them at the cost of production, which means we make no profit off them. We just want to have cool shirts to share with you.

All posted plans are subject to change.

UPDATED 07/2024