Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary

Awesome day walking the trails and the farm was awesome! The folks that volunteer there were so knowledgable and friendly!

This is one of our go-​to places where we can go for a short walk. If you are looking for a long hike or something strenuous, this would not be a great place. We usually spend 1 – 2 hours here walking around the trails. It’s also nice to walk by the farm to see the animals.

Surrounded by the suburban sprawl of Schaumburg, this is an oasis going back in time. I can imagine this was how Schaumburg was 100 years ago.
I’ll just list a bunch of the attractions:
— There are miles of paths to walk (I actually work close by — and would go here for 45 minutes over lunch to just relax and explore).
— There’s a nature center.
— There are signs along one of the trails starting with pre-​historic man in the area and gradually working toward the present.
— There’s an old cabin and surrounding grounds as it would have been a century ago.
— There’s an old farmhouse from probably the late 1800s with a barn, chicken coop (and chickens), cows, horses, and I believe there’s a pig.
— There’s a quarter mile long path around an arboretum.
— There are both wood-​chipped trails and paved asphalt trails (and even a short grass trail and some wooden bridges).
It is very well kept up. I’ve frequently seen scout groups, or school groups, or young couples just sitting by the lake not wanting to be bothered.
You wouldn’t guess that modern Schaumburg is right outside the front gates.

Great place for a walk to clear your head and reconnect with nature. You can even pet a cow! Once had some questions about the plants in the prairie landscape and the staff in the office were extraordinarily helpful and informative!

I can’t believe I had never been here before! It makes for a very fun, free day. I brought 10 and 11 year old boys — one was really into it, the other not so much — but I loved it! We went in the horse barn, the chicken coop, and hung out with the cows for a few minutes. Then we walked around the trails — very pretty! I can’t wait to come back.

Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary/​Center is a pretty awesome respite in the middle of Schaumburg. There’s something for everyone: some nature-​learnin’ (in the center), walking paths, family photos locales, the Heritage Farm, log cabin, and lots more I’m likely leaving out.
I’m a big fan of the gorgeous wildflowers lining many of the walking trails. Be aware that dogs are not allowed here, so leave fido at home. Strollers are a-​ok, though, which is great as my little one absolutely loves seeing the farm animals, especially the chickens frolicking about.
There are two parking locations — the main lot off of Schaumburg Rd, just west of Meacham, and Plum Grove, just south of Schaumburg Rd. If you’re a nature lover or just want a quiet place to take a lovely walk, head over to Spring Valley.

This is my favorite place in Schaumburg and every time I am in town visiting family my brother and I go for a walk here. It’s open year round so it’s a great place to watch the seasons change. I love walking the trails, especially the small arboretum. Swing by the pond during spring and summer to see ducks, turtles, and frogs. The farm is cool too. Be sure to say hi to the cows and horses for me! Also they do a lot of gun educational events here. Great for the whole family or just a peaceful solo walk to clear your mind. This place almost makes me forget I’m in Schaumburg!

If Candice G ever suggested to me (before my son came along) that I come here because of the «kissingist cutest cow» I would have laughed. Schaumburg right? Cows? Um, I’m sure I can get my nails done SOMEwhere around here though, right?
But since I have my son, Candice’s suggestion for us was spot on. My son loved those cows and for days afterward mentioned «Emily and Hannah» the names of those cute cows. Farms. Who knew?
Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary is smack dab in Schaumburg, but away from Woodfield or the Golf Road studded strip malls (thank goodness, those places give me hives). It’s a very well kept nature sanctuary with scenic walks and a working farm.
My son and I visited on a day when the farm was demonstrating how early settlers used pigs for livelihood. There was a lot of educational talks and demos. My son even got to crank some pork through the sausage maker. Very cool. Other than checking out the cows and feeding the horses some hay, there are chickens to watch (or in the case of some toddlers-​chase around). There were also some games and crafts. Checking their website, it looks like they host many family oriented and educational activities year round. Future visits will be made for sure. There might be an extra fee for the farm on those days but well worth it.
There is ample parking, and the folks working there are super sweet. Great place just to take a nature walk if the farm isn’t to your liking.

This place is great. Lots of paved trails, which makes it easier with older people and kids. The trails go through a prairie, past a pond, to a quiet grove and to a farm. There’s a great nature center with lots of activities for kids.

So much fun! I loved the farm part of this place because I love to stare at some animals! My favorite part-​The chickens stepping in the cow poop and flinging it all over. It gave me quite a laugh.
Minus 1 star for being able to hear traffic. Not really their fault, but it made me remember I was in Schaumburg and not out in the middle of nowhere.

A few of my Unilocal friends have reviewed this place, and after looking through some pictures, I made it a must see on my forever growing list of places to checkout. Now that I go to school in Schaumburg, it makes it easier to explore everything it has to offer.
I am so happy that Spring Valley Sanctuary exists and that I made time to go see it. It’s an amazing discovery and it’s absolutely the greatest thing for a big city like Schaumburg to have right smack in the middle of it. I just looked through the website and I had no idea that you can book a party here — it’s definitely a cool idea for a kids birthday — they would have so much fun!
I’ve only been once and did not get a chance to see everything it has to offer, but I know I will be back very soon. In order to see the Merkle cabin and the historic 1880s heritage farm, you have to first walk through beautiful fields and conservation areas. As we were walking, I stopped to take a picture and my boyfriend noticed a tiny bunny eating away. If he didn’t say anything, I could have practically stepped on him. The amazing part was him not being scared of us, and only ran away when others were approaching. That was a great experience because I’ve never been so close to a wildlife bunny before.
I loved walking around and finding cool areas like the swamps with lilies (not a sight you see on a daily basis). The best part, of course, is the heritage farm and all the animals that live there. Not sure what was cuter, the piggies or the chickens.
This is a must see for anyone in the area, and it’s worth a trip from Chicago (only 30 minutes or so away). I’ve mentioned the «best part» twice already, but the truly most awesome part is that it’s totally free to explore and you get fresh air and exercise!

A nice, free nature area in the middle of packed Schaumburg. Came here early in the summer and walked around on all the trails (paved) and also explored the barn area. Just be warned, there are deer in the area near the pond. When you stumble upon them they don’t run off but they do scare the crap out of you.

How have I not already reviewed this place? I come here so often, the chickens save a spot for me at the picnic tables.
Ok, about those chickens. They’re so awesome. These are the most brazen, full of attitude birds I have ever met (and I have met a lot of birds). On a recent visit, one hen sat beside me, watching me eat with a look of disapproval. I kid you not, she was judging my lunch hard. «Really? A sandwich from Starbucks?» Then when my daughter dropped a piece of HER lunch (organic whole wheat crackers, organic full fat mozzarella, and mango applesauce), the chicken reached over and grabbed it right off her lap. Yes, if you eat lunch at the picnic tables here, the chickens will poach your food (but only if it meets their high standards). Of course, with the help of staff you can go into the barnyard and feed the chickens cracked corn right from your hand, and some will even let you pet them, but then you miss your chance to be silently judged by a hen.
By this point in the review, you might be wondering why I am talking about a barnyard at a nature sanctuary. It’s because this place is a twofer! Well… a threefer? There’s a nature sanctuary with trails cutitng through the various habitats on 135 acres, the Merkle Log Cabin (which you can rent and which has a fire pit), and an 1880’s living history farm. I originally started coming here for the excellent birdwatching, but now most of my visits are dedicated to showing my daughter the farm animals and the frogs, toads, and turtles along the banks of the streams and ponds here.
Everyone who works here is knowledgeable and friendly. There is a gift shop with little trinkets and some fun handmade items, like mock-​antique bonnets. Sometimes, there are baby animals. BABY ANIMALS!
Here are some things you will not find at Spring Valley/​Volkening Farm:
–boating
–hunting
–fishing
–dog walking
–sheep (they used to have them but discovered the sheep in 1880’s Schaumburg all belonged to one British immigrant)
This is a great place to spend an afternoon, or an evening if they are having an event (these include a meteor shower party, ice cream making, and wedding re-​enactments, among other things). Daytime events can include learning about 19^th-​century games or demonstrations about leavening bread and pastries.

I had absolutely no idea this place existed and I learned about from (guess where) yes, Unilocal.
My male cohort and I have already experienced the aboretums, botanic gardens, blah blah blah and couldn’t wait to check this place out.
The day that we went it was quite um chilly, to me, but we had a nice time nonetheless.
So the animals… oh my. I don’t know how this happened but I am so damn sensitive to anything related to animals. I hate it about myself. I love being an animal lover but I hate getting myself upset over certain things like I did during our visit.
What I mean is that I’ve been a vegetarian for 5 years, since I was 25 and ate very little meat before that. When I saw the baby cow and pigs I shed tears because all I could think about was how cute they are and that people eat them. Yes, I am loads of fun to hang out with. I have these weird triggers and the sight of baby animals that are species of the food chain just kills me. The chickens made me sad too, but mostly the baby cow and pigs because they’re babies! This is how my crazy brain works.
BUT despite that, we still had a great and fun day wandering around on the paths and taking pictures of nature. I’m super impressed that such an outift is part of Schaumburg’s park district. Those lucky residents, they should be proud.
We’re totally going back — on a warmer day. I would love to have a place like that in my town. I’d be there all the time.

Lived in the area most my life, pass by it a hundred times a week, but my first visit was with my daughter’s kindergarten class for a field trip earlier this month. It was so much fun! How have we not been here sooner?
The field trip started with story time inside the Vera Meineke Nature Center; our theme for the day was bird-​watching. Our guides told a story that included each of the birds we would be on the lookout for (ducks, geese, etc.) and taught the kids each of the birds’ distinct calls. They had a great time listening to the story and engaging in ‘chirping and cheeping’ preparation. From there, the class split into two and took separate paths around the Heritage Grove and ponds. Even in early Spring like weather (at least temp-​wise), it was beautiful. We could see the flowers and trees starting to bloom and wake. We hiked quite a bit and the kids had so much fun enjoying the outdoors and looking for birds.
As a special part of the trip, our guide welcomed us to the future kids’ play area that will be located off the side of the grove. They are still building the space using trees trunks, but the kids were able to explore and ‘test’ out the space. They had a great time running, jumping, playing outside and enjoying the fresh air.
We didn’t have time to visit the other areas of Spring Valley, but that leaves something for our family to enjoy together.
I’m so glad I chaperoned because now instead of saying we ‘should’ go, we will be going. We’re also considering enrolling our kids in some of their camps this summer!

I kissed a cow and I liked it.
… and If I hadn’t been pried away from here last weekend, I’d probably still be cuddling that baby cow.
Unfortunately, I have a home of my own (okay, okay, it’s more like a crappy apartment) and 3 kids at that home with mouths to feed (okay, okay, those ‘kids’ might be cats, but that shouldn’t matter — my time is no less valuable than a person with less furry human kids) and other responsibilities (trolling the internet for living), so I had to go back to life. Back to reality. Y’all know how it is…
So I brought my partner here after I’d dragged him to a particularly bad breakfast joint that set a piss-​poor pace for the day and required me to redeem my street cred of knowing cool sh*t around town. We started with the visitor center, which unfortunately was under construction, but I was able to spy a giant beaver head that appeared to be a part of costume locked in the coat closet next to the bathrooms and on my next visit I plan on grilling the front staff on what it would take for me to be able to get my hands on that. I’d be willing to speak for an amount upwards of 10 American dollars.
Our second stop here was the kids garden, it wasn’t much to look at, at least when you know that somewhere in the vicinity there are baby animals just waiting to be kissed. From there we walk to the cabin, which is about a half-​mile or so walk down the path and from there you’ll find a pond with a dock to do duck and turtle peeping, and it appeared as though they have either frequent bonfires or witch burning… I saw evidence to suggest a bit of both (documented in photos).
If you follow the path that veers opposite the cabin (to the right when you approach) you’ll get a more direct route to the farm than than way we walked where you pass by the cabin. Look, it’s hard to explain in typing so just grab a damn map and figure it out yourself, or take the long way like we did, but know that those are valuable you could be using to kiss a baby cow.
Once on the farm premises we were almost immediately greeted by one of my favorite things — animal poop. And lots of it. Pics uploaded. When we walked a bit further we saw old school farm equipment/​death traps, some really nice workers, barn houses, chicken coops, roosters, hens, monster steads, cows and the cutest baby cow with a Harry Potter lighting bolt on it’s forehead. Normally I’d hate anything even referencing Harry Potter, but this cow kinda won me over.
In warmer weather months they have plenty of event, a small snack kitchen, and a few other animals down on the farm like pigs and baby pigs that I intend to come back and kiss as well.
This is a great place for a picnic and there’s a great little loop that serves as an arboretum that you can catch on the walk back to the visitor center and parking lot.
I’ve got a feeling this’ll be my new place, and if it sounds like something you might be into, take a gander at all the business photos. There’s so much here to do and see (arboretum, farm, trails, pond, cabin, fire pits, garden, cows, pigs, roosters, horses, barn folk, birds, bugs, turtles and so much more), you should give it all a gander so you know what to look for.

I LOVE THIS PLACE.
I mean, it’s nature… and it’s free… and there’s a cabin… and a small farm! What wouldn’t I love about it? I honestly had no idea this place existed until I saw it pop up on the map during a Unilocal search for something. I was like, «Oooh, what’s this place?» and clicked on it to discover that it was some kind of hidden nature sanctuary in Schaumburg (much like the place where I got married in Glenview).
I took my husband here to check out the nature center’s main building and walk through some of the paths. The exhibits in the building didn’t really impress me, but the kid garden and the silo tower were cool. Upon walking through the trails, we stumbled upon some creeks, tree groves, a nearly empty lake, beautiful paths through fields and forests, a picturesque cabin (with another nearly empty pond), and then the 1880s German farm. At the time we were there, the farm was closed and it was raining so we couldn’t really see much of it. I went back the next day (and a week later, and this past weekend) to check it out and loved the cows, pigs, and chickens. There is also a visitor’s center for the farm as well as an old house you can tour. Spring Valley/​Volkening Heritage Farm also has tons of events and activities for people and families throughout the year.
While this isn’t the largest nature center in the area, nor the most complete farm I’ve been to, I’m thrilled that Schaumburg has managed to preserve this lovely piece of historic nature for residents and visitors. I can’t wait to check it out again when the leaves really start to turn!

I’m such a fan of Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary… my only gripe is I wish it opened earlier in the morning! The hours are 8 to 8 every day and then switch to 8 to 5 in the winter. It’s an amazing space because there are woods, plains, wetlands, streams, beautiful flowers, an 1880s huge farm complete with actors and animals, a visitor center with cute turtles and a huge honeycomb full of bees inside, and a log cabin.
Spend a morning or afternoon here exploring, all for free. It’s one of my favorite places to go relax solo and take a walk while taking in the scenery. There are so many twists and turns in their 3 miles of walking paths, you don’t have to take the same path over and over. All the paths are very clearly labeled to take you to the farm, the cabin, the parking lot or wherever you’re headed.
Inside the Nature Sanctuary is The Illinois Heritage Grove, a circular path with a ton of interesting types of trees, each clearly labeled with some information on the tree.
Volkening Heritage Farm is definitely the coolest thing at Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary. Schaumburg was a German farm community for quite some time and it is a recreation of what a farm and life would be like in the 1880s. There are chickens cooped up as well as chickens & roosters running around freely. They seem to hang out under the porch of the main house/visitor’s area in the farm. I saw them all piling out from under there and running around, super cute. There are cows, horses and huge pigs as well.
It’s a cool touch to have people of the times hanging out at the farm and in the house, ready to answer any questions. The houses are so well decked out with pieces of the time. It was very cool to look around each room and explore from the outhouse to the wood shop.
Spring Valley Nature Sanctuary is a great place for families (they are constantly having activities), for couples (romantic walks) or just alone (pensive, relaxing time). I’m absolutely in love with it!

Fantastic little piece of history and nature smack in the middle of the urban suburbia sprawl of Schaumburg. Complete with a farm and a cabin with miles of trails to walk on, this is a must visit for everyone seeking a break from the oppressive concrete jungle of the city. Unfortunately, traffic can still be heard in the distance but if you can block it out, you can really enjoy a little piece of nature heaven.
This place is just a few short miles away from me and I am so happy to have found a great place for an evening stroll to help digest a big meal.

I came here for the Sugar Bush Festival and it was great as always. The pancakes were great and I highly recommend the veggie sausage over the meat sausage. It’s surprisingly tastier!
Everyone working the event was very nice. This is an event that I definitely will look forward to going to every year. $ 5 for a full stack of pancakes, fresh hot maple syrup and 2 veggie sausages are such a great deal!