An enormous glass building rising out of Como Park like Atlantis re-emerging from the Mediterranean, this free-to-the-public greenhouse is just enough of a breath of the spring to come to stave away the dark thoughts of winter. The conservatory's dome, towering at 64 feet tall, houses enormous palms, some a hundred years old; stroll through the Sunken Garden and sniff deep of the azaleas and poinsettias. For a more tropical journey, duck into the fern room, where leafy green fronds stretch in all directions. And though the conservatory is most compelling during the bleak expanse between autumn and spring, it's open year-round for your wandering pleasure.