Troll Hunt at Morton Arboretum

Earlier this spring the Chicago area was all a buzz with the newest exhibit that was being created before our very eyes at the Morton Arboretum. What you ask was being created? Trolls! Yup that's right trolls. A Danish artist, Thomas Dambo, was creating these upcycled pieces of artwork throughout the Arboretum grounds. While Mom with her membership were able to get a chance to see them in progress I wanted to wait until they were completed and be able to go on the completed troll hunt. It was a blast!

First here is some information about these mostly gentle giants. They're set to stay up through the summer of 2019 so you definitely have some time to get over and see them. I've heard that they're going to be left up until they start to fall apart, since they're reclaimed wood, so you've got some time but don't wait to go see these guys! The Arboretum has provided all sorts of tips for you to make the most of your hunt. I wish I had read those before we went hunting. My biggest recommendation is definitely wear gym shoes or hiking shoes. While overall every troll is pretty easy to get to you're definitely going through lots of dirt paths and some with some roots in them, you'll see later how my sandals fared. Spoiler alert not good ha. 

I took Becky to see the trolls during her weekend visit. Since she and I are always up for any type of adventure I figured a troll hunt would be the perfect thing to do. We were bound and determined to see all the trolls and discover their hidden hideout. We started off easy hunting the few trolls within walking distance of the visitor center. Although we thought we had it easy we had to avoid some pretty huge boulders being thrown our way by Rocky Bardur! The guy with the yellow car wasn't as lucky though. I'm not sure what his insurance will say about that damage. Maybe he's got State Farm since ya know they've seen a thing or two?

After barely escaping several large boulders being throw our way we almost got ourselves caught in a troll cage! Here we thought Sneaky Socks Alexa was just relaxing and enjoying the sun. He was so nice and left us a treat in this weirdly shaped mini house. It was not a mini house! We're pretty sure he caught an unsuspecting dad as we scampered away though. Sneaky Socks indeed!

Next we trekked up what I'm pretty sure in Illinois standards is a mountain to do some people watching with this big guy, Joe the Guardian. He had a great view of the Reagan. Although he didn't have any rocks to throw at the cars he did have that pretty big spear so who knows what could happen if he sees a car he doesn't like.

Then we made our way into the woods on the east side of the Arboretum to find Furry Eva. Unfortunately this time Becky was not paying attention, I think after Joe the Guardian she had her guard down, she got caught in Eva's net. Luckily after some break dance distraction moves I was able to help her escape and we were on our way again. 

Niels Bragger was definitely the most popular troll but he was the most fierce looking I think. With his long fingers and huge club. Everyone for some cray reason wanted their photo with him. I was just glad that he seemed content to just hang out and not use that club. After visiting Niels we thought we had figured out where the hideout was (and with some help from the visitor services person!) but we realized if we had the last clue it would have made much more sense and we would have gotten there much sooner haha. 

Little Arturs on the west side of the Arboretum didn't seem to interested in catching anyone or anything other than a few ZZZs. With him being the troll closest to their secret hideout one would think he would be a better watch troll. Hopefully with him out for the count we'll be able to discover the hideout without any troll interference. Although when those kids came around I think he might have been trying to trick them!! Who wouldn't want their lunch to just hop into their mouth?

After some searching we ended up finding the hideout! It was so neat. Tucked away in the west side of the Arboretum it was what you would expect a troll hideout to look like. From the over sized troll ax to the massive comb that clearly doesn't work for any of the trolls. Becky and I braved their cooking pot but didn't stay long. Don't want anyone to come home and give them any ideas! There were drums, a throne and other fun details. Well worth the hike. 

Speaking of hiking. When you visit you'll definitely want to make sure to wear gym shoes or boots. As you can see my feet ended up a tad dirty. Also on our way up the slightly treacherous hill to the hideout my foot slid and I broke my sandal. Even with that issue it was so worth it to complete the hunt and find the hideout. I'm really looking forward to visiting during the winter and seeing what the trolls look like with snow! I feel like they're going to be just a cool. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! You can also join me on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. In addition to life-capades and doing it for yourself, I love all things 'real life' so use the hashtag #museumfanatic on social media so I can see your beautiful unstaged life. Oh and on the top of the side bar to your right, you can follow me on Bloglovin or on social media to be alerted to each new post!