The Chicago Botanic Garden opened more than 40 years ago as a beautiful place to visit, and it has evolved into one of the world's great living museums and conservation science centers. The Garden can count 27 gardens and four natural areas, uniquely situated on 385 acres on and around nine islands, with six miles of lake shoreline. The Chicago Botanic Garden traces its origins back to the Chicago Horticultural Society, founded in 1890; after a period of inactivity, the Chicago Horticultural Society was restarted in 1943, and its modern history began in 1962, when the Society agreed to help create and manage a new public garden.