You can pretty much cover the Botanical Gardens in half a day. The Japanese Garden, the Climatron, the children's garden and Kemper Center are a must visit, though. Go to mobot.org for a preview. Enjoy your visit!!!

Also make sure you hit the Jewelry Box I think it's called. A huge glass greenhouse full of exotics. I'm told it's spectacular but when you have small critters, the zoo just takes precedence.