Leaning Tower of Niles – Niles, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

SixFlags.com – Buy Tickets Online and Save!

Check out Six Flags Theme Parks in Chicago.

Six Flags Great America Chicago.

Nationwide, check out:
Six Flags in California
Six Flags in Georgia
Six Flags in Illinois
Six Flags in Maryland
Six Flags in Massachusetts
Six Flags in Missouri
Six Flags in New Jersey
Six Flags in New York
Six Flags in Texas

Six Flags Seasonal Passes – Great America Chicago is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Blues by Night Tour of Chicago To inspire the Blues artist in all of us, after a delicious dinner at Buddy Guy’s "Ledgends", the stage is set for a true jam session by some of Chicago’s finest Blues masters. For the perfect nightcap, it’s off to Rosa’s Lounge, another legendary Blues joint.

Blues by Night Tour of Chicago – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Travelers to the Chicago area have a variety of attractions from which they can choose. The great thing about Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor is that you can always count on the parks to deliver a good time for everyone in the family.

The rides and attractions offer something that everyone will love.

Great America Rides

Great America is known for its incredible thrill rides. It has some of the best roller coasters in the nation, and is the perfect place for the thrill seeker to get their fill. Some of the most popular thrill rides include The Dark Knight Coaster, Superman: Ultimate Flight, and Iron Wolf, the world’s tallest, fastest, stand-up looping roller coaster. Other great coasters include Demon and the wooden coaster American Eagle.

The park offers some rides that are perfect for those who don’t want the screaming thrills the coasters provide. Loggers Run, River Rocker, and the Scenic Railway are all fun.

You will find many more great rides in Great America as well. You can keep busy there for day.

Hurricane Harbor Rides

The water park is no slouch when it comes to providing great rides. The six-story Tornado provides thrills for the whole family, as do the Vortex and Typhoon. Hurricane Bay is a huge wave pool filled with half a million gallons of water that is great fun for everyone.

The smaller children will also find fun in Hurricane Harbor as well. Buccaneer Bay Provides a fun and safe place to play.

For the Kids

Many of the attractions at the parks are geared specifically for the small children so they don’t feel left out of riding the big rides, such as the roller coasters, with their older siblings. The little ones can find plenty to keep them busy at the park.

Bugs Bunny National Park has some great rides for the kids, including the Looney Tooter Train, and Yosemite Sam’s National Park Tour. Camp Cartoon also has some great rides and attractions for the younger crowd. Both of these themed areas are located in the Yukon section of the park.

Kids will also enjoy Skull Island in Hurricane Harbor. They can play on a waterslides, and "erupting volcano," and get soaked by huge water-filled buckets.

Most kids will also want to see Wiggles World, a themed area dedicated to the popular singing and dancing Wiggles.

General admission to the park for adults is $54.99, and kids less than 48" tall are $34.99. Kids 2 and under are free.

Six Flags Great America
542 N Route 21
Gurnee, IL 60031
FROM CHICAGO

Take I-94 or I-294 West. Exit on Grand Avenue (Rt. 132) east in Gurnee, Illinois. Six Flags is located immediately on the right.
Approximate driving time: 45 minutes.
FROM MILWAUKEE

Take I-94 East. Exit on Grand Avenue (Rt. 132) east in Gurnee, Illinois. Six Flags is located immediately on the right.
Approximate driving time: 45 minutes.
FROM WESTERN ILLINOIS AND IOWA

Take I-88 East to I-294 North in Illinois. Take I-294 North until it becomes I-94 West. Continue on I-94 West and exit on Grand Avenue (Rt. 132) east in Gurnee, Illinois. Six Flags is located on the right.
Approximate driving time: 3 hours.
FROM INDIANA AND MICHIGAN

Take Tri-State Hwy. 80/94 West. Continue into Illinois and take I-294 West. Stay on I-294 West until it becomes I-94 West. Continue on I-94 West and exit on Grand Avenue (Rt. 132) east in Gurnee, Illinois. Six Flags is located on the right.
Approximate driving time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.

OR Take the Skyway (I-90 West) through Chicago to the Dan Ryan Expwy.
(I-90/94 West). Continue on I-90/94 West; it will become the Kennedy Expressway. 90/94 West near downtown Chicago. When 90/94 splits, continue on I-94 West and exit on Grand Avenue (Rt. 132) east in Gurnee, Illinois.
Six Flags Great America is located on the right.
Approximate driving time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.
FROM PEORIA/BLOOMINGTON

Take I-55 North to I-294 West. Take I-294 West until it becomes I-94 West. Continue on I-94 West and exit on Grand Avenue (Rt. 132) east in Gurnee, Illinois. Six Flags is located on the right.
Approximate driving time: 3 hours.
 

Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor – Gurnee, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

With a population of under 20,000 this Illinois community hosts a number of exciting opportunities for entertainment and historic rememberances.  The Woodstock Opera House is a classic example of Victorian construction with it’s interior stencils setting of a fabulous background for the concerts held there now and in the past.  Built in 1889 the theater has run continuously since it opened, quite a statement for any theater!

Walk down the sidewalks of the downtown area and you will understand why, with it’s cobblestone streets and beautifully restored 19th century buidlings, the downtown was named by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to its annual list of a "Dozen Distinctive Destinations."

The county courthouse sits on the edge of the city square allowing the square itself to be used for social gatherings such as the farmers market, ice cream socials and band concerts.  During the summer months there is live entertainment on the square every Saturday night.  What a fabulous way to bring back the community feeling and pride in a community than to share this with the visitors that come to the area.

Woodstock Folk Festival is another celebration in town on an annual basis, this celebration is usually the end of July but check with the city to make sure of the date.  It runs from noon until 6 PM, what a delightful day!

Fanciers of folk music, storytelling and sing-alongs gather on the first Saturday of each month at the Masthouse (actually a private home in downtown Woodstock). Entrance is $4 per person (or what you can afford) and visitors are invited to join in the conversation and refreshments at a "sharing table" and are requested to bring a snack or treat to share.

Another music event is the Off Square Music, with several folk-music concerts each month and open mic night twice a month, attracting performers from Chicago and Milwaukee. 

Being just 60 miles northwest of Chicago gives this community a wonderful opportunity to attract some very talented entertainers for the enjoyment of everyone.  Visit the community and enjoy the hospitality and warmth offered in conjunction with some great music!

Information: McHenry County Convention & Visitors Bureau, (888) 363-6177

Woodstock Events – Woodstock, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The building itself was originally the Palace of Fine Arts at Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian exposition. The Museum of science and Industry opened its great brass doors for the first time in 1933.

The museum has three floors, covering a total of 350,000 sq ft or 32,520 sq m. It has more than 800 exhibits and over 2,000 interactive units. The museum attracts close to 2 million visitors per year.

Climb aboard the Pioneer Zephyr, the world’s first streamlined train. Go inside The U-505 a German World War II submarine. The museum also has a large section on the human body. Among the items on display is a 20ft tall walk-through model of a heart and there’s also a permanent exhibit covering AIDS.

The energy section includes a reconstruction of a 1933 Illinois coal mine which allows people to descend 50 ft into the mine. It was the first exhibit of the museum, but it is still one of the main attractions. In the environmental section you have an interactive display explaining the ozone layer and pollution.

Other attractions include a Fairy Castle (a 9sq ft dollhouse with working electricity and plumbing), a 3,000 sq ft model railroad, an omnimax theater, flight simulators and even a baby chick hatchery.
Visit the Apollo 8 spacecraft and go for a simulated space shuttle ride. See the latest presentation in the Henry Crown Space Center.

See the largest collection of Jordan artifacts ever assembled. All this and much more at The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Location: 57th Street and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL

Phone: (773) 684-1414

Hours: The Museum of Science and Industry is open every day of the year, except for December 25.

May 27 – September 4
Monday through Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

September 5 – November 16
Monday through Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

November 17 – November 19
Monday through Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

November 20 – November 23
Monday through Thursday: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

November 24 – November 26
Friday through Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

November 27 – December 17
Monday through Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

December 18 – December 29
Monday through Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Closed December 25, Christmas Day

Admission: Adult $11.00 Chicago residents: $10.00
Child (3-11) $7.00 Chicago residents: $6.25
Senior (65+) $9.50 Chicago residents: $8.75  

Museum of Science and Industry – Chicago Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Designed in Wright’s Oak Park studio in 1908 and completed in 1910, the building inspired an architectural revolution. Its sweeping horizontal lines, dramatic overhangs, stretches of art glass windows and open floor plan make it a quintessential Prairie style house. Although it was designed more than ninety years ago, the building remains a masterpiece of modern architecture.

The Robie House served as a private residence until 1926, when it was sold with all of its furnishings to the Chicago Theological Seminary, which used it as a dormitory. When the house was threatened by demolition in 1957, the 90-year-old Wright toured the house he had designed half a century earlier and pronounced it as beautiful as the day it was built. Fortunately, the Robie house was purchased later that year by Webb and Knapp, the development firm in charge of urban renewal in the surrounding Hyde Park neighborhood. In 1963 the house was donated by the firm to the University of Chicago–the same year it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

The seriously deteriorated Robie House is being restored to its original splendor by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, according to the guidelines developed by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The 10-year, $8-million-plus project endeavors to preserve this icon of modern architecture as an architectural house museum, so future generations can experience its remarkable design and incredible spaces.

Location: 5757 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

Ticket Price:Frederick C. Robie House Combo Tour (combination of house tour and historic neighborhood tour) $16.00 – $20.00 if purchased at the book store, tours are scheduled to check to see which tours have availability.

Frederick C. Robie House Tour only: $10.00 – $12.00

Phone: 708.848.1976  

Frederick C. Robie House – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The tavern is a popular newpaper writer hangout. Walls are plastered with blown-up bylines and numerous articles. Descend the murky stairs and “Butt on in” as the sign says. The original wood-paneled ’60s decor remains, and walls are covered with photographs, reprinted columns and a "Wall of Fame" of Chicago journalists (Mike Royko has his own wall), some of whom still can be found warming bar stools here. Royko’s replacement at the Trib–John Kass–is a regular. So, if you are a fan of the journalists of the Chicago papers, you could perhaps meet some of them at Billy Goat Tavern.

Burgers, dogs, steaks — if you don’t order the the double cheez you can expect to be berated. The two thin, greasy patties come straight off the grill, onto a bun and into your hands. Don’t expect fries, there aren’t any –and load on the onions, pickles and ketchup for yourself.

The Billy Goat symbolizes everything that Chicago claims to be, and in fact once was. A curt civility, a straight-forward and bold attitude, a relentlessly stubborn self-justification. Chicago’s ostensible nature lives on in very few remaining manifestations, but the Billy Goat is a patently clear one. If you want to experience Chicago in it’s true form, then go to the Billy Goat Tavern and "people watch." You’ll be pleased to "get the real feel" of Chicago.

Location: 430 N. Michigan is actually on Lower Michigan

Phone: 312-222-1525

No credit cards accepted…bring cash or wash dishes (actually–bring cash!)  

Billy Goat Tavern – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The BOT was established in 1848, it is the world’s oldest futures and options exchange. More than 50 different options and futures contracts are traded by over 3,600 CBOT members through open outcry and eTrading.

Trades are made in the pit through two forms of communication. One is bidding or offering a price and quantity depending on if you want to buy (bid) or sell (offer). The other is using a physical representation of the order with your hands and face called arbitrage.

The trading floors have a free visitors’ gallery on the fifth floor. The Chicago Board of Trade is currently closed to the public, due to security concerns. However, high-school and affiliate groups that have pre-arranged their visit are welcome. Call (312) 435-3590 to reserve.

The lobby features a variety of art deco floor designs, including a pattern with airplanes, steamships, & submarines in the basement.

At the base of the courtyard above the main entrance is a clock topped by an eagle and flanked by two hooded figures – an American Indian holding a stalk of corn and a bearded man holding a sheaf of wheat.

Location: 141 W Jackson Blvd

Phone: (312) 922-8936  

Chicago Board of Trade – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Chicago Children’s Museum was founded in 1982 by a coalition led by The Junior League of Chicago in response to program cutbacks in the Chicago Public Schools.

In October 1995, CCM opened as anchor tenant of Chicago’s redeveloped Navy Pier on Lake Michigan. The 57,000 s.f. facility has served as a springboard to propel CCM to make an important difference in the learning lives of kids. With three floors of engaging and educational exhibits, a full array of public programs and special events, CCM strives to effectively meet the needs of its diverse audience.

Exhibits: The Inventing Lab – Gadgets and gizmos inspire young minds to invent some amazing things!

Diansour Exhibit: Travel 100 million years back in time, when you discover fossils of one of the most amazing animals ever to roam the earth. Dinosaur Expedition re-creates the site of the 1997 expedition to the Sahara that unearthed Suchomimus, a never-before found species of fish-eating dinosaur, now on display at the museum.

Big Back Yard: Art meets technology in BIG Backyard – Kids of all ages and their families can immerse themselves in this wondrous, oversized urban garden, filled with enormous insects, giggling flowers, giant toadstools and other fantasy creations that stir the senses and make imaginations bloom.

Climbing Schooner: Scale this towering schooner’s three floors of ship-shape rigging—from deck to crow’s nest! The Kovler Family Climbing Schooner invites kids and caregivers to voyage to the bottom of the ocean and explore the tropical fish, before climbing up to the rafters and racing through the rope-like tubes at the very top. This one-of-a-kind exhibit offers an exhilarating physical—and mental—challenge to children ages five and older.

Kids on the Fly: CCM’s free exhibit at O’Hare International Airport provides a welcome respite from long layovers and delayed flights. In this aviation-themed playground, located in Terminal 2, kids can pilot a plane, propel a helicopter, become an air traffic controller, and immerse themselves in a variety of activities, including a new safety component.

Play it Safe: a dynamic, interactive environment that teaches children and families effective home safety strategies. Designed to suggest a realistic house and backyard, this exhibit is packed with inventive activities that explore ways of preventing—and responding to—common emergencies and potential hazards. Play Now You’re Cooking!, an over-the-top stovetop game show hosted by a friendly, informative oven mitt; learn the ten steps to fire safety, and create your own fire escape plan; keep safe on the streets with the advice of Captain Street Smart; take the Safety Patrol Pledge; and much more. Plus, Chicago firefighters will be on hand for weekday workshops and informal chats.

Play Maze: Shop in the grocery store, change a tire and drive a CTA bus in this miniature cityscape built just for kids ages five and younger! PlayMaze is a sensory-rich urban “neighborhood” that promotes role-playing, problem-solving, emerging literacy and creative exploration through an assortment of fun and absorbing activities.

Art Abounds Gallery: is a showcase for collaborative family art created in CCM’s own art studio and offers an intimate walk-through space that delights and inspires an early appreciation for art.

Treehouse Trails: Camp out, climb a tree and explore a cave in this enchanted forest setting. Designed for children ages five and under, Treehouse Trails magically transports the youngest visitors to the great outdoors and encourages them to use their boundless imaginations. Canoe or fish in the pretend blue river; splash in a mountain waterfall; explore the natural landscape; play in an enormous tree house; prepare vegetables from the garden and serve them in the old-fashioned log cabin. Infants can crawl over giant logs and play peek-a-boo with reflective mirrors in the waterless, cushioned Baby Pond.

Waterways: Make a splash in this squirting, pumping water playground! In WaterWays, you’ll discover the wonders of the Earth’s most abundant resource through an interactive system of pulleys, pumps, wheels and pipes that demonstrate how we manipulate the multi-functional power of water. Navigate your boat down the mighty WaterWays river—and change its flow using locks and dams. Create the tallest water fountain ever, with a replica of Buckingham Fountain for inspiration. Use all your might to turn the gigantic Water Wheel, and recreate how people have generated energy for thousands of years. Prepare to get wet, as you learn through teamwork and individual exploration about the many uses of water!

Museum Hours (See exceptions under Special Hours)

Sunday – Wednesday & Friday: 10am-5pm
Thursday & Saturday: 10am-8pm
Target Free First Mondays: 10am-8pm

Free Family Night
Thursday evenings, 5-8pm – Free admission for everyone

Target Free First Mondays
First Monday of every month – Free admission for ages 15 and under (DOES NOT APPLY TO SCHOOL GROUPS)

CCM is open every holiday except Thanksgiving and Christmas days.

Special Hours

Fridays (from June 16 through September 1): 10am-8pm
Saturday, September 16: 10am – 5pm

Please note: CCM will be closed for improvements Tuesday, September 5, through Friday, September 8.

All-Day Admission

Children and Adults $8
Seniors $7
Children under one Free
CCM Members Free

The museum accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover.

Location: 700 East Grand Ave, (Navy Pier), Chicago, IL

Phone: 312 527 1000

As the Chicago Children’s Museum is conveniently located near several of Chicago’s attractions, you won’t have a problem finding excellent accommodations in the area.  Consider HotelsCombined.com to find the best rates on Chicago hotels.

Chicago Children’s Museum – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Some of Chicago’s top retail establishments are found on the Magnificent Mile, including department stores such as Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Marshall Field’s and Lord & Taylor and boutiques such as Cartier, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry and Tiffany & Co. The Magnificent Mile also features critically-acclaimed restaurants such as The Signature Room at The 95th, Spiaggia, Tru, The Pump Room, Lawry’s The Prime Rib, Spago and many other dining options. You’ll also find luxurious accommodations at four and five-star hotels such as The Peninsula Chicago, Park Hyatt Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, Ritz-Carlton Chicago and Conrad Chicago, a Hilton Hotel.
While the warmer months allow for beautiful landscaping and flowers, the holiday season is also special, with the lighted trees lining the streets, retailers’ decorated windows and horse-drawn carriages trotting down the street.

There’s always something happening on The Magnificent Mile! Whether you seek fun for the whole family, shopping and cocktails with friends or a romantic outing for two, The Magnificent Mile features seasonal events and special happenings all year long. Enjoy free special events that are open to the public, intimate gatherings with featured designers at area retailers, exclusive tasting events at local restaurants, and special activities at cultural attractions.

Magnificent Mile – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Tours At The Mart are available for the general public throughout the year. The 90-minute walking tour includes a brief history of The Merchandise Mart and a guided visit to the showroom floors that represent the Commercial, Residential, Kitchen & Bath, Decorative Accessories and Gift industries.

For a schedule of upcoming tours please call: 312.527.7762.

Industry related and professional groups of 8 or more are welcome to tour The Mart by appointment only. Group tours can be customized to fit your group’s interest and schedule. For detailed information, call 312.527.7762.

Fees: Adults – $10
Students – $8
Seniors – $8

The Merchandise Mart is the world’s largest commercial building, largest wholesale design center and one of Chicago’s premier international business locations. Encompassing 4.2 million sq. ft., The Mart spans two entire city blocks and rises 25 stories.

Today, The Mart remains the largest trade center in the world and welcomes more than three million visitors each year. Sixty percent of the building’s area is devoted to wholesale showrooms. As a design center, The Merchandise Mart hosts 16 major trade shows, seminars, and special events a year.

Location: 350 West Mart Center/Chicago Apparel Center

Phone: 800-677-6278  

Merchandise Mart – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

To provide stablity against high winds, architect Bruce Graham used a new form of tubular construction. Two hundred sets of bundled tubes were laid into the bedrock. Then, 76,000 tons of prefabricated steel in 15-foot by 25-foot sections were put into place. Four derrick cranes moved higher with each floor to lift these steel "Christmas Trees" into position.

The Sears Tower covers two city blocks and has 101 acres (4.4 million square feet) of office and commerical space.

The roof rises a quarter of a mile — 1, 454 feet (442 meters).

Its highest occupied floor is 1,431 feet above the ground.

The foundation and the floor slabs have some 2 million cubic feet of concrete — enough to build an eight-lane highway five miles long.

The Tower has more than 16,000 bronze-tinted windows and 28 acres of black duranodic aluminum skin.

The 222,500-ton building is supported by 114 rock caissons. Each is securely socketed into the bedrock.

A 106-cab elevator system (including 16 double decker elevators) divides the Tower into three separate zones, with skylobbies in between.

Two domed entrances, one with skylights, were added in 1984 and 1985.

Location: 233 S. Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL  

Sears Tower – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The Gothic revival design for this building was selected based on an architectural competition won by John Mead Howells and Raymond M. Hood. Modeled in Indiana limestone, the design is based on the Butter Tower of Rouen Cathedral, with delicate stone tracery and a fine collection of individualistic gargoyles. The medieval atmosphere is heightened by Colonel McCormick’s collection of stones from famous buildings around the world. The limestones used for the Tower are fossiliferous: trilobites, brachiopods, mollusks, gastropods, sponges, and bryozoa have been identified so far.

Location: 435 N. Michigan Ave. (Downtown)  

Tribune Tower – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Located on Lake Michigan, just East of Chicago’s Downtown, Navy Pier has been a Chicago landmark since it first opened in 1916.

The Family Pavilion is anchored by the 50,000-square-foot Chicago Children’s Museum and Navy Pier’s 440-seat IMAX Theater. It is also home to 40,000 square feet of exciting restaurants and retail shops. Just beyond, visitors discover the Crystal Gardens, a 32,000-square-foot indoor botanical park, which provides a year-round center for family activity and special receptions. The South Arcade is home to numerous shops, restaurants, and attractions, including Time Escape, Amazing Chicago, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Navy Pier Park is an outdoor landscaped area which features attractions such as a permanent 150-foot-high Ferris wheel, a musical carousel, an old-fashioned swing ride and an 18-hole miniature golf course. Navy Pier Park also includes the 1,500-seat Skyline Stage, which features musical performances ranging from classical to pop, blues and jazz to eclectic, rock and reggae, as well as dance, theater, comedy and film. Dock Street runs the length of the Pier’s South Dock and is reserved for pedestrians, bicyclists and joggers. In season, four performance areas feature entertainment ranging from jugglers, mimes and stilt walkers to comedians, singers and musicians. Chicago’s dinner cruise ships continue to operate from Dock Street. And, on select summer evenings, fireworks entertain the Pier’s evening visitors. Festival Hall serves exposition and special event needs, with more than 170,000 square feet of exhibit space, and also houses the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows, which is a permanent display of 150 stained glass windows housed in an 800-ft.-long series of galleries along the lower level terraces of Festival Hall. The East End of Navy Pier offers the city’s best view of the spectacular skyline and lakefront, and it is the perfect place for lunch or a sunset stroll.

Location: 600 E. Grand Avenue

Phone: (312) 595-PIER  

Navy Pier Chicago – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

History: The first Chinese immigrants arrived in Chicago in the 1870s, long after the other Chinese had settled in California, Oregon and Washington. It began with the completion of the transcontinental railroad which recruited Chinese as almost 80% of its work force. When the last railroad track was laid in 1869 and work came to an end. Chinese population began to disperse to the mid-western and eastern states from the Pacific Coast where they originally concentrated.

The largest influx of Chinese came in 1950s and 1960s, a time when communist took over mainland China in 1948 and when more lenient immigration law was practiced. Improved Chinese – American relation helped spur this immigration surge also. During these two decades the Chinese population in Chicago doubled itself from 7,000 to 14,000. By 1970, Chicago ranked fourth in Chinese population in America.

The present South Chinatown consists of 8 blocks, bounded by Cermak Road, the railway embankment, East at Wentworth and south at 26th Street.

To the larger community, it is a tourist attraction. It served as an introduction to the Chinese culture and cuisine to other residents of the city.

The variety of shops, restaurants and gentle people make a visit to Chinatown in Chicago a delightful day. If you can’t go to China mainland, this delightful sample of the culture and products available to the visitor will charm and delight you.  

Chinatown Chicago – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

If you are in downtown Chicago, the fountain will certainly catch you attention. You will marval at the beauty of this fountain sculpture.
The fountain, one of the largest in the world, is located at Columbus Drive (301 East) and Congress Parkway (500 South) in Grant Park.

The fountain opened on May 26, 1927.

The fountain runs from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily.

The Fountain operates from mid April to mid October, depending on weather.

Every hour on the hour for 20 minutes the fountain produces a major water display and the center jet shoots 150 feet into the air.

Beginning at dusk, every hour on the hour for 20 minutes the fountain’s major water display is accompanied by a major light and music display. The final display of the evening begins at 10:00 p.m.
The fountain is constructed of Georgia pink marble.

The fountain’s water capacity is 1.5 million gallons. Depending on wind conditions, major displays use approximately 14,100 gallons of water per minute conveyed through 134 jets. Water is re-circulated from the base pool after the basins are filled and not drawn from the outside except to replace losses from wind and evaporation.

The bottom pool of the fountain is 280 feet in diameter, the lower basin is 103 feet, the middle basin is 60 feet and the upper basin is 24 feet. The lip of the upper basin is 25 feet above the water in the lower basin.

The underground pump room is 35 feet long, 25 feet wide and 25 feet high.

Location: Grant Park between Columbus and Lake Shore Drs. east of Congress Plaza, Chicago, IL

Buckingham Memorial Fountain – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The main entrance to the mall is a two-story set of escalators, with a waterfall between them and winding staircases at the sides.
- The podium contains a shopping mall anchored by Marshall Field & Co. and Lord & Taylor. The tower houses a Ritz Carlton Hotel, offices, and condominiums.
- The shopping mall is centered around an eight story terraced atrium with the most famous elevators in Chicago, housed in three bundled hexagonal glass tubes.

Popularly claimed to have been the only surviving structure after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the Chicago Water Tower was built in 1869 by architect William W. Boyington. While it was one of the only buildings within the fire district to survive, much of the city south of the Chicago River survived, including the home of Catherine O’Leary, in whose barn the fire is reputed to have begun.

The Chicago Water Tower is constructed of dolomitic limestone from Joliet, Illinois. Built in a castellated Gothic architectural style, it has a 154 foot (46 m) tall tower which originally hid a 138 foot (42 m) tall standpipe used to keep water flowing.

Though the building was designated a national landmark in 1969, there were three occasions (in 1906, 1918 and 1948) when the Chicago Water Tower’s existence was threatened. In each case, the building was saved by public outcry and the legend linking it to Chicago before the Great Fire.

In 1977 Water Tower Place brought the concept of vertical shopping malls to Chicago. The mall is in many respects an anomaly. Its populatity with out-of-towners and tourists is inexplicable, since its collection of stores can be found at many mainstream mall in the nation.  

Water Tower Place – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Today there are 79 locations of the Library which are a source of books, periodicals, newspapers and information in multiple languages. Users can find computers and Internet access, literature, science materials, music, videos, business resources, educational research and extensive cultural and community programs for children and adults. The Library’s own Web site: www.chipublib.org provides access to a universe of information on the Internet and is accessible in our libraries or from home or office personal computers.

The Harold Washington Library is located at State Street and Congress Parkway. The building is neo-classical, with its design using elements of ancient Greek and Roman structures. The 756,640 square foot library opened October 7, 1991, and appeared in The Guinness Book of Records as the largest public library building in the world.

Located at the State Street entrance is the Popular Library. This department features current general titles from bestselling thrillers to biographies. It is also the Harold Washington Library Center’s location for audiovisual materials including thousands of non-fiction audio books on both cassette and compact disc, educational and entertainment videos, DVDs, and music CDs. The walkway above the main lobby is a gallery of artworks by both emerging and established Chicago painters.
On the second floor you’ll find the Thomas Hughes Children’s Library, which houses the largest collection of children’s books in the city. The third floor contains the General Information Services Division, newspapers from every U.S. state and from foreign countries, telephone directories from the U.S. and abroad, periodicals and encyclopedias. On the fourth floor you’ll find the Business/Science/Technology Division, the Business Information Center, the Science/Technology Information Center, the Electronic Resource Center and the Copy Center. The fifth floor contains social sciences periodicals and microforms, the Computer Connection (offering free computer use, access to the Internet and laser printers), the Talking Book Center for patrons with visual or physical disability affecting ability to read standard print, the Government Publications Department and the Municipal Reference Collection. The sixth floor is home to the Social Sciences Division book collection and the seventh floor houses the Literature and Language Division. The eighth floor contains the Visual and Performing Arts Division, including the Art Information Center and the Music Information Center. Finally, the ninth floor of the Harold Washing Library features the Winter Garden. The Library also features a 385-seat auditorium, and exhibit hall, a video theater and meeting rooms within its lower level.

Phone: 312-747-4136 to arrange tours of the library.  

Harold Washington Library – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

In 1947, when the North Michigan Avenue already had become Chicago’s most fashionable street, real estate developer Arthur Rubloff – who had ambitious plans for the avenue – dubbed North Michigan Avenue ‘Magnificent Mile’. The name stuck and in 2001 it was even trademarked.

If you want to visit the exquisite shops, see fabulous architecture, rub shoulders with the rich and famous and perhaps find the "buy of a lifetime" you will truly enjoy the "Magnificent Mile" in Chicago!

Location: North Michigan Avenue (north of Chicago River)  

Magnificent Mile – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Established in 1868, the zoo is among the oldest zoological gardens in the country.  Lincoln Park Zoo stands as one of the last free major cultural institutions in the United States and the only one left in Chicago. The Zoo is open 365 days a year.

Lincoln Park Zoo features its SBC Endangered Species Carousel ride, paddle boat and swan boat rides, the LPZOO Express train ride, the 4-D Virtual Safari simulator and a Safari Audio Tour. Note that there is a small fee for each of these specialty attractions.

See the variety of attractions offered at the zoo: Reptiles & Amphibians

Birds

Mammals

Exhibits & Houses

Regenstein African Journey

McCormick Bear Habitat

McCormick Bird House

Regenstein Birds of Prey Exhibit

Kovler Penguin and Seabird House

Helen Brach Primate House

Kovler Lion House

Kovler Sea Lion Pool

Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo

Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House

Hope B. McCormick Swan Pond

Flamingo Habitat

Regenstein Center for African Apes

Antelope & Zebra Area

Farm-in-the-Zoo
Presented by John Deere

Hours of operation:

Grounds 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Buildings and Farm 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Early Closings:
Friday, June 16 at 5:00 p.m.
Friday, June 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Friday, July 14 at 3:00 p.m.
Friday, July 28 at 5:30 p.m.
Friday, August 25 at 5:30 p.m.

Summer Weekends:
Memorial Day—Labor Day – (Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays)
Grounds open until 7 p.m.
Buildings and Farm open until 6:30 p.m.

Winter:
Nov. 1 – March 31
Grounds close at 5 p.m.
Buildings close at 4:30 p.m.

Location: Lincoln Park Zoo is located just off Lake Shore Drive at the Fullerton Parkway exit, just minutes north of downtown Chicago. From I-94, exit at either Fullerton Parkway or North Avenue and go east.

Parking: Lincoln Park Zoo is upgrading its parking system in the lot at Cannon Drive & Fullerton Avenue. Parking fees will be collected at the exit of the lot.

New Rates
0-30 minutes—No charge
0-3 Hours—$12
3-4 Hours—$14
4-5 Hours—$18
5+ Hours—$22

Lincoln Park Zoo – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The original owner of the Cubs was Charlie Weeghman (1914-1916). The first park on Chicago’s North Side, Wrigley Field cost $250,000. Charlie Weeghman built the park to house his baseball team, the Chicago Federals (a.k.a. the Chi-Feds and, later, as the Whales) of the brand-new Federal League, which was challenging the established major leagues. The Federal League folded after only two years, so Weeghman, leading a ten man syndicate which included chewing gum magnate Willam Wrigley, Jr., purchased the Cubs of the National League. The team was moved from West Side Grounds to what was then known as Weeghman Park. In 1918, Wrigley took over Weeghman’s share of the team and by 1919 had bought out the shares of the other members of the syndicate. The name of the stadium was changed to Cubs Park in time for opening day, 1920. It was renamed Wrigley Field in his honor in 1926.

After each game, a white flag with a blue "W" flying from the center-field flag pole signifies a Cubs win, a blue flag with a white "L" a Cubs loss.

Wrigley is affected by wind conditions more than any other major league park.

Tours of historic Wrigley Field are conducted each year from April through September.

Proceeds from the tours benefit Cubs Care, the charitable arm of the organization, and a fund of the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation. Each 90-minute tour provides an insider’s look at 90 years of history in this legendary ballpark.

Tour stops include:
CUBS CLUBHOUSE
PRESS BOX
VISITORS CLUBHOUSE
BLEACHERS
DUGOUTS
ON DECK CIRCLES
MEZZANINE SUITES
SECURITY HEADQUARTERS
Tickets are $20 per person.

Tours are limited to 46 people per tour.

The Cubs Gift shop will be open during tours.

Tours are scheduled every half-hour, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
with the last tour scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on each date.

Personal cameras and video cameras are welcome.

TO ENSURE YOUR TOUR,
TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE.

Cubs Care Tours are sponsored by MBNA.

All proceeds from Wrigley Field Tours benefit Cubs Care,
a fund of the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation.

For more information,
please call the Wrigley Field Tours Hotline at 773-404-CUBS.

Wrigley Field Directions and Parking
Cubs fans are strongly encouraged to use public transportation going to and from Cubs games.
The CTA Red Line provides direct service to Wrigley Field via the accessible station at Addison. Fans can transfer to Red Line trains from all other rail lines and from most east-west bus routes.

The Cubs operate a shuttle and parking service at the DeVry University campus located off Addison St. and Western Avenue for all weekend and night games. For $6.00 you can park your vehicle and all occupants ride the shuttle free to and from the ballpark. Take advantage of the savings with the easy in and out of our secure remote parking facility. The first shuttle leaves two and one half hour prior to the game. The shuttle runs for one hour after all Night Games and for two hours after all Weekend Day Games.

Driving and CTA Directions from Chicago Locations

Chicago – Loop

Driving:
Take Lake Shore Drive north to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east).

CTA:
Get on Howard/Dan Ryan red line at the Jackson/State, Monroe/State, Washington/State or Lake/State stations. Take the northbound train to the Addison Street stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.

Chicago – North side

Driving:
Lake Shore Drive to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east). If traffic is heavy on Lake Shore Drive, take Broadway or Clark to Addison.

CTA:
Get on Howard/Dan Ryan red line. Take the southbound train to the Addison St. stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.

Chicago – Northwest side

Driving:
Take 90 East to the Addison Street exit. Turn left (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to Wrigley Field. OR Take 90 East to Irving Park Rd. east to Clark. Turn right (south) and Wrigley is a few blocks ahead. OR If traffic is heavy on 90 East, take Milwaukee or Elston to Addison and head east OR Foster or Lawrence to Clark and head south.

CTA:
Take CTA to nearest Blue line stop. Take the eastbound train to the Addison Street stop. Transfer to the CTA No. 152 eastbound bus, which lets off at the ballpark. TIP: Lane Tech High School on Addison and Western has a shuttle from its stadium parking lot during night games.

Chicago – West side

Driving:
Take 290 East or 55 North to Lake Shore Drive. Take Lake Shore Drive to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east).

CTA:
Take the blue line to Washington/Dearborn station. Walk downstairs to the Howard/Dan Ryan red line. Take the train to the Addison St. stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark. OR Take the green line to State/Lake station. Take Howard/Dan Ryan red line northbound to the Addison St. stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.

Chicago – South side

Driving:
Lake Shore Drive north to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east). OR Dan Ryan to 90/94 West. Exit on Addison and turn right (east). Wrigley Field is approximately three miles ahead. OR 57 North to Dan Ryan to 90/94 West to Addison and turn right (east). Wrigley Field is approximately three miles ahead.

CTA:
Get on Howard/Dan Ryan red line. Take the northbound train to the Addison Street stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.

Chicago – Southwest side

Driving:
Interstate 55 north to Interstate 90/94 north to the Addison Street exit. Turn right (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to the ballpark. OR Interstate 55 north to Lake Shore Drive north to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east).

CTA:
Get to a stop on the Orange Line. Take an eastbound train to the Lake/State stop. Walk down the stairs to the State Street subway entrance and get on the northbound Howard/Dan Ryan red line. Take this to the Addison Street stop. Walk one block east on Addison and you’re at Wrigley Field.

METRO AREA

Metro North

Driving:
Take 94 East to 90 East to the Addison Street exit. Turn left (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to Wrigley Field.

CTA:
Take the Evanston local train south to Howard (end of the line). Transfer to the Red Line (Howard/Dan Ryan) and take a southbound train to the Addison Street stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.

Metra:
North line to Ravenswood station. Take 81 Lawrence bus east to train station at Lawrence/Broadway. Take Howard/Douglas red line north to the Addison Street stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.

Metro Northwest

Driving:
Take 53 North or South to 90 East to the Addison Street exit. Turn left (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to Wrigley Field. OR Take 90 East to Irving Park Rd. east to Clark. Turn right (south) and Wrigley is a few blocks ahead. OR Take 290 East to Lake Shore Drive. Take Lake Shore Drive to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east).

Metra:
Take the Northwest line to Northwestern station. Exit on Washington. Take No. 20 or No. 56 Milwaukee east to State and Washington. Head down stairs to red line. Take northbound train to Addison.
TIP #1:
There are low-cost parking lots at the River and Cumberland stops on the blue line. Park your car and take the eastbound train (A or B) to the Addison Street stop. Transfer to the CTA No. 152 eastbound bus, which lets off at the ballpark.
TIP #2:
Take 290 right to the entry to lower Wacker Drive. Take lower Wacker to Lake Shore Drive where it enters at Illinois Street. Take Lake Shore Drive to the Belmont exit, head west 50 yards to Little Lake Shore Drive and head north. Take this to Addison. Head east until you reach the ballpark.

Metro West (and far West)

Driving:
Take 290 East or 55 North to Lake Shore Drive. Take Lake Shore Drive to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east). OR Take 88 East to 294 North to 90 East to the Addison Street exit. Turn left (east) on Addison and travel three miles to Wrigley Field. OR Take 88 East to Interstate 290 east to 90/94 north to the Addison Street exit. Turn right (east) on Addison. Wrigley Field is three miles ahead.

Metra:
Take the Burlington Northern Line to Union Station. Take the CTA No. 1 Indiana/Hyde Park bus or the No. 151 Sheridan bus to the Jackson/State subway station. Transfer to the Howard/Dan Ryan red line northbound to the Addison Street stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.

Metro Southeast (and far Southeast)

Driving:
94 North to 90 East to the Addison Street exit. Turn right (west) on Addison and proceed three miles to Wrigley Field. OR Take 94 North to Lake Shore Drive. Head north to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east).

Metra:
Metra Electric to Randolph St. Station. Walk two blocks west to State St. and Randolph. Take Howard/Dan Ryan red line northbound to the Addison St. stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.

Metro Southwest (and far Southwest)

Driving:
Take 80 East to 294 North to 90 East to the Addison Street exit. Turn left (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to Wrigley Field OR Take 80 East to 57 North to Interstate 90/94 north to the Addison Street exit. Turn right (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to Wrigley Field. OR Take Interstate 55 north to Interstate 90/94 north to the Addison Street exit. Turn right (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to the ballpark. OR Take Interstate 55 north to Interstate 90/94 north to the Addison Street exit. Turn right (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to the ballpark.

Metra:
Take the Metra Heritage Corridor line to Union Station. Take the CTA No. 1 Indiana/Hyde Park bus or the No. 151 Sheridan bus to the Jackson/State subway station. Transfer to the Howard/Dan Ryan red line northbound to the Addison Street stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.OR Take the Rock Island Line to LaSalle St. station. Exit station on Van Buren. Take elevated brown line at LaSalle/Van Buren north to Fullerton. Transfer to red line north to Addison.

Metro South

Driving:
Take Interstate 57 north to Interstate 90/94 north to the Addison Street exit. Turn right (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to Wrigley Field. OR Take Interstate 57 north to Interstate 90/94 north to Lake Shore Drive. Head north to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east). OR Take 294 North to 90 East to the Addison Street exit. Turn left (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to Wrigley Field.

Metra:
Take Rock Island Line to LaSalle St. station. Exit station on Van Buren. Take elevated brown line at LaSalle/Van Buren north to Fullerton. Transfer to red line north to Addison.

TRANSPORTATION HUBS

LaSalle St. Station

CTA:
Exit station on Van Buren. Take elevated brown line at LaSalle/Van Buren north to Fullerton. Transfer to red line north to Addison.

Union Station

CTA:
Take the CTA No. 1 Indiana/Hyde Park bus or the No. 151 Sheridan bus to the Jackson/State subway station. Transfer to the Howard/Dan Ryan "Red" rapid transit line northbound to the Addison Street stop, which lets out one block east of the ballpark.

Northwestern Station

Exit on Washington. Take No. 20 or No. 56 Milwaukee east to State and Washington. Head down stairs to red line. Take northbound train to Addison.

O’Hare Airport

Driving:
Take 90 East to the Addison Street exit. Turn left (east) on Addison and proceed three miles to Wrigley Field.

CTA:
Take the "Blue" rapid transit line to the Addison Street stop. Transfer to the CTA No. 152 eastbound bus, which lets off at the ballpark.

Midway Airport

Driving:
Take Cicero Ave. to 55 North to Lake Shore Drive. Head north to Irving Park Rd. Head west to Clark. Turn left (south). Wrigley Field is ahead on the left (east).

CTA:
Take the eastbound train on the "Orange" rapid transit line to the Lake/State stop. Walk down the stairs to the State Street subway entrance and get on the northbound Howard/Dan Ryan "Red" line. Take this to the Addison Street stop. Walk one block east on Addison and you’re at Wrigley Field.

Wrigley Field – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

There are 9 structures left of this era. Developed during the first decades of the 20th century, this "city-within-a-city" was home to numerous nationally prominent, African-American-owned and -operated businesses and cultural institutions. This district offered a commercial alternative to the race restrictions and indifference that characterized much of the city during the early part of the 20th century. Between 1910 and 1920, during the peak of the "Great Migration," the population of the area increased dramatically when thousands of African-Americans fled the oppression of the south and emigrated to Chicago in search of industrial jobs. Further development of the area was halted by the onset of the Great Depression. Many famous people were associated with the development of the area including: Jesse Biga, banker ; Anthony Overton, entrepreneur; Joesph Jordan, musician; Andrew "Rube" Foster, founder of the Negro National Baseball League; Ida B. Wells, a civil rights activist, journalist and organizer of the NAACP; Bessie Coleman, the first African-American woman pilot; and Louis Armstrong, the legendary trumpet player and bandleader who performed at many of the area’s night clubs.

Bronzeville Visitor Information Center is a 4,000 sq. ft., Wi-Fi accessible space snakes through both floors of the 85-year-old Supreme Life Building¹s eastern wing. It offers offices, a conference room and gallery space. "Bronzeville to Harlem", the painted bronze sculpture work of School of the Art Institute professor Preston Jackson, is displayed upstairs. Black and white photographs of local people and places by Aleksandrovina Daria Amerik line the second floor walls.

Bronzeville is a lakefront community, 10 minutes from downtown Chicago. There are numerous tour companies to contact for tours of this district. 

Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Primarily the residents are multi-ethnic, with the predominant populations split between Ukrainian and Polish Americans. These groups also share the area with Puerto Rican, Mexican, and African-American residents, in lesser numbers.

Some of the finest Church architecture in Chicago are located in this area where you will hear Ukrainian and Polish spoken on the streets. Visit the ethnic shops, eat in the wonderful restauarnts, visit with the people of the neighborhood and find some true hospitality in the Eastern European manner.

The Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art (UIMA) was founded in 1971 by Dr. Achilles Chreptowsky in the heart of Chicago’s Ukrainian Village. Five to six major exhibits, often supplemented by catalogs, are held in the main gallery which occupies 2100 square feet. Three side galleries house the permanent collection which includes the work of Chicago artists as well as that of sculptors and painters of Ukrainian descent.

Ukrainian Village began as a predominately working-class neighborhood. Many of the area’s first residents were craftsmen employed to build the mansions of their wealthy Wicker Park neighbors. Ukrainian Village came to boast many ornate churches, including SS. Volodymyr and Olha, St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, and Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral, designed by Louis Sullivan.

Although Mayor Jane Byrne designated Ukrainian Village an official neighborhood on January 18, 1983 (the first such designation in the city’s history), steady outmigration throughout the latter portion of the twentieth century depleted the Ukrainian population. By 1990, only 2,500 people living in the Ukrainian Village claimed to be of Ukrainian descent, and many of the residents were young white professionals with no Ukrainian heritage. The cultural impact of Ukrainians on this neighborhood, however, was still apparent at the end of the century, evidenced by many institutions, including churches, the Ukrainian Cultural Center, and the Ukrainian National Museum.

Chicago’s Ukrainian population now lives outside the Ukrainian Village neighborhood, primarily in Cook, DuPage, and Lake Counties.

Ukrainian Village, Chicago Avenue – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Exhibit: Remembering Generations: The Greek Immigrant’s Journey

Remembering Generations is a retrospective exploring highlights from the HMCC’s permanent collections and past exhibitions that have chronicled the paths of Greek immigrants and their assimilation to all facets of life and work in the United States. This exhibition explores the stages of Greek immigration through works of art, historical artifacts, photographs and documentary materials.

Hours: HMCC hours are Tuesday through Friday 10am – 4pm; Saturday 11am – 4pm. There is a suggested donation admission of $5 for non-members, admission is free to HMCC Members.

Location: 801 W Adams St – the cross streets of Halsted and Adams (Greek Islands Building),

Phone: (312) 655-1234 

The Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Chicago Events

As one would expect with a big, modern city like Chicago, it has a thriving cultural life to offer and there are annual Chicago events to suit everyone. There is particular attention paid to musical events of different genres.

The major venue in the city is Grant Park and events there are normally free of admission. The Chicago Gospel Music Festival takes place here in June. There are free concerts as part of the Grant Park Music Festival, which runs from the end of June to the end of August. Entertainment is provided by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus. Country lovers have their own celebration at the Country Music Festival, held in July.

Jazz fans too support the Jazz Festival, held over Labor Day weekend. This has been running over twenty years and showcases different types of jazz performed by both local and nationally known acts. Latin music fans are not forgotten and the Viva! Latin Music Festival gets everyone doing the salsa. This event is organized in either August or September, depending on the scheduling of other Chicago events in the year. It’s not just music at Grant Park on the calendar of Chicago events, there is the Taste of Chicago gathering, when over 100 restaurants display their food in the run up to Independence Day. There is an entrance fee for this event, which includes entertainment.

Every city worth its salt these days has its own film festival and Chicago events include this too. The Chicago International Film Festival, held in March on the Gold Coast, is well respected and gives non-mainstream filmmakers the opportunity to show their films to the public. The Festival includes a Children’s Film Festival too.

The city is proud of its seafaring history and this is celebrated at Venetian Night, taking place in July at the Navy Pier. Boat owners decorate their vessels and sail along Lake Michigan, which is strewn with festive lights for the occasion. There is a prize for the best boat and then a fireworks display. In August, there is the Chicago Air and Water Show, one of the most popular Chicago events. This is a free of charge exhibition with the Water Show in the morning followed by the Air Show in the afternoon. Aerobatic display teams loop the loop over Lake Michigan.

November is the month for art lovers, when SOFA Chicago takes place at the Navy Pier Festival Hall. It is an international exhibition involving hundreds of artists, specializing in sculpture and other objects.

Chicago Events – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

You will enjoy Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States, designed by Frank Gehry. Also in the park is the Crown Fountain which features two 50-foot high glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers are activated with changing video images and lights, and water cascades from the top of each tower.

BP Bridge connects Millennium Park to Daley Bicentennial Plaza, east of the park, this 925-foot-long winding bridge, Frank Gehry’s first, provides incomparable views of the Chicago skyline, Grant Park and Lake Michigan. It has a 5% slope to allow easy access for people who are physically challenged.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion stands 120-feet high, with its billowing headdress of brushed stainless steel ribbons that frame the stage opening and connect to an overhead trellis of crisscrossing steel pipes. The trellis supports the sound system, which spans the 4,000 fixed seats and the Great Lawn, which accommodates an additional 7,000 people. The outdoor concert venue held here will enthrall you not only with it’s beauty but the quality of music provided at the park. 

Millennium Park – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Chicago is the home of the famed American Girl Doll Store – the American Girl Doll store experience is an experience every girl longs for.

American Girl dolls are growing in popularity and many young girls are delighted to adopt one of these toys into their collections. The dolls are designed for young ladies around the age of eight to twelve but I know some grown up girls that would find these items to be true treasures as well.

There is good reason for the popularity of these brilliant toys. Not only does the child (or collector) receive a beautiful and well crafted doll, she also receives a story as well. Following are examples of American Girl dolls that are on the market today. You are sure to find at least one that stands out as the perfect choice for your child.

The best approach to finding the right American Girl doll for your child is to browse through the selection and have her tell you which ones are outstanding to her. There are so many to choose from that the process of picking just one is a little difficult. It is important that this one American Girl doll is just right for your young lady.

There are basically two fundamental choices to make. Do you want to choose an American Girl doll that is accompanied with a historical story or do you want one that allows your child to make a story of her own. Either way, you are assured to receive a magnificent present that your child will never forget.

The dolls that are accompanied by a historical story come in many different forms. You can choose a Native American Girl doll or a Victorian doll, or even one that represents life on the range. The choice depends on your child’s interests and tastes and I’m sure that any little girl will communicate what she really likes.

Not only do the American Girl dolls teach children about history, people and events; they also teach children about values, behavior and aspirations. These teaching vehicles are wonderful and motivating resources for learning about making priorities and working towards doing the right thing. The dolls and their stories serve as examples.

Creative young ladies may want to choose from the modern American Girl dolls that are designed around their own features. You can choose a doll that has the same features, skin color, hair color and eye color as your own child. This will help her really relate to the doll. In addition, your child can share stories with her new friend.

111 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
1-877-247-5223 

American Girl Doll Store – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Continually changing art keeps the museum interesting regardless of the number of times you visit.

One of the nation’s largest facilities devoted to the art of our time, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945. The MCA documents contemporary visual culture through painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, and performance. Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the MCA boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater, and a terraced sculpture garden with a great view of Lake Michigan.

The MCA Collection, comprised of objects in all media, is a vital part of the museum’s program. Although the MCA began as a non-collecting exhibition space or kunsthalle in 1967, it soon began to collect in 1971. Since then, the collection has grown each year through gifts and selected purchases. The MCA has been fortunate to receive several gifts over the last few years and in honor of the museum’s recent 40th Anniversary which will be on view for the first time in Recent Acquisitions: Focus on Chicago, highlighting the ongoing significance of building the MCA Collection.

Recent Acquisitions: Focus on Chicago brings together the work of former and current Chicago-based artists who represent an ongoing focus within the MCA Collection and continue to be dynamic participants within the artistic community.

Alexander Calder in Focus
July 28, 2007 – April 2008 print email

Alexander Calder, Polychrome and Horizontal Bluebird, 1954. Gift of Ruth Horwich. © 2002 Estate of Alexander Calder / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Project Funding
Generous support for this exhibition is provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

View Calder’s mobiles, stabiles, drawings, and paintings in this small exhibition presented annually at the MCA. These works, drawn primarily from the Leonard and Ruth Horwich Family Loan and dating from 1927 to 1968, demonstrate the artist’s development throughout his 50-year career. Calder combined colorful shapes taken from nature, such as snowflakes, birds, and animals, with an interest in mechanics to create whimsical mobiles that move with air currents. His explorations of both geometric and organic shapes have distinguished him as an innovator of art that responds to its physical environment. Though Calder began his career as an artist focused on drawing and painting, he is best known for creating stabiles, mobiles, and large-scale sculptures of natural forms simplified into dynamic, often whimsical creatures.

Collection Highlights
August 18, 2007 – June 8, 2008 print email

Robert Rauschenberg, Retroactive II, 1963. Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Partial gift of Stefan T. Edlis and H. Gael Neeson. Art © Robert Rauschenberg/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.

Related Programs
Exhibition
Record Times: 40 Years from the MCA Archive
Program
MCA as Muse: MCA and Chicago History
People Who Shape Our World: Peter Schjeldahl
MCA as Muse: Meet the Artists
MCA as Muse: A Photographic Snapshot
People Who Shape Our World: Chris Burden
MCA as Muse: Contemporary Art’s New Faces
Saturday Shorts: Polaroid Transfers Exposed!

Collection Highlights, a survey of contemporary art from the MCA’s unique perspective, charts our evolution as a major contemporary art institution over our 40-year history through many of the most significant works in the MCA Collection.

Roughly organized by chronology, Collection Highlights is one of three collection exhibitions celebrating the MCA’s 40th anniversary and builds on themes explored in recent collection-based exhibitions such as The Fluidity of Time (2005) and Life Death Love Hate Pleasure Pain (2002), which was accompanied by a catalogue devoted to the MCA’s most significant works.

View works from the 1940s to ’70s by Francis Bacon, Lee Bontecou, Christo, Robert Irwin, Donald Judd, Rene Magritte, Bruce Nauman, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Paschke, Robert Rauschenberg, Gerhard Richter, Robert Smithson, Andy Warhol, and H. C. Westermann as well as works from the ’80s and ’90s by Chris Burden, Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Sigmar Polke, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, and Thomas Struth, plus works from our most recent period of acquisitions, the mid ’90s to the present, by Matthew Barney, Ellen Gallagher, Andreas Gursky, Jim Hodges, Judy Ledgerwood, Kerry James Marshall, Catherine Opie, Paul Pfeiffer, Tony Tasset, and Jeff Wall. Many of these works, acquired as gifts or purchases over the years, initially appeared here as part of exhibitions originated by the MCA.

The MCA is pleased to offer an exciting and diverse variety of programs and events.

Location: 220 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois

Phone: 312.280.2660

Museum Hours
Monday Closed
Tuesday 10 am – 8 pm
Wednesday through Sunday 10 am – 5 pm
Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Day: Closed

Admission Prices
Suggested General Admission $10
Students with ID and Senior Citizens $ 6
MCA Members and Children 12 and under, members of the military Free
Tuesdays – FREE Courtesy of Target

Directions from Lake Shore Drive

Traveling south on North Lake Shore Drive

Take Lake Shore Drive south to the Chestnut Street exit (traffic light).
Turn right and then immediately left onto southbound Inner Lake Shore Drive.
Take Inner Lake Shore Drive south for two blocks to Chicago Avenue.
Turn right onto Chicago Avenue and go west for one block, past Fairbanks Court.
The museum will be on your immediate right side, on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Mies van der Rohe Way.
Traveling north on South Lake Shore Drive

Take Lake Shore Drive north to Chicago Avenue.
Turn left onto Chicago Avenue.
The museum will be on your immediate right side, on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Mies van der Rohe Way.
Directions from the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290)

Take the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) east until it ends and becomes Congress Parkway.
Take Congress Parkway east past the river for about one mile to Columbus Drive.
Turn left onto Columbus Drive.
Take Columbus Drive north (name changes to Fairbanks Court).
Take Fairbanks Court north until it ends at Chicago Avenue.
Turn left onto Chicago Avenue.
The museum will be on your immediate right side, on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Mies van der Rohe Way.
Directions from the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94)

Take the East Ohio Street/600 North exit (exit number 50B).
Turn slightly left onto Ohio Street.
Take Ohio Street east for about one mile, two blocks past Michigan Avenue, to Fairbanks Court.
Turn left onto Fairbanks Court.
Take Fairbanks Court north for five blocks until it ends at Chicago Avenue. Turn left onto Chicago Avenue.
The museum will be on your immediate right side, on the corner of Chicago Avenue and Mies van der Rohe Way.
Parking

Convenient discounted parking for MCA visitors is available in our parking garage. The garage is adjacent to the museum and may be entered from Chicago Avenue. Visitors must have their parking tickets validated at the admissions desk in order to receive discounted rates. MCA Member’s receive a $4 discount off the standard parking rate and non-members receive $3 discount. The parking garage also has a bike rack available for MCA visitors at no charge. If you have any questions, please call the Parking Garage at 312.986.3120.

Standard Hourly Parking Rates:
Less than 30 minutes: $6
30 minutes – 1 hour: $13
1-2 hours: $16
2-3 hours: $18
3-8 hours: $21
8-12 hours: $23
12-24 hours: $29
Special rate for in by 9 am out by 6 pm: $17

Public Transportation
The MCA is located four blocks east of the Chicago Avenue rail stop on the CTA Red Line, and is easily accessible by the #10 Museum and #66 Chicago Avenue buses, as well as several Michigan Avenue bus routes.

Chicago Transit Authority
Take the CTA to the MCA 

Museum of Contemporary Art – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Come and visit one of the great art museums of the world, the Art Institute of Chicago presents a collection spanning 5,000 years of artistic expression. Paintings, prints and drawings, sculptures, photographs, video, textiles, and architectural drawings and fragments are complemented by a year-round schedule of exhibitions. And there’s more. The museum presents programs-lectures, workshops, performances, symposia, travel, or courses, every day.

Museum Hours
Monday 10:30-5:00
Tuesday 10:30-5:00
Wednesday 10:30-5:00
Thursday 10:30-8:00
(Target Free Thursday Evenings 5:00-8:00)
Friday 10:30-5:00
Saturday 10:00-5:00
Sunday 10:00-5:00

Admission Fees
Adults: $12
Children, Students, and Seniors (65 and up): $7
Children under 12 are free. Members are always free.

Location: 111 South Michigan Avenue,Chicago, Illinois 60603-6404

Phone: (312) 443-3600

Gallery Audio Guide
The gallery audio guide is a comprehensive overview that lets you explore the museum at your own pace. With its random-access format, the guide allows you to enter a gallery number into a small MP3 player to enjoy commentary on the collection. It can be rented at the admission counter at Michigan Avenue. The guide is available for $6 ($ 5 for members) and is free to visitors with visual and hearing impairments.

Exhibition audio tours are available for some exhibitions and include the gallery audio guide. The tour is available for $6 ($5 for members) and is free to visitors with visual and hearing impairments.

Checkrooms
$1 per item. The following items must be checked before entering the galleries: any parcel, purse, bag, or tote 13-by-17 inches, backpacks, baby carriers, long umbrellas, and briefcases. Food and drink are not allowed in the galleries and cannot be checked. The Art Institute of Chicago reserves the right to refuse checking services for any items at any time.

Photography
Photography of loan exhibitions is not permitted.
Still photography of the permanent collection, taken in existing light, is permitted on condition that the photographs are for personal, noncommercial use. Flashes, tripods, and video cameras are prohibited.

There is a new building going up at the museum, this is an exciting opportunity for the expansion of the displays. The Art Institute’s new building is also an integral part of the renaissance of the heart of the city. Along with Millennium Park, the new building represents the city’s most momentous civic undertaking since the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. On axis with Frank Gehry’s sculptural Pritzker Pavilion, the Art Institute’s new wing, an inspired design by Renzo Piano, will be an important addition to Chicago’s architectural legacy.

The building will dramatically increase the amount of gallery space for the institution and give a new home to modern art, contemporary art, photography, and architecture. Other parts of the collection will become much more visible as curators will now have the opportunity to increase the number of works on display in the existing museum galleries. The new building will increase the size of the Art Institute’s campus by one-third. 

Chicago has a plethora of sights to see and you’ll want to find a hotel that puts you near all of Chicago’s hotspots. You can find great Chicago hotels on HotelsCombined.com.

The Art Institute of Chicago – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Located on the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus, the Smart Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of over 10,000 objects, spanning five millennia of both Western and Eastern civilizations.

The scope of its permanent collections, combined with groundbreaking special exhibitions, a focus on research and teaching by University of Chicago scholars, and distinguished outreach and educational programs geared to both adults and school age children, make the Smart one of the Midwest’s most dynamic and innovative educational institutions in the visual arts.

Hours
Tues, Wed, Fri 10am – 4pm
Thurs 10am – 8pm
Sat & Sun 11am – 5pm

Galleries closed Mondays and Holidays. Café and Museum Shop open daily.

Admission is always free.

Location: The University of Chicago
5550 S. Greenwood Avenue
Chicago, IL

Directions: Travel by car
Via Lake Shore Drive
Exit 53rd Street, and turn left on Hyde Park Boulevard. Turn right on 55th Street and continue west to Greenwood Avenue, turn left. The Museum is on the right in the center of the block.

Via The Kennedy Expressway (90-94)
Exit at Garfield Boulevard (55th Street), and travel east through Washington Park. Turn right to join 55th Street and continue until you reach Greenwood Avenue. Turn right; the Museum is on the right in the center of the block.

Parking
Parking is available in the University’s parking garage located on the south side of 55th Street between Greenwood Avenue and Ellis Avenue. The garage is free after 4pm on weekdays and all day on weekends. There is also metered visitor and handicapped parking in the Pierce Towers Lot (corner of 55th Street and Greenwood Avenue) and in the University Police Department Lot (on Ellis Avenue between 55 th and 56th Streets).

A 15-minute loading zone space for group drop-off is available at the Museum’s entrance on Greenwood Avenue. 

Smart Museum of Art – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The view is amazing! You can see 40 – 50 miles (65 – 80 kilometers) on a clear day. Imagine seeing Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, just by walking around the Skydeck. And there’s no finer view of Chicago architecture.

Museum-quality exhibits. Now the view isn’t just out the window. Visitors will see interactive, museum-quality exhibits on the inside walls of the Skydeck paint Chicago’s past and present. At every turn, your guests will see more of Chicago’s history and historic characters.
Multi-language interactive kiosks. Visitors can take a hands-on trip on these state-of-the-art computer information terminals. Each tap will guide them to a new place on a quick tour of Chicago’s landmarks. Now in 6 languages. (English, French, German, Japanese, Polish, Spanish)
Knee-High Chicago. Big or little, every kid gets the best view and overview of Chicago with this kid-level display that extends all the way around the Skydeck. Cool cut-out windows put kids eye-to-eye with Chicago history, sports and more.
High-tech, high-powered telescopes. Everyone can see more of Chicago in detail with these binoculars.
Internationally friendly. We provide maps in 6 different languages: Polish, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and English. Our Skydeck InfoVision kiosks provide online information in 6 languages. At these kiosks, visitors can learn about all major landmarks with a click of a button.

Skydeck accessible to the handicapped: Ramps make wheelchair access easy. Our elevator can easily accommodate wheelchairs and scooters.

Hours: opens at 10am daily. May – September we’re open until 10pm. October – April until 8pm.

Admission: Adult 12-64 $ 11.95
Senior 65+ $ 9.95
Youth 3-11 $ 8.50
Children Under 3 FREE!
* including tax

Location: 233 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 3530, Chicago, Illinois

Phone: 312-875-9696

Sears Tower Skydeck – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

An open-air viewing area like no other. Feel the wind in your hair and find out firsthand why they call Chicago the Windy City! Hear the dynamic buzz of the city from 1,000 feet high!

Don’t just see the sights—hear them! Soundscope talking telescopes give you sound effects so real you’d swear you were there to hear the fans cheering at Wrigley Field. Plus, you can choose narration in English, French, Japanese or Spanish.

Sky Tours gives you "inside" information that has surprised even the most seasoned Chicagoans. The 16 recommended stops of 1-3 minutes each can be experienced in any order – at any pace. You control the tour!
Available in English, Spanish and German.

More than 100 photos on a giant 80-foot display trace Chicago’s rise from marsh to metropolis. See the city’s history stretch out before your eyes, from the great Chicago fire to the first skyscraper, 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and 1933 World’s Fair.

The new Hancock Observatory, in the heart of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, gives you a one-stop tour of Chicago.

Fun facts about The Hancock Observatory, a.k.a. "Big John":

• My elevators move at 1,800 feet a minute.

• You can see up to 4 states: Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and, of course, Illinois from the observatory.

• My Skywalk is 1,000 feet above the street. (Check out the temperature and wind gauges to see what it is like 94 floors above Chicago!)

• The builders used enough steel to make 33,000 cars.

• My black aluminum skin would stretch out to cover 12 football fields.

• My weight in steel is 46,000 tons or 92 million pounds.

• If I stood in the deepest part of Lake Michigan I would still stick out of the water!

Open daily: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (last ticket sold at 10:45 p.m.)

Location: 875 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL  

John Hancock Observatory – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The Aquarium contains several exhibits, the most notable are the Caribbean Reef and the Oceanarium. The Caribbean reef contains about 70 species of animals, including sharks and stingrays. You get a good overview of all the life in the Caribbean reef from behind the glass windows, and several cameras inside the 90000 gallons large aquarium allow you to see the animals up close.
The fish are fed 5 times daily by divers who give the audience some information about the animals while feeding them.

Oceanarium
The huge (3 million gallon) oceanarium, gives an overview of the sealife at the pacific northwest coast. The oceanarium contains Beluga whales, sea otters and seals, but the stars here are the Pacific white-sided dolphins. Shows are scheduled during the day. Thanks to the massiveness of the aquarium, the dolphins have quite some room to show off their speed to the spectators. You can watch them from the windows at the lower levels or during the shows from the ‘amphitheater’.

Enjoy the dolphin show in the 1,000 seat Amphitheater. This is a show offered numerous times during the day. You can also see a number of other special areas from the penguin area to the otter home. This is probably as close as you will ever get to the real thing!

The Building
The aquarium was built in 1929 by the architects Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. The modern 1991 glass extension of the building was designed by Lohan Associates. From the oceanarium housed in this extension, you have a spectacular view on Lake Michigan.

Location: 1200 South Lake Shore Drive on Chicago’s Museum Campus.

Hours: May 29, 2006 – Sept. 3, 2006
Daily 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. –
Thursdays June 22 – Aug. 31
9 a.m. – 10 p.m. (The Oceanarium closes at 8 p.m. The Wild Reef closes at 9 p.m.)

Regular Hours – Labor Day to Memorial Day
Sept. 5, 2005 – May 28, 2006

Weekdays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Weekends
9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Admission tickets sold up to one hour before closing.

Closed Christmas Day.

Admission: ADULTS $23 Senior Citizens (65+) Children (ages 3-11) $16

Discounts

Discount Days
The Sara Lee Foundation presents Discount Days at Shedd Aquarium. During this time, general admission is free, and admission to both the Oceanarium and Wild Reef is available for an additional fee. The Discount Days schedule for the rest of 2006 is:
September, October, November: Mondays and Tuesdays.

Resident Discount
Residents of the city of Chicago receive a 25 percent discount on admission every day.

Other Discounts
We offer a discount to teachers, active-duty military personnel, Chicago police officers and firefighters. With proper ID, you will receive free admission to the aquarium and the Oceanarium. Wild Reef is just $6.
There are no student discounts at this time.

Great Kids Museums Passports
Great Kids Museum Passports is now 2 adults and 2 children for General Aquarium Admission Only.

Shedd Aquarium – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The Nature Museum’s array of unique programs (more than 100 distinct programs in all) offers workshops, tours, support, curricula, and training for teachers and their students, and the chance to watch nature come alive before their eyes! 

Founded in 1857, the Chicago Academy of Sciences was Chicago’s first museum and only museum to specialize in the ecology and natural history of the Midwest from the Great Lakes to the prairies. On October 23, 1999, opened the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. The Nature Museum serves as the cornerstone for all of the innovative scientific learning and environmental programs.

Permanent exhibits include Hands-on Habitat for budding naturalists ages 3 to 7, the renowned Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, Mysteries of the Marsh, The Extreme Green House, RiverWorks, and Wilderness Walk.

Houses the region’s only year-round butterfly haven. Over the course of a year, you may see as many as 250 species of native and exotic butterflies here. On any given day, you’ll see at least 75 different species.

Boasts one of the city’s best examples of eco-friendly building technology. More than 17,000-square feet of rooftop gardens, extensive water conservation systems, solar rooftop panels, exhibits and amenities constructed of recycled and renewable materials, and more.

Features a two-story house in the middle of the Museum that explains how everything we do is connected to nature.

Location: 2430 N. Cannon Drive – Chicago IL

Phone: (773) 755-5100

Hours of Operation:
Sunday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Last admission ticket sold one half hour before closing time.
The Museum is open every day except New Year’s day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Admission: Free admission

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

Hours: Monday–Friday, 10:30 am–4:30 pm;
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm
The Art Institute is also open until 8:00 pm on Thursdays

Closed: All holidays and hours are subject to change without notice.
Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Address: 111 South Michigan Avenue (at Adams Street), Chicago

Phone: 312-443-3600

Admission: $10 adults, $6 children, senior citizens and students. Free Tuesday.  

The Art Institute of Chicago – Chicago, Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism

The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum is the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. Its astronomy programs have reached over 35 million people during the past 71 years. Seven state-of-the-art exhibition galleries located in the stunning new Sky Pavilion and the recently renovated landmark 1930s building present modern space exploration along with the history of astronomy.

The Doane Observatory at the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum is home to the largest aperture telescope available to the public in the Chicagoland area. As such, it is the centerpiece of all telescope observing experiences at the Adler. With its 20-inch (0.5 m) diameter mirror, the Doane can gather over 5000 times more light than an unaided human eye, allowing visitors to see with their own eyes celestial objects like the Moon, planets, stars, and galaxies that are trillions of miles away. (In fact, the Moon can be so bright when viewed through the Doane that we use special filters to reduce the amount of light reaching your eye!)
The Doane is located outside of and behind the main Adler building, directly between the main building and the shores of Lake Michigan. The Doane Observatory was completed in 1977.

The Adler is home to more than 35,000 square feet of exhibits. From scale models of the Solar System, to ancient astronomical instruments, to interactive adventures, our exhibit galleries provide a passageway for you to explore the universe. The Adler is the only museum in the United States with two full–size planetarium theaters. Powered by brand new Digistar 3® simulator technology.

The Adler’s Collection of Historic Scientific Instruments contains nearly 2000 artifacts dating from the 12th through the 20th centuries. The collection contains examples of almost every type of astronomical instrument, including astrolabes, armillary spheres, celestial globes, nocturnals, orreries (or planetaria), sundials, and telescopes. It also includes mathematical, navigational, optical, and surveying instruments.
The Mensing Collection represents about a quarter of the Adler’s present holdings, including many of its most important instruments. The Adler Trust, a fund generated from the Adler’s share of receipts from the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933-34, allowed the purchase of several hundred additional instruments. It increased the breadth of the Adler’s holdings to include a large number of artifacts from Islamic and East Asian societies. The collection was greatly expanded under the guidance of curators Roderick and Marjorie Webster, whose special interest in astrolabes and sundials have made these areas of the collection particularly strong.

Location: 1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois

Phone: 312-922-STAR

Hours of Operation Dates Hours

Regular schedule
Monday-Friday
Saturday & Sunday
First Friday of every month
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Summer 2006 Hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day)
Monday-Friday
Saturday & Sunday
First Friday of every month
9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
9:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Adler Planetarium is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Museum Admission Prices Galaxy Package
(Admission, 1 show *
and audio tour) Universe Package
(Admission, 2 shows *
and audio tour)

Adults
General Public
Chicago Residents
Kids (ages 4-17)
General Public
Chicago Residents
Seniors (65 & over)
General Public
Chicago Residents
Far Out Fridays

$16.00
$14.00

$14.00
$13.00

$15.00
$13.00
(see below)
$20.00
$18.00

$18.00
$17.00

$19.00
$17.00
(see below)

* Each additional show after that is $5.00.

2006 Free Days:
Mondays and Tuesdays January 9 through February 28 and September 11 through December 19. Museum admission is free on these days. An additional fee for shows applies.

Far Out Fridays Admission Prices
Your chance to ‘scope out the Adler on the first Friday of every month from 4:30 to 10:00 pm. Please visit the New at Adler web page to learn more about the next Far Out Friday program.
Far Out Friday Admission Prices*

Adults
Children ages 4-17 / Senior Citizens age 65 and over
University Students & Teachers with valid ID
Adler Members
Family Star Pack (2 Adults/2 Children or 1 Adult/3 Children) $20.00
$17.00
$10.00
$5.00
$60.00

* CityPass and Go Chicago promotions are now honored during Far Out Friday, but ONLY as stated in their original promotion details.

Plan a Family Visit Make the most of a family trip to The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum by checking out tips and family activities to try before, during and after your visit! The Adler features exhibits, shows and daily activities that are appropriate for families with children. Use this guide to discover Adler’s resources for families!

Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum – Chicago Illinois is a post from: Illinois Tourism