choosechicago.com courtesy of up-and-coming artists. At the Color Factory Chicago , discover a rainbow of a museum with slides, a ball pit, and a silent disco. If you like sweets, the Museum of Ice Cream offers cool treats in themed rooms that pay homage to ice cream. Slime more your thing? Let the kids dig their hands into the oozy stuff at Sloomoo Institute . In Hyde Park, more hands-on fun awaits at the Museum of Science and Industry , home of a 13-foot-tall 3D heart and a human-sized hamster wheel (yes, you’re welcome to jog in it!). In Calumet Heights, discover the Bronzeville Children’s Museum , the first and only African American children’s museum in the United States. For nature and history in equal doses, head to Lincoln Park. At the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum frolic with 1,000 free-flying butterflies and reverse the flow of a mini river. At the close by Chicago History Museum , explore important artifacts from the Great Chicago Fire and ride a high-wheel bicycle. Don’t leave Chicago without answering the call of the wild at Lincoln Park Zoo , where species from apes to zebras roam. Be sure to check out the state-of-the-art lion habitat and the underwater viewing area at the Kovler Seal Pool. Just outside the city, discover another intriguing animal planet. At suburban Brookfield Zoo you can feed penguins, meet gorilla families, and watch bottlenose dolphins in action at the newly renovated Seven Seas. Lincoln Park Zoo 5 1 2 3 5 FREE THINGS TO DO Visit these free family-friendly attractions. LEFT TO RIGHT: @TEQUILAGRAPHICS; ALEJANDRO REYES Millennium Park Splash around in the Crown Fountain, take a selfie with the mirror-like Cloud Gate sculpture, tiptoe through the tulips in the Lurie Garden, and catch a concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Pullman National Historical Park Imagine life in an 1880s factory town as you explore this historic neighborhood, where kids can become a National Park Service Junior Ranger. Big Marsh Bike Park Jump over bogs and hills as you careen around the trails on a rental dirt bike. Money Museum Train your eyes to recognize counterfeit currency and see what $1 million looks like. 4 Lincoln Park Conservatory and Garfield Park Conservatory Go from the tropics to the desert as you wander under palm trees and encounter prickly cacti at these two acclaimed conservatories. Crown Fountain in Millennium Park 29
Chicago Visitors Guide 2024: Page 29
