Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
what people can do to protect wetlands, and
Habitat Africa!
, a multiple ecosys-
tem exhibit that encompasses 30 acres—about the size of the entire Lincoln Park
Zoo. The thrills here aren't always high concept: Some of my favorite exhibits are
the
Australia House,
where fruit bats flit around your head, and
Tropic World,
where you wander at tree-top level with monkeys. The dolphins at the
Seven Seas
Panorama
put on an amazing show that has been a Brookfield Zoo fixture
for years. If you go on a weekend, buy tickets to the dolphin show at least a cou-
ple of hours before the one you plan to attend because they tend to sell out quickly.
The
Hamill Family Play Zoo
is a wonderful stop for kids, a place where they
not only get to pet animals, but also can build habitats, learn how to plant a gar-
den, and even play animal dress-up. The only catch: You will have to pay a sep-
arate admission fee ($3 adults, $2 children). Allow 3 hours.
First Ave. and 31st St., Brookfield.
&
708/485-0263.
www.brookfieldzoo.org. Regular admission $8 adults,
$4 seniors and children 3-11. Parking $8. Free admission Tues and Thurs Oct-Mar. Memorial Day to Labor
Day daily 9:30am-6pm; fall-spring daily 10am-5pm. Take the Stevenson (I-55) and Eisenhower (I-290)
expressways 14 miles west of the Loop. Bus: 304 or 311.
8 Kid Stuff
Chicago has plenty of places to take the kids—places, in fact, that make every
effort to turn a bored child into a stimulated one. Most of the city's big muse-
ums are leaders in the “please touch me” school of interactive exhibitions, with
buttons and lights and levers and sounds and bright colors, and activities for
kids at special exhibitions.
Chicago Children's Museum
Since the Chicago Children's
Museum moved to Navy Pier in 1996, it has become one of the most popular
cultural attractions in the city. The museum has areas especially for preschoolers
as well as for children up to age 10, and several permanent exhibits allow kids a
maximum of hands-on fun.
Dinosaur Expedition
re-creates an expedition to
the Sahara, allowing kids to experience camp life, conduct scientific research,
and dig for the bones of Suchomimus, a Saharan dinosaur discovered by
Chicago paleontologist Paul Sereno (a full-scale model stands nearby).
Face to
Face: Dealing with Prejudice and Discrimination
is a multimedia display that
helps kids identify prejudice and find ways to deal with it. There's also a
three-
level schooner
that children can board for a little climbing, from the crow's nest
to the gangplank;
PlayMaze,
a toddler-scale cityscape with everything from a
gas station to a city bus that children under 5 can touch and explore; and an
arts-and-crafts area
where visitors can create original artwork to take home.
Allow 2 to 3 hours.
Navy Pier, 700 E. Grand Ave.
&
312/527-1000.
www.chichildrensmuseum.org. Admission $7 adults and
children, $6 seniors. Free admission Thurs 5-8pm. Tues-Sun 10am-5pm (Thurs until 8pm). Bus: 29, 56, 65, or
66. Subway/El: Red Line to Grand; transfer to city bus or Navy Pier's free trolley bus.
Lincoln Park Pritzker Children's Zoo & Farm-in-the-Zoo
After hours of looking at animals from afar in the rest of the Lincoln Park Zoo,
kids can come here for some hands-on experience. Children are encouraged to
come touch a variety of small animals—hedgehogs, iguanas, rabbits—under the
supervision of zookeepers. There's also a very popular glass-walled animal nurs-
ery, where zoo docents and keepers care for the babies of more exotic species—
often, this means gorillas and chimpanzees—who are ill, born weak, or rejected
by their mothers. An adjacent outdoor area houses owls, otters, and other small
critters in winding, naturalistic habitats.
Kids
Value
Kids
