Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
199
Regenstein African J ourney
, a series of linked indoor and outdoor habitats, is
home to elephants, giraffes, rhinos, and other large mammals; large glass-enclosed tanks
allow visitors to go face-to-face with swimming pygmy hippos and (not for the faint of
heart) a rocky ledge filled with hissing cockr oaches from Madagascar.
The
Small Mammal-Reptile House
is a state-of-the-ar t facility, housing 200 species
and featuring a glass-enclosed walk-through ecosystem simulating river, savanna, and forest
habitats. The popular
Sea Lion Pool,
home to harbor seals, gray seals, and California sea
lions, features an underwater viewing area spanning 70 feet and an amphitheater.
The Park Place Café food cour t is in a historic building that originally housed Chi-
cago's first aquarium. In fine weather, take your trays outside on the large patio area, and
watch the nearb y monkeys doing acr obatics. The Mahon Theobold Pavilion features a
sprawling indoor gift shop and a unique r ooftop eatery called Big Cats Café that opens
at 8am (1 hr. before the exhibits do) and serves fresh-baked muffins and scones, focaccia
sandwiches, salads, and flatbr eads.
Tip:
F or best animal vie wing, go on a temperate
weather day—in really hot weather, the animals tend to be lethargic (like human beings,
I guess!). Allow 3 hours.
2200 N. C annon Dr. (near Lake Shor e Dr. at F ullerton Pkwy.).
&
312/742-2000.
www.lpzoo.com. Free
admission. Buildings daily 10am-5pm (until 6:30pm Sat-Sun Memorial Day to Labor Day); grounds 9am-
6pm (until 7pm Memorial Day to Labor Day and until 5pm Nov 1-Mar 31). Parking $14 for up to 3 hr. in
on-site lot. Bus: 151 or 156.
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GARDENS & CONSERVATORIES
Garfield Park Conservatory
All ages.
Designed by the great landscape architect
Jens Jensen in 1907, Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest gardens under glass
in the world at 2 acres in size. And it's open 365 days a year from 9am to 5pm, with free
admission. Surprisingly, it took a blockbuster exhibit b y glass artist Dave Chihuly a few
years ago for many Chicagoans to “discover” the conservatory.
Chicago parents give the conser vatory a thumbs-up for the special kids ' area, which
features a slide, climbing equipment, and a big pile of dirt (and digging tools), all within
an environment that feels downright tropical. Educational displays such as plants, pods,
and insects, and staff members who work with kids, ensure that some learning gets done
along with digging. U nfortunately, the conser vatory is surr ounded by a rather blighted
neighborhood with a high crime rate. I advise driving ther e and forgoing public trans-
portation. Allow 1 hour.
300 N. Central Park Ave.
&
312/746-5100. Free admission. Daily 9am-5pm. Free parking in an adjacent lot.
Lincoln Park Conservatory
All ages.
Just beyond the zoo's northeast border is
a lovely botanical garden housed in a soaring glass-domed structure. Inside are four great
halls filled with thousands of plants that, unless y ou're an avid hor ticulturist, will take
you perhaps a half-hour to explor e. The Palm House features giant palms and r ubber
trees (including a 50-ft. fiddle leaf r ubber tree dating from 1891), the Fernery nurtures
plants that grow close to the forest floor, and the Tropical House is a shiny symphony of
flowering trees, vines, and bamboo. The fourth environment is the Show House, where
seasonal flower shows are held.
Even better than the plants inside, however, might be what lies outside the front doors.
The expansiv e lawn with its F rench gar den and lo vely fountain on the conser vatory's
