How about the Museums & Parks...

·        Field Museum - The Field Museum is located at Chicago's Museum Campus. The Field Museum was founded to house the biological and anthropological collections assembled for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. These objects form the core of the Museum's collections which have grown through world-wide expeditions, exchange, purchase, and gifts to more than twenty million specimens. The Museum's permanent exhibits include topics such as bird habitats, African culture, animal biology, sea mammals, gems, fossils, Eskimos, Native American cultures, and much, much more. You won't want to miss everyone's favorite, Sue, the world's largest, most complete, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex.

·        Shedd Aquarium - The Shedd Aquarium, located on Chicago's Museum Campus, is the world's largest indoor aquarium with more than 8,000 aquatic animals representing more than 700 species from all parts of the world. The Caribbean Reef, teaming with bright, colorful new corals and more than 60 species of animal, includes bonnet head sharks, southern stingrays, angelfish and a hawksbill sea turtle. Divers hand-feed sharks, sea turtles and eels at scheduled times during the day.

·        Adler Planetarium - Opened in 1930 as the first planetarium in the western hemisphere, the Adler fuels the imagination of its visitors.

·        Millennium Park - Millennium Park, an ambitious and sometimes controversial addition to Chicago's downtown lakefront has opened. The centerpiece of the 24-and-a-half-acre park is the Pritzker Pavilion, a 120-foot-high outdoor music stage framed with a signature Gehry sculpture. A fountain, by Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa, features the faces of 1,000 Chicagoans projected onto two 50-foot glass towers, while artist Anish Kapoor's 110-ton, steel sculpture reflects both the faces of those who approach it and the city's famous skyline.

·        The Zoo - Two of the finest zoos in the country are located in the Chicago area and both are highly recommended. First, on the city’s north side is Lincoln Park Zoo. This free zoo is open every day of the year. While it is one of the oldest zoos in the country, it is also one of the most modern. Brookfield Zoo, located in Brookfield, Illinois, just west of Chicago, is situated on 216 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, featuring over 2,000 animals.