|  Chicagoans
have sustained a long-running enthusiasm when it comes to
their parks, gardens, beaches, and hiking trails. In fact,
the Chicago Park District maintains over 7300 acres of parkland
throughout the city, including 552 parks, nine museums, 33
beaches, two incredible conservatories, 16 lagoons, and even
10 bird and wildlife gardens.
Besides renowned recreational areas like
Grant or Millennium Park, Chicago also prides itself on smaller
green spots nestled in its various neighborhoods. From the
Adams Playground Park in Lincoln Park to Blackhawk Park in
Logan Square, the city’s environmental conservatories
prove to be nothing less than spectacular.
Such parks offer endless opportunities for
children to play baseball, tennis, volleyball, soccer, and
basketball, or try their hand at boating, bird watching or
biking! The Chicago Park District is committed to promoting
athleticism, making it easy for children to enroll in a sports
team, or just play recreationally.
Some of the Larger Parks include:
The Buckingham Fountain:
Located in the heart of Grant Park, the
Buckingham fountain not only invites visitors to marvel its
134 jets of water that can reach 150 ft high, but gives them
a taste of Chicago’s history and geography. Built in
1927, this fountain features four bronze sea horses that each
represents the four states surrounding Lake Michigan: Wisconsin,
Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
Besides its symbolic take on Lake Michigan and surrounding
regions, the Buckingham Fountain also entertains spectators
with an evening show from 8pm -11 pm. Its hourly display of
water, music and light is unrivaled in visual and auditory
splendor, making it an appealing spot for visitors.
The fountain runs from 10:00 am to 11:00
pm daily, from April 1 to November 1st each year.
Millennium Park
Ever since its new construction in 1997,
Millennium Park has not only become a place to see contemporary
art, elaborate architecture and intricate landscape design,
but has inadvertently developed into a national attraction.
With 24.5 acres of land, Millennium Park boasts incredible
sculptures like the Crown Fountain; comprised of two 50 feet
glass towers displaying video images of human faces making
silly expressions. At the opposite end of the park, a gigantic
steel structure (resembling a large cashew) has a mirrored
surface that reflects the Chicago skyline.
But the eye candy doesn’t stop there.
In fact, Millennium Park may be most popular for its outdoor
concert venue; the beautiful Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Designed
to emphasize its striking steel beams that hang delicately
above the stage, this theater has hosted many artists and
Chicago blues and Jazz festivals.
A collaboration of dance, art, landscape,
and music: Millennium Park has ultimately become a place of
recreation and entertainment for its visitors, and a reigning
achievement for Chicago.
Lincoln Park Conservatory
In a city that pushes the limits of the
phrase ‘hustle and bustle,’ the Lincoln Park Conservatory
provides retreat from the hectic commotion of everyday life.
 Built
in the early 1890’s, this conservatory is dedicated
to the preservation of natural vegetation and exotic plant
life. In fact, the thousands of plants grown here will eventually
be dispersed to various parks throughout the city.
The conservatory has four display houses:
The Palm House, Fern Room, Orchid House and Show House. Each
individual sanctuary houses a specific foliage; from oversized
palms and fiddle-leaf trees, to ferns and exotic flower exhibits.
The Lincoln Park Conservatory has given adults and children
alike the chance to explore exceptional flora and fauna, and
exotic wildlife. So get out your walking stick and treasure
map; your exotic safari adventure awaits! The Conservatory
is open daily from 9-5. Admission is free.
Grant Park
Fancy a breathtaking view of the Chicago
skyline and lakefront? Come to Grant Park, where skyscrapers
converge with acres of green grassland. Located between Michigan
Avenue and Lake Michigan, Grant Park’s vast green space
has become home to many famous fountains, monuments, and museums
such as the Art Institute, Field Museum, Shed Aquarium, and
Buckingham Fountain. The park also features the Petrillo Music
Shell: an outdoor concert venue that has hosted the Blues
Festival, Gospel Festival, Country Music Festival, and Chicago
Jazz Festival. During the summer Grant Park also hosts the
legendary Taste of Chicago, where visitors gather to sample
ethnic foods from countries around the world.
Not only is Grant Park a site for cultural
exploration, it also contains the Grant Park Path; a walking
trail where people can stretch their legs while enjoying a
scenic view of the city. As Chicago’s most renowned
and celebrated recreational space, Grant Park has come to
serve as both a playground and cultural center for our city.
The Museum of Science and Industry
Unrivaled in its imaginative exhibits and
original way of looking at science, the Museum of Science
and Industry is continuously pushing the bar when it comes
to creating a space for experience, education, and exploration.
Curious about what it feels like to live
like a Queen? Longtime exhibits like, ‘Fairy Castle’
allows visitors to peek into the unsuspecting, miniature world
of royalty where dukes are knighted, and princes are appointed
king! Guests can marvel these tiny, delicately painted rooms
that attempt to recreate the interior of a true castle. If
you search hard enough, you may just stumble across Cinderella’s
glass slippers, or King Arthur’s sword!
The enchantment does not stop there. This
museum offers visitors the chance to drop 600 ft underground
and explore Old Ben #17, a real coal mine! In under an hour,
guests will assume the life of a coal miner, and learn about
machinery and safety measures
. The museum also has an Omnimax theater,
that features such shows as “Volcanoes of the Deep Sea”
and “Wired to Win: surviving the Tour de France”.
The Shedd Aquarium
Lionfish and moon jellies and sea turtles,
oh my! At Chicago’s one and only Shedd Aquarium, animals
are never short in quantity. In fact, the Shedd Aquarium is
home to over 22,000 animals; from beluga whales to river otters.
This institution not only creates a habitat for these animals
to live in but gives passionate viewers a head-to-head experience
with their favorite sea creatures! With such exhibits as Wild
Reef, Oceanarium, Amazon Rising, Waters of the World and Caribbean
Reef, visitors can easily discover mysterious life forms existing
just below the ocean’s surface.
 The
Art Institute Museum
Ever wanted to discover historical, impressionist
artwork without booking tickets to Europe? The Art Institute
of Chicago makes this possible, housing hundreds of timeless
paintings, sculptures, photographs, textiles and decorative
art. Aspiring artists and visitors alike are welcome to enjoy
such paintings as, Gustave Caillebote, Paris Street; Rainy
Day, 1877, and Jean Baptiste Simeon Chardin, Self-Portrait
with a Visor, c. 1776. The gallery even showcases artwork
dating back 5000 years!
The Art Institute not only boasts an unbelievable collection
of artwork, but prides itself on its musical concerts in Fullerton
Hall. It also has an education center where families can plan
kid-friendly visits.
The Museum is open Monday-Wednesday and
Weekends, 10:30- 5:00, Thursday 10:30- 8:00, and Friday 10:30-5:00.
The Field Museum
Enter a world where dinosaurs seem to come
to life and ancient fossils are just an exhibit away. The
field museum puts such anthropological and biological collections
at your fingertips. Not only can you explore the cultures
of Native Americans or Eskimos, you can stand next to Sue,
the world's best conserved entire tyrannosaurus rex, and thank
your lucky stars dinosaurs no longer roam the earth!
The museum's exhibits highlight anthropology,
zoology, botany, and geology.
First named the Columbian Museum of Chicago
in 1893, and eventually changed to the Field Museum in 1905
(after Marshall Field, a major donor) this museum has maintained
its position as one of Chicago’s most enlightening and
educational institutes for over a century. Wikepedia
The Peggy Notebaert Museum
Located just north of the Lincoln
Park Zoo, the Peggy Notebaert Museum is dedicated to raising
environmental awareness. Featuring exhibits like Hands-on
habitat, Greening project, and Mysteries of the Marsh, this
museum stresses ways humans can help preserve the natural
wildlife that exists around them.
Want to tread through wet marshlands, then
splash around in a riverbank? The Peggy Notebaert Museum allows
you to do both, all without leaving the grounds! In fact,
guests are allowed to reverse the flow of a river, simply
by pushing a button!
A day at the museum isn’t complete
without studying real plants and amphibians, then grazing
through the 2700 ft greenhouse: home to hundreds of species
of butterflies. These hands-on exhibits give both children
and adults a fun and interactive learning experience.
The museum is open
Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, and 10:00 am to 5:00
pm on weekends.
Other parks which may not be famous worldwide but are notable
to citizens of the city include:
- Washington Park
- Avalon Park
- Fuller Park
- Gage Park
- Humboldt Park
- Douglas Park
- South Shore Nature Reserve
- Rainbow Beach Park
- Bessemer Park
- Russell Square
- Peoples Park
- Calumet Park
- Marquette Park
We understand that having a place nearby
to run, jump or hike can be crucial when it comes to choosing
a home. Below are websites that detail some of these parks
according to their location in the city:
http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com
http://www.chicagotraveler.com/parks-gardens.htm
http://www.fotp.org/
http://www.gocitykids.com/browse/topcat.jsp?area=196&category=13
http://www.10best.com/Chicago/Sights_&_Activities/Parks/index.html
Chicago
Trails and parks
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