Illinois Travel Guide 2008 - (Page 48) photography exhibits. The MCA also presents music, dance and performance art productions throughout the year and has a cafe run by Chef Wolfgang Puck. Call about free-admission days. 312/280-2660, www.mcachicago.org $ Permanent exhibits focus on cultures of ancient Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Syria and Turkey. There is also a gift and book shop. 773/702-9514, Donation www.oi.uchicago.edu The Polish Museum of America 984 N. Milwaukee Ave. The Paderewski and Kosciuszko exhibits, folk art, photos and documents tell the fascinating history of the Polish immigration to America and to Chicago, home to the largest Polish population outside of Poland. 773/384-3352, $ www.pma.prcua.org Museum of Contemporary Photography 600 S. Michigan Ave. Visit the only museum in the Midwest with an exclusive commitment to photography as an art form. The museum was founded by Columbia College Chicago in 1984 to exhibit, collect and promote contemporary photography. 312/663-5554, www.mocp.org Free Shedd Aquarium 1200 S. Lake Shore Dr. This amazing indoor aquarium features more than 20,000 animals. Watch divers hand-feed sea turtles and other underwater creatures, and don’t miss the shark exhibit. The Oceanarium shows marine life of the Pacific Northwest region—home to whales, dolphins, sea otters and other marine mammals. Call about freeadmission days. 312/939-2438, www.sheddaquarium.org $ Museum of Holography 1134 W. Washington Blvd. If you don’t know what holograms are, put this museum on your sights-to-see list. This is the only institution in the United States devoted exclusively to the holographic art form. You’ll marvel at the more than 200 3-D, laser-generated images on display. 312/226-1007, www.holographiccenter.com $ Lincoln Park Conservatory Museum of Science and Industry 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr. This mammoth-sized museum includes more than 800 interactive exhibits. Explore the fullscale replica of a coal mine or climb aboard a World War II German U-boat. Visit the Apollo 8 spacecraft, go for a simulated space-shuttle ride or see the latest Omnimax presentation in the Henry Crown Space Center. Call about free-admission days. 773/684-1414, www.msichicago.org $ Park. The site of many annual festivals, Grant Park is also home to Buckingham Fountain. Modeled after Latona Fountain basin at Versailles in France, but twice its size, the fountain is the centerpiece of Grant Park. From summer through the end of fall, evening light shows enhance the spectacle. www.chicagoparkdistrict.com Free The Smart Museum of Art University of Chicago, 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. On the University of Chicago’s Hyde Park campus, the Smart Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 10,000 objects, spanning 2,000 years of both Western and Eastern civilizations. 773/702-0200, www.smartmuseum.uchicago.edu Free Lakefront Trail Bryn Mawr Ave. to 71st St. During all seasons, walkers, runners, bikers and in-line skaters take advantage of Chicago’s scenic beaches and harbors. Free Lincoln Park Conservatory 2391 N. Stockton Dr. The wonders of nature bloom year-round in this botanical garden, designed by J.L. Silsbee. One million people come each year to see exotic plants from all over the world. 312/742-7736 Free Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. A permanent display of 150 stained glass windows makes this the first museum in the U.S. dedicated solely to this art form. It showcases both secular and religious windows and is divided by artistic theme into four categories: Victorian, Prairie, modern and contemporary. 312/595-5024, www.navypier.com Free National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame 1431 W. Taylor St. This organization preserves honorable values through sports by honoring and promoting the history and heritage of Italian-Americans who have made significant contributions to sports $ and society. 312/226-5566, www.niashf.org Lincoln Park Zoo 2200 N. Cannon Dr. Where else can you see so many animals in one day right in the center of a city? Thousands of exotic and endangered species fill animal houses, habitats, pools and exhibits. Stop at the Farm in the Zoo, and be sure to see the Regenstein Center for African Apes and the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool. 312/742-2000, Free www.lpzoo.org National Museum of Mexican Art 1852 W. 19th St. The largest museum of its type in the country, showcasing contemporary and folk art by Mexican-American artists. Enjoy four gallery shows a year and a selection of visual and performance arts programs. 312/738-1503, Free www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org Spertus Museum 610 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago’s Jewish museum offers public programming for adults and children, including exhibits and research facilities. 312/322-1700, www.spertus.edu $ Millennium Park Michigan Ave. between Randolph and Monroe streets The 241⁄ 2-acre park showcases world-class art, music, architecture and landscape design. Millennium Park features the work of renowned artists and architects, including Frank Gehry, Anish Kapoor, Kathryn Gustafson and more. Free 312/742-1168, www.millenniumpark.org Swedish American Museum Center 5211 N. Clark St. Located in Andersonville, a Swedish enclave in Chicago, this cultural and learning center has artifacts, photographs and exhibits that trace Swedish-American history. 773/728-8111, www.samac.org $ National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum 1801 S. Indiana Ave. With more than 1,000 works of art by more than 130 artists, this museum collects, preserves and displays artwork relating to the Vietnam and Iraq wars, created by war veterans. 312/326-0270, www.nvvam.org $ Ukrainian National Museum 2249 W. Superior St. A collection of Ukrainian historical items and folk art is gathered under one roof and includes everything from festive costumes to colored eggs. 312/4218020, www.ukrainiannationalmuseum.org $ William W. Powers State Fish and Wildlife Area 12949 S. Avenue O Enjoy hunting, picnicking, winter sports and fishing at Wolf Lake, which offers six miles of shoreline for bank anglers. 773/646-3270, Free www.dnr.state.il.us The Newberry Library 60 W. Walton St. One of the most comprehensive research libraries in the world, the Newberry has five million manuscript pages, 300,000 historic maps and thousands of rare books. 312/943-9090, www.newberry.org Free OUTDOORS/RECREATION Garfield Park Conservatory 300 N. Central Park Ave. Designed by Jens Jensen from 1906 to 1907, the conservatory is famous for its flower shows, exotic-plant collection and jungle climate—a botanical garden under glass. 312/746-5100, Donation www.garfieldconservatory.org The Notebaert Nature Museum 2430 N. Cannon Dr. Set along the lakefront in Lincoln Park, this indoor and outdoor museum invites guests to reconnect with nature. Highlights include a yearround butterfly haven, wilderness walk and more. 773/755-5100, www.naturemuseum.org $ SIGHTSEEING/ ENTERTAINMENT Eli’s Cheesecake World 6701 W. Forest Preserve Dr. Eli’s includes a bakery, visitors center, store, cafe and more. Take a tour of the plant, where 20,000 cheesecakes are made every day. Taste one of 50 different flavors, and stock up with even more. Tours run Mon.–Fri.; the store and cafe are open daily. 800/999-8300, www.elicheesecake.com $ The Oriental Institute Museum University of Chicago, 1155 E. 58th St. This museum features history, art and archaeology of the ancient Near East. Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain Grant Park at Congress Pkwy. Dubbed “Chicago’s Front Yard,” Grant Park consists of the Museum Campus and Millennium 48 ILLINOIS. MILE AFTER MAGNIFICENT MILE. enjoyillinois.com MIKE SERONI http://www.oi.uchicago.edu http://www.mcachicago.org http://pma.prcua.org http://www.mocp.org http://www.holographiccenter.com http://www.sheddaquarium.org http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com http://www.smartmuseum.uchicago.edu http://www.msichicago.org http://www.navypier.com http://www.niashf.org http://www.lpzoo.org http://www.spertus.edu http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org http://www.samac.org http://www.millenniumpark.org http://www.nvvam.org http://www.ukrainiannationalmuseum.org http://www.dnr.state.il.us http://www.newberry.org http://www.naturemuseum.org http://www.garfieldconservatory.org http://www.elicheesecake.com http://enjoyillinois.com
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