Frommer's EasyGuide to Chicago by Kate Silver

Author:Kate Silver
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: FrommerMedia
Published: 2015-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

What to See & Do in Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park is the city’s largest park, and certainly one of the longest. Straight and narrow, the park begins at North Avenue and follows the shoreline of Lake Michigan north for several miles. Within its 1,200 acres are a world-class zoo; half a dozen beaches; a botanical conservatory; two excellent museums; a golf course; and the meadows, formal gardens, sporting fields, and tennis courts typical of urban parks.

The park, named after Abraham Lincoln, is home to the statue of the standing Abraham Lincoln (just north of the North Ave. and State St. intersection), one of the city’s two Lincoln statues by Augustus Saint-Gaudens (the seated Lincoln is in Grant Park). Saint-Gaudens also designed the Bates Fountain near the conservatory.

Chicago History Museum HISTORY MUSEUM What do the atomic bomb, birth control pill, and Lincoln Logs have in common? They were developed in Chicago, which you’ll learn about when you visit here. The museum’s name is far more straightforward and boring than what’s within, so if you’re not a history buff, don’t let it scare you off. This place is pretty great. On any given day, a visit here could reveal dramatic photo exhibits, luxurious fashion explorations, stories from the lives and times of railroad workers, and more. Year-round, the museum, which sits on the southwest boundary of Lincoln Park, does a great job of capturing just how fascinating the history of Chicago is, rife with gangsters and race riots; riddled with tragedies and fire; rich with inventions and innovations. Although the bulk of the museum is best suited for older kids and adults, a number of interactive exhibits, including a hands-on El train from the late 1800s, will keep little ones entertained, at least for a little while. Programming in recent years has shown a particularly fun edge, drawing in younger patrons, including historic bar crawls, same-sex wedding events, energetic history tours, and family trolley tours. Check the website to see what the museum has in store during your visit. The museum is also home to a small gift shop and cafe. Allow 1 to 2 hours.

1601 N. Clark St. (at North Ave.). www.chicagohistory.org. 312/642-4600. Admission $14 adults, $12 seniors and students, free for children 12 and under. Mon–Sat 9:30am–4:30pm; Sun noon–5pm. Subway/El: Brown Line to Sedgwick or Red Line to Clark/Division.

Lincoln Park Conservatory CONSERVATORY Just beyond the Lincoln Park 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. If you’re visiting Chicago in the wintertime, this lush haven of greenery provides a welcome respite from the snow and ice outside. Built between 1890 and 1895, this historic house was created to nurture the plants and flowers used in Chicago parks. The Palm House features giant palms and rubber trees (including a 50-foot fiddle-leaf rubber tree dating back to 1891); the Fern House nurtures plants that grow close to the forest floor; and the Orchid House is home to hundreds of colorful orchids, as well as tropical carnivorous plants.

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