Chicago: sightseeing is a breeze in the Windy City, clearly a tourist's kind of town - City Of The Month

Travel America, July-August, 2003 by Randy Mink, Karen Mink

You easily could spend a whole day prowling through the Field Museum, a colossal temple filled with everything from Egyptian mummies and dinosaur relics to precious gemstones and Native American artifacts. One of its most prized possessions is the skeleton of Sue, the largest, most complete, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex yet discovered.

Presentations of dolphin and whale behaviors in the Oceanarium, a marine mammal pavilion, top the agenda at the neighboring Shedd Aquarium, the world's largest indoor aquarium. The new "Wild Reef" exhibit, eight years in the making, provides a "diver's eye" view of a coral reef in the Philippines, featuring 26 Indo-Pacific habitats. The 30-some sharks comprise America's largest and most diverse shark collection. Nearby is the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, where guests can lean back and relax as sky shows take them into outer space.

In the Loop, the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the nation's leading art museums, dazzles even jaded gallery-goers with its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. On view are works by such European masters as Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Gaugin. Through August 17, "Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure" showcases Buddhist and Hindu art from Tibet, Nepal, Jammu and Kashmir, and Bhutan.

The Museum of Science and Industry, another Chicago icon, is a family favorite loaded with hands, on displays that keep children engaged for hours. Guests can climb aboard an actual Boeing 727, walk through a 16-foot-tall human heart model, see a baby chick hatchery, and descend into a replica of a southern Illinois coal mine.

It's easy to sample residential areas on excursions offered by Chicago Neighborhood Tours (312-742-1190, www.chgocitytours.com). Different communities are featured each weekend on these four- to six-hour bus tours departing from the Chicago Cultural Center in the Loop. The Pilsen & Little Village tour looks at Mexican art and customs, while African-American culture is the focus in the South Side's Bronzeville neighborhood. Other trips target Swedish culture (Andersonville), Little Italy & the Historic West Side, and Chinatown & Greek Town.

Beyond the city limits, family attractions abound. In west suburban Brookfield, for example, Brookfield Zoo sprawls across 216 acres. One of America's premier zoos, it boasts cageless enclosures that simulate natural habitats, dolphin shows, and state-of-the-art exhibits like Tropic World, a rain forest filled with primates, other mammals, and birds.

Six Hags Great America theme park, midway between Chicago and Milwaukee, offers 12 roller coasters, music shows, and arcade games. The newest ride is Superman--Ultimate Flight, a next-generation coaster with seats tilting riders face-first into a flying position. Also popular, especially on a steamy day, are the four drenching water rides.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

These Tips may enhance your Chicago trip:

PERSONAL TOUCH: The Chicago Greeter program matches a tourist with a local volunteer of similar interests for an informal two- to four-hour tour of Chicago. Call (312) 744-8000 or register online at www.chicagogreeter.com.