Illinois - attractions - Travel Guide

Art Institute of Chicago
An impressive pair of bronze lions guards the entrance to the Art Institute of Chicago in South Michigan Avenue, housing one of the greatest art collections in the world. Works date from 3,000 BC through to the present, including a renowned collection of Impressionist art featuring numerous Monet paintings. The Institute has it all, from Japanese ukiyo-e prints and ancient Egyptian bronzes to masterpieces of 20th century sculpture. Exhibits include paintings and drawings, photographs, textiles, sculpture and architectural works. The Institute has two restaurants, one set in a garden, as well as a gift shop.
Telephone: (312) 443 3600
Website: www.artic.edu
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Opening times: Monday to Friday 10.30am to 5pm (until 8pm on Thursdays), weekends 10am to 5pm

Field Museum
Chicago's awesome Field Museum of Natural History in Lake Shore Drive is home to 'Sue', the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found. The dinosaur came to rest here after being unearthed in South Dakota when the Museum bought her remains for more than $8-million. Sue is just one of the drawcards at the museum which offers other marvels like getting a bug's eye view in an underground adventure; descending into an Egyptian tomb; watching a glowing lava flow; and getting up close and personal with the man-eating lions of Tsavo. The museum specialises in interactive and diorama-type exhibits across its nine acres of exhibition space.
Telephone: (312) 922 9410
Website: www.fmnh.org
Transport: From downtown, take CTA bus #146, which stops along Michigan Avenue north of the river and on State Street south of the river. This will drop you off right across the street from the Museum. The free trolley system connects the Museum Campus with many downtown tourist destinations and train stations
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 11am to 5pm; last admission at 4pm

Frank Lloyd Wright's Home
America's most renowned architect lived and worked in the complex, which served as private residence, studio and architectural laboratory for the first twenty years of his career, between 1889 (when he was 22) and 1909. Wright's haven started out as a simple cottage and was continually added on to by the architect resulting in unusual features such as a balcony suspended on chains. The complex is administered by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust which offers guided tours. The neighbourhood of Oak Park contains the world's largest concentration of Wright-designed buildings and self-guided exterior audio tours of the 26 structures in the area are available.
Telephone: (708) 848 1976
Website: www.wrightplus.org
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Opening times: Guided interior tours: weekdays at 11am, 1pm and 3pm, and during weekends between 11am and 3.30pm; self-guided exterior audio tours between 10am and 3.30pm daily

. Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park, beginning at North Avenue and following the shore of Lake Michigan northwards for several miles, is Chicago's largest park. It contains several attractions, bathing beaches, a botanical conservatory, golf course, grassy meadows, formal gardens and sports fields. Pride of place is held by the standing statue of Abraham Lincoln, sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. His sitting Lincoln is in Chicago's other famous park, Grant Park. The most popular attraction within the park is the Lincoln Park Zoo, which not only houses hundreds of exotic animals in natural habitats, but offers experiences like paddle boat rides, a virtual safari trip, and the Endangered Species Carousel with 48 artisan-crafted wooden animals that accommodates up to 50 riders at a time.
Telephone: (312) 742 2000 (zoo)
Website: www.lpzoo.com
Transport: CTA bus routes 151 or 156 both serve the zoo. A free trolley service is available linking the different Park attractions
Opening times: Daily 9am to 6pm, weekends until 7pm (summer); daily 9am to 5pm (November to March)

Museum of Science and Industry
Explore everything from monster trucks to genetic codes at Chicago's most popular tourist attraction, the massive Museum of Science and Industry. Described as 'the granddaddy of interactive museums', the museum is located a few minutes from downtown Chicago. It takes at least a day to do justice to the more than 2,000 exhibits housed in 75 halls in this museum, including climbing inside a World War II German submarine, experiencing a simulated trip into a 1930s coal mine, or walking through a giant model of the human heart.
Telephone: (773) 684 1414
Website: www.msichicago.org
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Opening times: Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 4pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm. Late closing at 5.30pm at certain periods during the year (check website for details)

Shedd Aquarium
One of Chicago's best known attractions the Shedd, which opened in 1930, remains the world's largest indoor aquarium. The octagonal marble building houses more than 8,000 river, lake and sea creatures. The main attraction is the Caribbean Coral Reef exhibit and other marine habitat exhibits like a recreation of the Amazon basin and a 'Seahorse Symphony'.

The aquarium also features an indoor saltwater Oceanarium housing marine mammals where dolphin shows are scheduled daily.
Telephone: (312) 939 2438
Website: www.sheddaquarium.org
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Opening times: Weekdays 9am to 5pm, weekends 9am to 6pm (September to May); daily 9am to 6pm (May to September). Check website for extended hours

. Lincoln's Home
The pretty two-storey home of Abraham and Mary Lincoln was the only home the lawyer/president ever owned. He and his wife lived in the house between 1844 and 1861 when he was elected President. The home has been restored and stands as it was in 1860 in the midst of a four-block historic neighbourhood, which the National Park Service is restoring. The neighbourhood, like the house, will also soon appear much as Lincoln would have remembered it.
Telephone: (217) 492 4241, ext. 221
Website: www.nps.gov/liho
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Opening times: Daily 8.30am to 5pm

Old State Capitol
The Capitol building in the Downtown Mall, Springfield, was where Abraham Lincoln tried several hundred cases in the Supreme Court, borrowed books from the state library, and read and swapped stories with other lawyers and politicians in the law library. On May 3 and 4 in 1865 Lincoln's body laid in state in the Capitol's Representatives Hall as a crowd of more than 75,000 people filed past to pay their final respects to this beloved historic figure.
Telephone: (217) 785 7960
Website: www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/old_capitol.htm
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Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5pm (November to 15 April); open daily between 16 April and 4 September

Oak Ridge Cemetery
Abraham Lincoln was buried in Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery after his assassination in 1865. Today it is the second most visited cemetery in the United States, being the resting place not only of Lincoln but several other notable historic figures as well. Lincoln's tomb monument was designed by Larkin Mead and is one of the highlights of the Historic Monument Tour by guided audio cassette, obtainable from the Oak Ridge Cemetery office. A Civil War Retreat Ceremony is held at Lincoln's tomb each Tuesday evening during the summer.
Telephone: (217) 782 2717
Website: www.state.il.us/HPA/hs/Tomb.htm
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Opening times: Daily 9am to 4pm; closed on public holidays

Lincoln Library and Museum
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library opened in October 2004, with the Museum opening on 19 April 2005. They are part of a $115 million complex dedicated to the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln and form the largest presidential library complex in the nation. The Library houses the world's largest collection of Lincoln material, with more than 46,000 items.

Included in this collection are nearly 1,500 documents written or signed by Lincoln, including handwritten copies of the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address. The collection also contains important family documents and artefacts, including the Lincoln's marriage license, a tablecloth from their wedding reception, the nameplate from their front door, and Mr. Lincoln's shaving mirror. The museum has been designed to be an amazing experience, using creative 'immersive' exhibits taking visitors through phases of the president's life from his boyhood cabin in Indiana to his 'homecoming' funeral in Springfield.
Telephone: (217) 558 8844
Website: www.alplm.org
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Opening times: Library: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 9am to 4.30pm, Wednesday 9am to 8.30pm, Saturday 8.30am to 3.30pm. Museum: daily 9am to 5pm, Wednesday 9am to 8.30pm

. Navy Pier
Situated on the lakefront, Navy Pier has developed into one of the city's main tourist destinations, offering year-round attractions, events and entertainment for the whole family. Navy Pier encompasses acres of parks and gardens, shops, restaurants, and numerous attractions and rides, as well as serving as an embarkation point for tour and excursion boats. Its 150ft (46m) Ferris wheel attracts more than eight million people annually; other main attractions include an IMAX theatre, Chicago's Children's Museum, and the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows. Other special attractions are offered throughout the year.
Telephone: (312) 595 7437
Website: www.navypier.com
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Opening times: Open daily, but hours vary according to the season. Hours are usually Sunday to Thursday 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 10pm

Sears Tower
'You haven't seen Chicago until you've seen it from the Skydeck' is what many visitors will hear from locals and other tourists in the city. Located on the 103rd floor, the Sears Tower Skydeck is 1,353 feet (412m) above street level and one of Chicago's most famous tourist attractions. Elevators whisk visitors up to the observation deck where the views stretch out across the city and Lake Michigan, and as far as neighbouring states on a clear day. Inside, there are some interesting, interactive exhibits and computer information terminals for a tour of the city's landmarks. Sears Tower, standing at 110 stories high, is the tallest building in North America and one of the tallest in the world.
Telephone: (312) 875 9447
Website: www.theskydeck.com
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Opening times: Skydeck opens daily 10am to 10pm (April to September), 10am to 8pm (October to March)

Millennium Park
Millennium Park is one of Chicago's most popular destinations and is seen by Chicagoans as the crowning glory of their city.

The award-winning park is famous for its innovative architecture and landscape design, featuring the work of several prominent artists, architects and designers. The park's most outstanding feature is the state-of-the-art outdoor concert venue, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, which seats more than 4,000 people and hosts regular concerts. Another fascinating piece of architecture is the polished stainless steel Cloud Gate, shaped like a 66-foot (20m) long bean with a 12-foot (4m) high archway. Other interesting features include the Crown Fountain, the Lurie Garden, BP Bridge, and the Millennium Monument. Visitors can also enjoy changing exhibitions, local art works, and ice skating in winter.
Telephone: (312) 742 1168
Website: www.millenniumpark.org
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Opening times: Daily 6am to 11pm

. Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
Located on Lake Michigan, the Adler is America's first planetarium and is the only museum in the world with two full-size planetarium theaters. The night sky has been visible from the historic Sky Theatre since 1930, while the all-digital StarRider Theatre is the first of its kind in the world and affords a virtual outer space experience in its 55-foot (17m) wide and three story high area. The Adler is also home to numerous exhibits including antique astronomical instruments dating back to 12th-century Persia and interactive displays.
Telephone: (312) 922 7827
Website: www.adlerplanetarium.org
Transport: Bus 12 or 146
Opening times: Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm; open 9.30 to 6pm from 16 June to 7 September

Hancock Observatory
The John Hancock building is Chicago's third highest skyscraper with a distinctive x-bracing exterior skin, and its Observatory competes with the facilities of the Sear's Tower Skydeck across town in the Financial District. Located on the 94th floor 1,000 feet (305m) above street level, the Observatory boasts the city's only open-air skywalk, as well as 360-degree views, a talking telescope, audio Skytours that provide an overview of the city with 16 stops, and the History Wall, with more than 100 photos featuring Chicago's history. Visitors can also have fun with some unique 'daring' photo opportunities. An annual 'Hustle up the Hancock' stair climb race up the 94 floors is held every February; the record time is nine minutes 39 seconds.
Telephone: (312) 751 3680
Website: www.hancock-observatory.com
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Opening times: Daily 9am to 11pm

Cities & Regions: Chicago | Springfield