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Buckingham Fountain
Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway

This popular landmark and tourist attraction offers visitors a dazzling music, light, and water show, which runs through the end of fall from dusk to 11:00 PM every hour. The show lasts for twenty minutes.


Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road
847-935-5440

Explore a world-renowned garden located right in Chicago’s backyard. This 385-acre living museum features twenty-four specialty gardens and three native habitats set on a series of islands and lakes. The garden is always in bloom, featuring year-round educational programs, exhibits, tours, and special events. Admission is free; select event fees apply and parking is $20. Various events are offered depending on date; please see the event calendar on our website for more detailed information.

Hours*
Daily, 8:00 AM–Sunset


Garfield Park Conservatory
300 North Central Park Avenue
312-746-5100

This conservatory offers one of the largest gardens under glass in the nation. It features five permanent collections, an indoor children’s garden, outdoor gardens, and five annual flower shows. Admission and parking are free.

Hours*
Daily, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM


John Hancock Observatory
875 North Michigan Avenue
94th Floor
312-751-3681

At 1,000 feet above the Magnificent Mile, the John Hancock Observatory delivers a full sensory experience! Be amazed by the stunning views spanning four states after riding in North America’s fastest elevator. Stimulate the mind with our free multimedia Sky Tour, as looking glass cofounder David Schwimmer takes you through Chicago’s history and hotspots. Multilingual tours are available. Feel why Chicago is called the Windy City on our open-air Skywalk. Check out the nation’s first interactive telescopes with live day and night views. Let our complimentary concierge plan out the rest of your visit while you sit down to relax in our Lavazza Espression Café, now also serving adult beverages. General admission: Adults (12+): $15; Children (3–11): $10; Children under 3 are free.

Hours*
Daily, 9:00 AM–11:00 PM (Last admission is at 10:30 PM)


Legoland Discovery Center
601 North Martingale Road
Schaumburg, IL
847-592-9700

Legoland Discovery Center, a giant indoor Lego world designed for families with children aged two to twelve, is located in Schaumburg’s Streets of Woodfield shopping center. The 30,000-square-foot attraction features activities ranging from hands-on Lego play to life-sized Lego adventures designed to provide several hours of family entertainment centered around the iconic interlocking colored bricks. Visit the Legoland Discovery Center and it’s like you have stepped into the world’s biggest box of Lego! Journey through a medieval castle on the Dragon Ride and pedal to the skies on the Technicycle Ride, feel part of the story in the 4-D cinema, see iconic Chicago landmarks in the Miniland exhibit, let your child create their own adventure in the Lego city construction site, join the Master Model Builder in putting together an exclusive Lego model, take a tour of the Lego factory to find out how bricks are made, grab a bite in the café, shop in the Lego retail shop, and much more!


Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory
Cannon Drive at Fullerton Parkway
312-742-2000

Lincoln Park Zoo, the nation’s most historic zoo, is also one of the last remaining free admission zoos. This not-for-profit institution is home to thousands of animals representing hundreds of different species and operates one of the most significant zoo-based conservation and science programs in the country. Visitors can go nose-to-nose with gorillas and chimpanzees at the Regenstein Center for African Apes; immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of Africa while witnessing some of the world’s rarest creatures, including wild dogs, pygmy hippos, and black rhinos at the Regenstein African Journey; and howl with red wolves or climb inside a black bear den at the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo. The zoo is located just minutes from downtown at Lake Shore Drive and Fullerton Parkway. Paid parking is available on Cannon Drive. CTA buses 151 and 156 service the zoo. The Conservatory has peaceful and enchanting gardens in the heart of Lincoln Park, adjacent to the zoo.

Hours*
Daily, 10:00 AM–5:00 PM


Millennium Park
201 East Randolph Street
312-744-6050

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture, and landscape design. Its prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden, designed by the team of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd, Piet Oudolf, and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor’s hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture. Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the east, Randolph Street to the North, and Monroe Street to the South.


Navy Pier
600 East Grand Avenue
312-595-5300

Historic Navy Pier is Chicago’s lakefront playground with over fifty acres of parks, shops, restaurants, entertainment, and attractions. Navy Pier is the Midwest’s #1 tourist and leisure destination, attracting more than eight million visitors a year. Enjoy a ride on the ferris wheel, musical carousel, Wave Swinger, and miniature golf course. Visit the Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, or the Navy Pier IMAX® Theater. Take a ride on a tour boat or dining cruise ship.


Skydeck Chicago
233 South Wacker Drive
312-875-9696

Dare to stand out on the clear-glass ledge at Skydeck Chicago on the 103rd floor with never-before-seen views 1,353-feet straight down. Atop the tallest building in the Western hemisphere, Skydeck Chicago is a “one stop Chicago” experience featuring museum quality interactive exhibits, the fastest multimedia elevator ride, and new theater presentations highlighting the architecture and culture of Chicago. Admission: $15.95 adults, $11.00 youth. Children 3 and under are free. Multilanguage audio tours and maps are available.

Hours*
Daily, 10:00 AM–8:00 PM (October–March)

*Please note that hours are subject to change. Please check with the facility prior to visiting to ensure that no changes have been made since this information was posted in this publication.

 

This website contains archived issues of Religious Studies News published online from March 2010 to May 2013, and PDF versions of print editions published from Winter 2001 to October 2009.

This site also contains archived issues of Spotlight on Teaching (May 1999 to May 2013) and Spotlight on Theological Education (March 2007 to March 2013).

For current issues of RSN, beginning with the October 2013 issue, please see here.


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