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MUSEUM CAMPUS. This eye-catching, twelve-sided building includes two sky theaters, one of which was the first planetarium in the western hemisphere. The theaters depict the night sky and allow visitors an up-close look at distant planets, moons, and galaxies. The complex also features exhibition rooms, a café, and a StarRider theater that offers amazing, interactive, virtual reality shows. In it, visitors use controls in their seats' armrests to participate in a 3-D simulation of space travel. On family-friendly Far Out Fridays, visitors get to see lots of shows, sit in on lectures, view the night sky, play games, and learn how to set up and use a telescope.
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DOWNTOWN. A highlight of any trip to Chicago, this museum is home to one of the best and most diverse art collections in the world. People are drawn first to the vast Impressionist collection, including the world's largest group of Monet paintings. But treasures abound, including the haunting "American Gothic" and Seurat's groundbreaking Pointillist work. The contemporary section has been expanded and now includes pieces by Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Pollock, and Warhol. The temporary shows are also well known and always receive critical acclaim. A recent retrospective focused on the life and works of Van Gogh.
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SOUTH SIDE. The African-American experience is depicted in unique fashion at this museum. The project started as a small display in a teacher's home, and with lots of community effort, the labor of love got its own building in 1973. Thousands of artifacts, photos, paintings, drawings, sculptures, and textiles are displayed, along with information describing the evolution of African-American culture. The civil rights movement of the 1960s is particularly detailed. Events like concerts, lectures, and poetry readings are held regularly.
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MUSEUM CAMPUS. The exterior of this hulking marble facility only hints at the historic treasures inside. The architect's goal was boldness, and he achieved it with massive columns and striking galleries filled with natural light. Visitors are immediately greeted by two massive elephants and Sue, the museum's famous Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton (she was acquired for $8.4 million)! Keep going and you'll delve into paleontology, geology, botany, anthropology, and much more. With nine acres of space to set up, curators can change displays regularly – they have more than 20 million items to choose from!
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OAK PARK. Oak Park is the neighborhood in which Nobel Prize-winner Ernest Hemingway spent his first 20 years, and this local museum chronicles that formative period in his life. Divided into sections, each with its own theme, the museum informs visitors about Hemingway in the movies and Hemingway during World War II. You can even tour the house he grew up in and view childhood photos. A must for fans of the revered writer and for literature aficionados.
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GOLD COAST. One of Chicago's most interesting and least famous museums, the International Museum of Surgical Science is a true gem. Chock-full of photos and artifacts from surgery's often gruesome development through the centuries, the museum is definitely not for those with a weak stomach. Check out a trepanned skull from Peru, early surgical implements, and even a re-creation of a turn-of-the-century dentist's office. The museum is housed in a four-floor Gold Coast house from 1917.
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STREETERVILLE. When this museum opened in its new aluminum-lined facility in 1996, it became the country's largest museum of contemporary art. Featured works go far beyond two dimensions and include such diverse media as sculpture, photography, dance, performance, and music. Three large exhibition floors showcase more than 7000 objects, including pieces by Sol LeWitt, Alexander Calder, Jeff Koons, and Rene Magritte. Don't miss the sculpture garden, which covers more than an acre. If you're there in the summer, check out the summer solstice celebration that includes a number of unique, art-related events.
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HYDE PARK. Interactive museums are multiplying like rabbits, but this complex is considered one of the first and best. You'll find more than 2000 hands-on exhibits, including the Zephyr (a famous train that once set a land-speed record) and the Idea Factory (whose interactive exhibits have kids of all ages learning without realizing it). Take a short tour of an authentically recreated coal mine, or pretend you're the boss in the Enterprise exhibit, which teaches about the world of business. The five-story Omnimax Theater presents shows that take visitors on a virtual voyage to outer space or under the sea.
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HYDE PARK. Located on the campus of the University of Chicago, this museum houses a permanent collection of more than 7500 paintings and sculptures from both Western and Eastern civilizations, ranging from ancient days to present. Come explore the vast collection of ancient Greek vases, paintings by the masters, Tiffany glass, and murals by Diego Rivera. The art museum sits next to the Elden Sculpture Garden.
If you're a history buff, art aficionado, archaeology fiend, or dabbler in the sciences, our museum picks are perfect for a rainy day or afternoon excursion! Our selections center around notable collections of historical and cultural items. Many have excellent rotating displays in addition to exceptional permanent collections.
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