This was something my wife really wanted to do when we went to Chicago a couple weeks ago during…read moreSpring Break, and I am glad she did because I absolutely loved it. We got the home/studio tour and our guide, Marie, was phenomenal. We also paid extra for the self-guided tour of the neighborhood which comes with a map of about 10 homes or so and a device you carry to play pre-recorded information about each home. I think we paid about $40/person and I consider that a fair price.

Maureen was a wonderful guide. We went on a cold day and got a private tour as no one else was…read morethere. Love the house and studio tour. I lathered a lot. Maureen pointed out lots of details you would have missed if walking around on your own. Gift shop has many great selections. I purchased something for my brother in law who is an architect. Highly recommend a visit while you're in Chicago.

Quiet, clean and well maintained museum. The building looks really beautiful from the outside and…read morelooks well-kept from the inside. I saw a small play area for small kids in one of the rooms.

The Trailside Museum of Natural History is one of the museums of the Forest Preserve Cook County…read moresystem. This nature museum is fanciest of them all, as it was once a mansion. It's also in a nice area of River Forest. It was established in 1932, in a mansion that dates to 1876. The building itself has an interesting history; after being a residence, it was the site of not one but two different schools before it became the nature museum. The building was acquired by the Forest Preserves in 1919 and was for a time the headquarters of the FPCC. There's a parking lot here and I've also found parking along Thatcher Road on that side of the museum; there is an entrance on both sides. There's a pond near the parking lot for fishing. There are just under 5 miles of trails, and they have a variety of programming here as well. One of their programs is a hybrid program in cooperation with educators, which I think is pretty cool. The first time I was here, it was as a stop on the West Cook Wild Ones native garden tour. I didn't know it--or any of the nature museums of the FPCC--existed before that time. I got some great information from the master naturalist there and now aspire to have a pollinator garden of my own someday. I saw my first hummingbird moth here, many butterflies, and so many birds. And I saw a real live chipmunk for the very first time that was NOT a cartoon! Today I was here for a program called Busy Beavers, and it was really good. There were nearly 20 people that attended. One of them was wearing a Beaver Believer t-shirt, which is a reference to Oregon State University. Funnily, she has no connection to Oregon or OSU; she just likes beaver. I happened to be reppin' my hometown and was wearing my University of Oregon Ducks t-shirt, so I had to get a photo. #goducks #beatthebeavs I learned a lot from the guide, and it was really fun program. I think the hike was probably about a mile to our destination and back. There's another program here called Summer Blossoms which I'm looking forward to attending, and I will be keeping an eye out on the events here so that I can fill up my calendar.

Had a good time at this art museum and gallery. It certainly is a way to know about a local artist…read morewho had a big impact. The Ed Paschke Art Center is the biggest collection of his work. Also it's free. There's a lot of permanent collections, and you can find exhibits by other local artists who come here for training. A few things about him. In 1939 he was born on the North Side. There was early influence by his father who made Disney animation and sketches among other things. After graduating from The School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago, he got a travel scholarship to Mexico. There he was influenced by the art colors and patterns. He was in the army, making drawings for weapons manuals. Then he started making collages using images from newspapers. He would enlarge and reproduce these using oil on canvas. Then getting his MFA at SAIC, he was influenced by the first museum exhibition held by Andy Warhol. He was getting popular as an artist. Then he also began teaching classes at several universities. Often he would invite students over to his studio, and tell them to grab a brush and start painting on a canvas. The Art Institute Of Chicago had a traveling career retrospective in 1989 that was one of his career highlights. In 2004 he passed away. The city honored him by naming a street after him. A few years later this art center was created by his children and the Rabb Family Foundation. This opened in 2014 and increased the awareness of his work and life. Admission is free. This is because of their commitment to accessibility to the public. In the permanent collection is the Howard Street Studio installation. This reimagines his art studio with unfinished art works, source material, and souvenirs. Basically it's like giving you an idea of how he made art. One can get a sense of his painting techniques, like how he used sponges to get the color and volume. A lot of other stuff in the permanent collection. Vaca Victoria was a part of the 1999 public art project "Cows On Parade." It was one of hundreds of fiberglass cows created by Chicago artists. This used to be on Superior in River North. It was only there a few days. There was controversy about some local gang symbols. It has a head painted like the Bulls logo. The six stars represent the NBA Championship wins. Also there's stuff by other local artists. This has a residency program where they can learn. Getting here is pretty easy without a car. It's located on Higgins by Milwaukee Avenue and the Jefferson Park Metra station. This is easy to get to with public transportation.

I'd love to see more of his exhibits or his artworks. I was awestruck when I come across his art…read moreexhibits at art institute I begged my dad to take me there when I was in high school. There I met Ed Paschke after I grabbed bought art book about him, got his autograph. I treasure this art book with his signature when I greeted him politely and told him my name. ( I wrote it down on note because I'm deaf and too shy to talk. Thank you Ed Paschke. May your colorful spirit in arts live on! I hope or wish to have one of your masterpieces. They are so beautiful and vibrant! I'll post pic once I find my art book.

Nice Hummel collectible museum to see while visiting Rosemont, IL (Chicago). Massive collection to…read moreview at no cost. Not far from the outlet malls

My friend and I decided to give the Donald E. Stephens Museum of Hummel's a second chance. This…read moreplace is a large room lined with glass display cabinets that are full of little figurines with a smattering of collectible plates and some other larger items. About 3/4 of the collection consists of Hummels and the remaining 1/4 is made up of various little figurines from other designers. There's minimal signage and there are a lot of repeat figurines (including an entire shelf of miniature little boys reading newspapers). I can see why Donald E. Stephens moved his collection out of his home. Admission is free, so there really isn't much to complain about. If you're a big Hummel aficionado (I am not), this is supposed to be the world's largest collection of Hummel figurines on display to the public, and this would probably be your Graceland. Since I posted my original angry review, they have taken down their website. We relied on this site instead, which has the correct address and seems to be accurate: http://www.rosemont.com/community/museum-of-hummels/. Google Maps still has the wrong address for this place, so enter the street address into your GPS.

Excellent experience, it was a beautiful day, we went on Saturday May 9-2026. Bill was the person…read moregiven the information, he was excellent, knew very well all the history of Chicago and the buildings. We were a group of 4 and we sat on the front of the boat, it was a good choice.

I had an amazing experience! I went on May 31 and Ciara amazing! She went out of her way to help…read moreme find the perfect souvenir. She was knowledgeable, friendly and customer service was a 10 out of 10 she was what made the experience so great! If she wouldn't have gone on her way to assist me, I would've walked out without a souvenir!

We attended Trickery on Saturday 04/18/26. Aaron was adept at working with a diverse audience to…read moreinclude them and maintain control of his performance in a very intimate setting. Because it's BYOB you'll get the 20-somethings that feel they have to get loaded beforehand and then act the fool while attending (do you hear that "Neil"? No one wants the focus on you acting like it was your first experience with alcohol) but Aaron was skilled at bypassing them without causing tension or escalating bad behavior. Aaron's attitude is one of someone who has worked hard to make this little venture work, and he deserves respect and recognition for his obvious commitment and work ethic. His act included variations of tricks performed by other magicians, with his own twists. He is an expert at sleight of hand and distraction, which is considerably more difficult in a room about the size of an average residential living-room. He had an appropriate sense of humor aligned with an audience coming to Boystown, an overtly gay neighborhood in Chicago (if you're not familiar). However he wasn't garish, flaming, flamboyant, or offensive; he managed a perfect balance of innuendo humor and audience engagement without being cheap or ingenuine. The snarky one-liners will likely go over your young kids' heads (although bring them to an early show, your 9 year old doesn't belong in Boystown at 10 pm on a weekend), and he carries himself with class avoiding the use of profanity or graphic terms. Again, I can't overstate that his tricks were amazing, impressive, and captivating - as magic should be. You leave the show shaking your head and wondering how it's done - which truly makes it "magic". You would be hard-pressed to spend $36.36/person for an hour of live entertainment that can match Aaron's performance. Pro-tip: If you're driving there you will need to use an app to reserve parking, as there aren't garages like downtown Chicago and every street is filled with so many signs there's no way you will return and find your car not-towed or not-ticketed. Chicago does this on purpose to generate revenue; you'll see "street cleaning" on Tuesday from xx hour to xx hour, no parking when snow is over 2 inches OR any time from Dec 1 through April 1, loading zone, 15 minute stopping/standing with flashers, no parking, residential permit zone only, bike lanes, bus stop restrictions, etc. If you find street parking and think you've beaten the system, think again. Nobel Prize Laureates, Rhodes Scholars, Ivy League PhDs, Mensa members - you can meet them all at Chicago Central Auto Pound retrieving their vehicles. Stephen Hawking couldn't drive, but if he could and he parked in that neighborhood all the quantum mechanics in the world wouldn't make his towed car reappear from the Chicago Parking space-time continuum. The nice thing is if you do reserve parking and give yourself enough time you can walk to many, many restaurants and bars in the area that are open even after the 10 pm show ends. Thank you Aaron for a wonderful experience, you made my wife's birthday memorable for both of us.

If you're looking for something a little different, this is a fantastic magic/comedy show not too…read morefar from Wrigley Field. Great for date nights and if you're lucky, you might end up on stage. It's also BYOB and there's a 7/11 a block away.

Was searching for fun stuff to do in Chicago and the suburbs with a toddler and this place popped…read moreup for us! Perfect way to beat the heat wave! Wonderful selection of things to play with, though this isn't really a "museum". Because it isn't a museum, it does seem a little crazy that they charge for adults. All of the indoor play places I've visited in Phoenix (where I live) they only charge for the child. But my son had so much fun it was worth it! His favorite were the treehouse and the cars. Glad we came here!

We visited this museum in Oak Park with our 15 month old grandson…read more He had a great time playing with so many different things. There were other families there, but it was not overly crowded. Many separate areas of play; a treehouse, veterinarian, kitchen, blocks, puppet stage...etc. fun place for young kids.