This was amazing and well worth it! I loved butterflies as a little girl in California and they…read moreused to fly on me. So this exhibit took me back a ways to those days. There are hundreds of butterflies from all over the world here flying free in a family friendly environment and some may even land on you. I belive there were around 70 different varieties if I'm not mistaken. It was all very magical. The Butterfly House supports rainforest conservation projects around the world, and your support will help them achieve their goals. The tickets are $17.60 for adults and $13.50 for children (2-11). Seniors, students, military are $15.50. Infants are free. The BigBus tour does a stop right in front of the Butterfly House. It is accessible without steps or stairs. I hope to visit again.

I try to visit butterfly houses / habitats whenever I find them. This one was enjoyable but perhaps…read morenot quite as much as others I've visited. Still, I would never pass up the opportunity to hang out with these lovely creatures.

Absolutely gorgeous historic Japanese Garden, about a ten minute walk from the Museum of Science…read moreIndustry. The garden is truly an oasis from the hustle and bustle of city life (though Hyde Park is decidedly less bustling). The garden is on the small side, which is something I actually enjoy: I can spend time slowly and quietly savouring every aspect of its beauty, from the lovely arrangement of rocks to the gorgeous cherry blossoms. There is a sculpture by Yoko Ono outside the garden, which looks cool but is not particularly exceptional. The path beyond the garden leads to the lovely Jackson Park. The wooded pathways, usually lined with soft leaves that have fallen to the ground and populated by hundreds of bunnies in the summer, make you feel (at least for a few minutes), that you're far away from the hubbub of the city. One disappointing drawback is that during spring, which is the prettiest time of the year, the Garden tends to get quite crowded, with people spilling into the grass, littering, chattering, or clogging up pathways. Given that Japanese Gardens are meant to be a place of peaceful contemplation, this can be quite irksome. If your schedule allows it, I would recommend visiting the Garden during weekdays, or even on rainy days. The Garden is uniquely beautiful when it is raining. The Japanese Garden is quite accessible by public transport, with several bus stops and a Metra station close by. I cannot recommend the Japanese Garden enough, but must stress that it is a place for quiet contemplation, not events and picnics.

It was a nice day to get out and check out the park! First time here! It's very quaint compared to…read moreother Japanese Gardens I've visited in the U.S. but it's a great place. Highly recommended to go early to beat the crowds as they stagger the free entrance due to the size and that's completely understandable. It's beautiful to go on a date or with multi-generational families! Great scenery!

An atypical remnant of the Gilded Age, the Glessner House is a jewel in Chicago's crown. Allegra,…read moreour tour guide, did a wonderful job of weaving history, art, architecture and humor into her presentation. It is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

fantastic tour and house!!! I learned a lot. great Chicago history and gilded age. highly recommend…read morethis tour. best to book in advance. smaller group.

Great place mainly for small kids. There's an area to walk around that has a hawk, turkey vulture,…read moreand an owl (I'll add pictures). There's a play area in front of the building with lots of fun activities for kids. Inside the building - which is a 150-year old former mansion, there are 4 rooms with some exhibits, animals like snakes and turtles, and a good-sized play area. Outside, one can walk around the pond - which took me about 20 minutes. It is tree-lined and also goes along the Des Plaines River.

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 Clark house is the Chicago oldest house that has been move every time it got bought. When got…read morebought by a Priest, it was move very close to a train track. The last move is done by the city and hopefully it is the final resting place. The house currently own by the city and use it as a museum. This house was build 1936. It is typical Victoria house with four chimneys. The house was build by skill carpenter using interlocking system for the connection. It has the stair case lead to the top. Most of the house original wall was not there. Many of the furniture was brought in by other. The tour is free. You have to go to the basement to ring the bell if you like a tour. The city worker are not familiar with the house. The tour person and security has done the tour twice and read out the narrative from a paper. Other than admire the structure, not much to say.

I did a tour of the Clark House on Saturday as it was part of the Smithsonian Museum free day. The…read morenormal tour price is $10 or if you do both the Glessner & Clarke House, it's $15 total. Tours are at Noon and 2pm and last about an hour. If you're doing both houses, it will take two hours. Both are in the historic Prairie Avenue District which is a fun neighborhood to take a stroll around. I was extremely lucky to have a fantastic docent Joan for my tour. She was very friendly, incredibly knowledgeable and a little gangster (she scolded one lady who kept her phone on when it rang which I loved). She gave us so much interesting information including a lot of random Chicago facts that I am going to memorize and repeat parakeet style. The big draw of the Clarke House is that it's the oldest structure in Chicago, built in 1836. It's not in its original location although is close to it (it was moved twice) but it's the original building (with a new foundation) all the same. The grounds are gorgeous around Clarke House which is no doubt why many have their weddings here or at least come for photos. Not much is known about the Clarke family but what is known is fascinating. I don't want to ruin all the fun facts for you - so you can take the tour for yourself and expand your mind. I highly recommend this tour to others. And if you have any choice in your docent, Joan is great!

I attended my niece's wedding here and it was the most gorgeous venue I have ever seen in my life…read more Grand main dining area with cozy spots all over. It felt very personal and can I just say- you will never find another backdrop for pictures such as this place. We all enjoyed staying locally in Evanston as there were plenty of nice things to see in the area.

The Halim Time & Glass museum has been hosting events such as birthday parties and weddings for a…read morewhile now. We are going to celebrate my wife's 60th birthday party here in May. Working with Jessica, in the events department, has been wonderful. The location is beautiful, and our guests are free to explore the floor used for the party at no additional cost. The only part of the process that I still don't comprehend is that we can't take home the leftover food. Jessica claims it is due to liability issues. Not sure what liability they are referring to... If I hosted the event at Maggianos our we would be able to take leftover food home. Jessica mentioned the staff will thoroughly enjoy our leftovers. Makes me wonder if that is the reason for the policy? I'll update this review in a few weeks after the event. I'll let everyone know how the event went and how the food was...

A cute and interesting hidden little garden that is sadly a little overlooked. It's nicely tended…read morewith signs identifying plants by common name, family, genus, and species. I wish they had information on how the plants are used in medicine. Next time I'll have Wikipedia ready on my phone. I'm a regular visitor to the conservatories (Garfield Park, Lincoln Park, and Oak Park) and the Morton Arboretum and Chicago Botanical Garden. This little spot had many plants the other spots did not, so it rounds out the three-dimensional botanical information available a bit. Just don't pick anything. Even if you're not a plant nerd like me, this is worth a visit.

Great space and event celebrating music. They had porter potties and the portable sinks for…read morevisitors to utilize.

s garden is located within Grant Park. It features the Spirt of Music statue and has benches for…read morevisitors to sit and some very nice landscaping as you would expect from a garden. The park is decently maintained, but could be a bit better. There is like a wood or teak floor in the garden, which I assume is used for special events such as the Chicago SummerDance series. The garden is rumored to have a capacity of 3,000. I think that would be a bit tight though. The garden is wide open and has a lot of shade, which makes it popular with people just wanting to relax and take a load off. The garden is located in the heart of the city, just off of the main drag, so it is not very peaceful or quiet and there is a constant chorus of loud cars, music and emergency vehicle sirens going off. All things considered; I like this garden. It is pretty low key. It is located near a bus stop so you it gets a lot transient traffic. If you are driving here there is metered street parking, commercial lots and commercial garages within a reasonable walking distance.