DK Travel : Chicago

Big-city sophistication combined with small-town hospitality create the perfect blend in this, the Mid west’s largest city. Chicago’s influential architecture, cuisine for every budget and taste, great shopping, diverse ethnic neighborhoods, and outstanding museums are reason enough for a visit. And the icing on the cake? The city boasts a lakefront and park system that are as beautiful as they are recreational.

Museum of Contemporary Photography

This is the only museum in the American Midwest devoted exclusively to photography. It is free and located an easy walk from the Art Instittue of Chicago. There are usually 1-2 special exhibitions on at a time and the museum has a permanent collection as well.
Museum of Holography

The art really jumps out at you in this quirky loft devoted to all kinds of laser-produced 3-D images. Exhibits relating to the technology employed explain how holographs are produced.
Museum Of Science & Industry

Though this museum dazzles kids and adults alike with its submarine ship and replica coal mine, it’s The Idea Factory that’s designed just for Junior. With the pulling of gears and shifting of knobs, kids experiment through play with balance, construction, magnetism, and more. A current-fed waterway encourages boat building. Arrive early on weekends or expect to have to wait for access (see Museum of Science & Industry).
Museum of Science & Industry

The largest science museum within a single building in the Western Hemisphere, this museum attracts an amazing two million people a year.
Museum of Science & Industry

An enduring family favorite, this museum is the only building left from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Exhibits emphasizing interactivity cover everything from space exploration to coal-mining, including the Walk-Through Heart and Silver Streak train, which visitors can climb aboard.
National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum

A moving tribute to the horrors of war, this museum, started in the late 1970s, now showcases over 1,000 works by more than 130 artists once involved in the conflict. Most of the artworks, which include paintings, sculptures, and drawings, as well as prose and poetry, come from former US soldiers, doctors and POWs, though powerful entries by former Viet Cong and native Cambodians attest to the universal effects of the conflict.
National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum

Veterans of the Vietnam War, both US and Vietnamese, have contributed to the vast and moving collection of artworks cataloged by this thought-provoking museum. Some 130 artists created 1,000 works in pen, paint, clay, and word testifying to the horrors of war.
Navy Pier

Kids make a beeline for Navy Pier’s old-fashioned carnival rides including a 10-story Ferris Wheel and musical carousel. The ships that line the docks, from sleek, tall-masted schooners to powerful motor boats will also grab their attention. All the restaurants here are family friendly, and even the sculptures that line the Pier in summer are designed to withstand climbers.
Navy Pier

Once dilapidated, this Lake Michigan pier is now a bustling year-round playground for kids and adults alike, complete with a Ferris Wheel and carousel. In warm weather, take a boat tour or join the throngs that stroll along the pier and get some amazing city views.
NetWorks

A popular gathering place, NetWorks airs news and sports on an array of TVs.