Grant Park, Chicago

Originally called the Columbian Museum of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History was founded in 1893 to showcase the biological and anthropological collections gathered for the World Columbian Exposition. The name changed in 1905 to honor Marshall Field, the department store owner, art patron and major benefactor of the museum. The permanent collection features approximately 20 million artifacts and specimens covering a variety of disciplines including geology, botany, zoology and anthropology. Of special note are the permanent displays on ancient Egypt and the cultures of North, Central and South America and "Sue," the world's largest, most complete T. rex skeleton. Special rotating exhibits take place on a regular basis throughout the year.The museum sponsors a variety of research and educational programs and houses an extensive natural history library with around 250,000 texts.

The John G. Shedd Aquarium is touted as the largest indoor aquarium in the world. It houses close to 8000 different marine creatures representing around 700 separate species. The aquarium has been collecting fish and marine mammals from around the world since it first opened its doors to the public in 1930. The exhibits are designed to promote environmental awareness, conservation and responsible use of natural resources within marine ecosystems.Some highlights of the aquarium include:The 90,000 gallon Coral Reef exhibit with sharks, turtles and other Caribbean Sea inhabitants. Visitors can watch as divers dip into the tank each day to feed them.The Oceanarium, which features a 3-million-gallon saltwater pavilion that re-creates the coastal, marine environment of the Pacific Northwest. Nature trails wind through stands of indigenous trees to a series of pools that contain, among other creatures, Beluga whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, Alaska sea otters and harbor seals.Amazon Rising: Seasons of the River exhibit, which recreates the diverse, abundant and changeable ecosystem around the Amazon basin. It features more than 250 species including piranhas, birds, sloths, insects, snakes, catfish, stingrays and caiman lizards.

For 70 years, the Adler Planetarium and Astronomy museum has been teaching Chicagoans and mid-westerners about the universe. Reportedly, it was the first astronomy museum built in the western hemisphere when Max Adler founded it in 1930. The museum collection contains nearly 2000 historical and futuristic instruments including telescopes, space-age equipment, navigational tools, astrolabes and sundials. There is also a library with numerous rare books, astronomy-related documents and a research center. The museum also hosts a regular program of traveling exhibits and educational public lectures.There are two planetarium theaters. The Star Rider theater uses high tech computers to create an interactive, 3D, virtual reality experience.The Zeiss Sky Show Theater offers a more traditional encounter with the stars. The classic Zeiss Mark VI star projector creates realistic views of the stars, planets and constellations as seen from inside and outside the city.

Soldier Field is a huge sports stadium designed by Holabird and Roche that was built between 1922 and 1940. Since its official opening in November 1926, the facility has hosted numerous concerts and sporting events including games during the 1994 World Cup. It was named in honor of fallen WWI soldiers. The U-shaped, 66,950-seat stadium is the home of the Chicago Bears NFL team and the Chicago Fire professional soccer team.