Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Apartments For Rent - Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois

Posted by Justin Habersaat on November 19, 2008 10:20

Summertime is here again, which inevitably means a weekend visit from your nieces and nephews. Your siblings didn't exactly take to that weekend-long Xbox championship idea the last time they invaded your apartment, so it's up to you to get them out and about with an activity that is not only fun but 'educational'. Aren't those usually opposing terms to kids? Thankfully, not at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.

Sitting

mere steps from the Lincoln Park Zoo, this Museum resembles a stately mansion more than a stuffy educational center. The focus is on a kid-friendly approach to ecology, with an emphasis upon hands-on learning. Thus, youngsters can gaze in wonder at the six-foot wingspan of a Malayan flying fox as a part of their "In The Dark" program, take a stroll through the neighboring wilderness in the "Greening Project", or surround themselves completely in nature by strolling through the Butterfly Haven, an open air exhibit comprised of over a thousand butterflies seventy-five different species.

Local markets provide the ingredients for the Museum's Café, a healthy place to feed the troops after a long day of watching frogs ingest flies. The neighboring gift shop has the usual plush animals for sale, in addition to unique items such as a soda bottle bird feeder and a bug hunter's kit. Be sure and hit the museum on free admission Thursdays, ensuring a little extra scratch for a gift or two on your way out the door and guaranteeing your title of "favorite relative" for years to come.