페기 노트배르트 자연박물관

Hop on the South Shore Line from the Miller Beach Train Depot (2 miles from Miller Beach Dream Retreat), then take the CTA or taxi to Nature Museum

Great museum to take little kids to! I used to babysit for a 3 year old who absolutely loved it, aside from being afraid from the butterfly room. There is a nice water station and some areas to climb and it tends to be pretty empty on weekdays.

This is a wonderful place to take children! There's a ton of things to do, I would definitely recommend going just to be in the butterfly room (I believe on Wednesday mornings there are even yoga classes in there!). There are a ton of exhibits, all of which are hands on. There are more than enough exhibits to fill a day here. But if you end up with free time afterwards, the zoo is not far away.

Fabulous for small children. Butterfly room is huge. Water exhibit where they can play with boats and learn about locks. Toddler room with slide for the little ones. Giant remote control praying mantis above main entrance. Across the street from Lincoln Park Zoo. Free on Thursdays.

Celebrating more than 150 years of science exploration and education, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is the public face of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, founded in 1857 as Chicagos first museum dedicated to educating Chicagoans about nature and science through the preservation and display of native specimens, classroom activities, and dissemination of scientific knowledge.