We drove to Chicago on Friday night and fireworks near Lake Michigan were going off presumably for the NFL draft that was being held there. We made it to our hotel very late.
On Saturday, Dad went to his meeting and so the girls and I set off to explore a little of Chicago. It was a cold, blustery and rainy day and we took a cab to the Field Museum to spend it indoors at one of the many amazing museums Chicago has to offer! Plus, we got in almost for free because of the Indiana State Museum membership!
We got there early and there were absolutely no lines to contend with!
In the lobby, we were first introduced to the amazing taxidermy and preserved animals that this museum has to offer with these 2 African elephants.
The infamous, "SUE" the T-Rex deserved a photo along with the smiling girls. Sue is the most preserved and largest T-Rex ever found! It is 90% complete.
We spent a long time doing the nature walk, Mammals of Asia and Mammals of Africa where the girls got to explore and see the diverse preserved animals which many are in dioramas. The sheer volume of exhibits would literally take months to fully explore.
Viewing the largest collection of birds that we have ever seen.
Exploring "The Ancient Americas"
The Grainger Hall of Gems was a big hit
Exploring the "Evolving Planet" exhibit
We lunched at the museum and saw as much as we could! It was quite busy when we left and were excited to see such amazing things. We taxied back to the hotel and the girls swam in the pool. The Intercontinental hotel was beautiful and historical. It was originally a men's athletic club for the members of the Shrine organization and built in 1929. The lobby was ornate and the ceilings and banquet halls and ballrooms were opulent and elaborate.
