Lincoln Park Pritzker Children's Zoo & Farm-in-the-Zoo
After hours of looking at animals from afar in the rest of the Lincoln Park Zoo, kids can come here for some hands-on experience. Children are encouraged to come touch a variety of small animals -- hedgehogs, iguanas, rabbits -- under the supervision of zookeepers. There's also a very popular glass-walled animal nursery, where zoo docents and keepers care for the babies of more exotic species -- often, this means gorillas and chimpanzees -- who are ill, born weak, or rejected by their mothers. An adjacent outdoor area houses owls, otters, and other small critters in winding, naturalistic habitats. The Farm-in-the-Zoo is a working reproduction of a Midwestern farm, complete with a white-picket-fenced barnyard, chicken coops, and demonstrations of butter churning and weaving. Of course, you'll also spot plenty of livestock, including cows, sheep, and pigs. Inside the Main Barn (filled with interactive exhibits), the main attraction is the huge John Deere tractor that kids can climb up into and pretend to drive. (Can you say photo opportunity?) Allow 1 hour.

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
For the first 20 years of Wright's career, this remarkable complex served first and foremost as the sanctuary from which Wright was to design and execute more than 130 of an extraordinary output of 430 completed buildings. The home began as a simple shingled cottage that Wright built for his bride in 1889 at the age of 22, but it became a work in progress, as Wright remodeled it constantly until 1911 (he left there in 1909). During this highly fertile period, the house was Wright's showcase and laboratory, but it also embraces many idiosyncratic features molded to his own needs rather than those of a client. With many add-ons -- including a barrel-vaulted children's playroom and a studio with an octagonal balcony suspended by chains -- the place has a certain whimsy that others might have found less livable. This, however, was not an architect's masterpiece, but the master's home, and every room in it can be savored for the view it reflects of the workings of a remarkable mind. The Home and Studio Foundation has restored the residence and studio to its 1909 vintage. Allow 1 hour for the tour, more time if you want to browse in the bookshop.

Baha'i House of Worship
Up the road from Evanston in Wilmette is the most visited of all the sights in the northern suburbs, the Baha'i House of Worship, an ethereal edifice that seems not of this earth. The gleaming white stone temple, designed by the French Canadian Louis Bourgeois and completed in 1953, is essentially a soaring nine-sided 135-foot dome, draped in a delicate lacelike facade, that strongly reveals the Eastern influence of the Baha'i faith's native Iran. Surrounded by formal gardens, it is one of seven Baha'i temples in the world, and the only one in the Western Hemisphere. The dome's latticework is even more beautiful as you gaze upward from the floor of the sanctuary, which, during the day, is flooded with light. Downstairs, there is a visitor center with displays that explain the Baha'i faith. Temple members offer informal tours of the building and exhibits to anyone who inquires. Allow a half-hour.

The Westin Chicago River North
Nearby Airports: * Chicago O'Hare International Airport - 20 Miles * Chicago Midway Airport - 14 Miles Nearby Cities: * Cicero - 8 Miles * Oak Park - 9 Miles * Bellwood - 14 Miles * Oak Lawn - 16 Miles * Rosemont - 16 Miles * Park Ridge - 17 Miles * Oak Brook - 19 Miles * Des Plaines - 20 Miles * Palos Heights - 20 Miles * Elk Grove Village - 24 Miles * Northbrook - 25 Miles * Prospect Heights - 26 Miles * ...

Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown North
Located in the heart of Chicago. Two blocks fom Michigan Avenue, better known as the ''Magnificent Mile''. Michigan Avenue is the address for some of the world' premiere retail stores, specialty shops and restaurnats (with in walking distance over 40 different restauants to choose from). The Hilton Garden Inn is conveniently located four blocks to the ''Loop'' Chicago's finacial district. McCormick Place is three miles. Merchandise Mart is is three blcks west. Hilton Towers is located ...

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites CHICAGO-MIDWAY AIRPORT
Enjoy New Orleans style ambience at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites-Chicago/Midway Airport. Conveniently located just 2 blocks South of Chicago's Midway Airport and only 8 miles from downtown Chicago, the hotel offers Free 24 hr. Red Trolley Airport Shuttle to/from Midway Airport, Free wireless High Speed Internet Access, Free Continental Breakfast and Free overnight Parking. The lobby's beautiful slate floor and double barrel vaulted brick ceiling greets you with a historic New ...