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City of Chicago/Peter J. Schulz) |
Celebrate
the last month of winter and swing into spring with an off-season
visit to Chicago. March and April are the perfect months for a
long weekend visit before the city thaws and crowds migrate back
to local sights and attractions. Yes, it's still cold and gray,
but what better place to plow through winter than in a city that
turns its back on the cold and forges on?
Beginning
on March 1, Chicago Spring Training will help visitors and locals
alike shed pounds or at least the winter sluggishness with events
and activities to stimulate the body and mind. Enjoy anything
from biking and dance to exhibitions and performances, all while
staying in style. Over 40 city hotels are offering special rates
during Chicago Spring Training from March 7 to May 29, 2003 (blackout
dates do apply).
Chicago
Spring Training events during the months of March and April include:
Baseball As America exhibition at the Field Museum (through
July 20) featuring 500 treasures from the National Baseball Hall
of Fame and Museum. Another spring-like exhibition takes place
at Navy Pier from March 8 - 16 when the city blooms with the Ninth
Annual Chicago Flower and Garden Show. Demonstrations and
lectures will have would be gardeners - green thumbs or not -
prepared to plant when the warm weather hits.
Theater
buffs can shun cold weather at two of many magical performances.
March 20, 22 and 23, the Ford Center for the Performing Arts,
Oriental Theater presents Princess Magogo, a story of a
Zulu princess whose musical gifts inspired her people during a
time of exile in the early 20th century. Beginning in April, Disney's
The Lion King roars to life at the Cadillac Palace Theater.
The
Chicago Cultural Center and the Chicago Historical Society carry
exhibits that will warm visitors up and have them thinking of
spring. First, the Chicago Cultural Center hosts Teddy Bears
at Home in Chicago through March 23. More than 100 vintage,
artist-created and contemporary teddy bears and teddy bear-themed
items illustrate the evolution of the teddy bear, from it's creation
in honor of President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt to
present day.
Learn
all about Chicago Sports and the role sports has played
in shaping Chicago's history at the Chicago Historical Society
with the same-named exhibit beginning on March 29. The exhibit
will have visitors ready to claim a seat and root on the local
teams.
If
sports aren't your thing, exercise your mind while uncovering
the methods behind the magic at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
when the exhibit, Magic, the Science of Illusion, opens
on April 5. The exhibit shows the scientific secrets behind magical
illusion and showcases famous magicians from the past.
Midway
through April the Shedd Aquarium will unveil its new permanent
exhibit, Wild Reef-Sharks at Shedd. Visitors can safely
view more than 30 sharks and enjoy a coral reef exhibit with more
than 500 aquatic species, all within over 750,000 gallons of water.
No need to travel to the ocean this spring - the ocean is close
at hand in Chicago!
In
between viewing the new exhibits and performances in Chicago,
pay a visit to the lakefront's newest addition, Millennium
Park. The 25-acre park on Michigan Avenue between Randolph
and Monroe Streets is still under development, with a recently
opened Greco-Roman peristyle known as Millennium Monument. The
monument names the individuals, foundations and corporations who
are making continued construction possible.
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(photo:
City of Chicago/Willy Schmidt)
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There
is plenty to see and do in Chicago, and no better time to warm
up to all the city has to offer than now!
For
more information on Chicago, call 877-CHICAGO, or visit the website
at www.877chicago.com.
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