Great Tourist Attractions in Chicago

Chicago is chock full of entertainment. From theater, to landmarks, to musuems. A tourist will always have something to do while here if they just look.

This is the first part in a series of great places to travel to in Chicago!

Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum: The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum opened in 1930. It is distinguished as the first planetarium in the western hemisphere. The Adler Planetarium's main attraction is from it's state of the art technological instruments, such as the StarRider Theater. Technological devices aside, it has an impressive array of historical astronomical artifacts to boot.

With a space of 35,000 sq feet at it's disposal, the Adler Museum is the only musuem in the world which has two theater sized planetarium theaters. Incorporated in the theaters is the StarRider system, which accurately depicts the movement of the night sky.

Chicago Funhouse Maze: Want to get a refreshing, and entertaining overview of Chicago in one stop? Well the Chicago Funhouse Maze is just for you. This interactive, and entertaining stop exploits all of the senses. The tour lasts 15 minutes, and indoors. You will be told interesting stories, shown Chicago in unique perspectives, and is the perfect place to bring a class as a field trip.

Brookfield Zoo: The Brookfield zoo's charm and allure compared to other zoo's is that instead of using cages, they use life size moats or cliff replicas, adding to the authentic feel of the zoo. There is a large assortment of animals, including rare ones such as the Giant Panda, the first zoo in the US to have featured such an animal.

Attractions that one tshould go to while here are Baboon Island, Wolf Woods, Australia House, Pachyderm House, and Reptile House.

Buckingham Fountain: Buckingham Fountain is undoubtedly Chicago's most popular attraction. This massive fountain that carries more than 1.5 million gallons of water is an all in one entertainment show. The four monolithic seahorses on the sides of the fountain signifies the four states bordering Chicago.

Water jets out in a stylized fashion, and during the night, the lights operate a mini show utilizing water works, and lighting effects.

Chicago Air and Water Show: The largest free show in aerial entertainment in the US, the Chicago Air and Water Show is an exciting and fun event to be part of. Situated in the sunny, and beautiful North Avenue Beach, one be entertained by the US Air Force Thunderbirds, and the US Army Parachute Team Golden Knights. Watch as the Thunderbirds careen and dance in the sky. Then be astonished as the US Army Parachute Golden Knights jump 12,000 feet from the ground to land on the beach.

The Chicago Air and Water Show is held from August 18tn to 19th.