Hot, sticky and sweaty pretty much describes a typical August day in Chicago.   The airconditioner is broken, the kids are bored, the backyard is steamy, where can you get relief?  Pack your swimsuites and head over to the Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.  It's the coolest spot in Millennium Park.  Here you'll see kids of all ages keeping cool in the mists and sprays of the delightful Crown Fountain.  Giant faces smile down and occasionally spit fountains of water on people taking advantage of free, cool, refreshing entertainment.  This is one place where people are not only allowed, but encouraged to play in a public fountain.   If you don't feel like getting wet, it's a great place to people watch as mothers chase toddlers, kids play, and people of all ages keep cool on a hot summer's day.   If you want to be cool, head to Crown Fountain!   

Take a walk on the wild side this weekend at the Chicago Park District's City Wilds Festival.  Explore the North Park Village Nature Center, the city of Chicago's first nature center.  Get familiar with some of the natural habitats in the city.  Guided walks will be offered through four different habitats; prarie, woodland, wetland, and savanna.  The festival will be held from 10:00am - 10:00pm on Saturday, June 13 and from 10:00am-3:00pm on Sunday, June13.  Saturday features workshops on landscaping with native plants and composting.  Don't forget to take the kids.  There will plenty of activities to keep the kids busy including nature crafts and a storyteller.  On Sunday naturalist Beth Wagner will do an interactive educational live animal presentation with "Tales and Scales Traveling Zoo".  The nature center is located at 5801 North Pulaski Road. It's all for free!

So you think you can't dance?  Nonsense!  Get ready to kick up your heels and learn a few new moves as the 13th annual Chicago Summer Dance Festival kicks off this Thursday, June 11 in Grant Park with the music of Bandoleros.  For 11 weeks, Grant Park will sponsor free dance lessons followed by two hours of free outdoor dancing to some of the city's best live music.  The lessons and dancing take place in the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:00pm until 9:30 pm and on Sundays between 4pm and 7pm.  Thursdays feature world music, while Fridays and Saturdays include jazz, latin, country, and funk.  On Sunday afternoons all you ballroom dancers can polish your steps to the tunes of big band music.  Chicago Summer Dance runs through August 23, 2009, click here to see the schedule of dance events.  Put on your dancing shoes and join me as we dance our way through the Chicago summer.  No Excuses!      

  On Sundays,  take a few minutes to stop and smell the flowers with a free 20 minute guided walk through Lurie Garden in Millenium Park.   Learn about the art and architecture in the park and about the design of Lurie Garden and how you can apply it to your home garden.

Take a stroll in the park with a Master Gardner from the University of Illinois extension Master Gardner program who will  serve as a volunteer guide through the landscape of Lurie Garden.  These tours take place from 10:00AM until 3:00PM beginning at the south end of the Lurie Garden boardwalk.  Volunteer guides will be available every Sunday until September 20th.  What a great way to spend a Sunday in the park!

Start your summer with a bang with fireworks and music at Chicago's Navy Pier.  On Memorial day weekend you can catch two fireworks displays, one on Sturday, May23 at 10:15pm and the second on Sunday, May 24 at 9:30pm.  Both of the shows are set to songs both modern and classic.  Live bands will be playing on stage in the Navy Pier beer garden all weekend long.  The music starts at 5:00pm on Friday and Saturday, from 2:00pm on Sunday, and from 1:00pm on Monday.  The beer garden closes at 11:00 on all evenings.  What a great way to bring on the summer!

It's springtime in Chicago but that doesn't always mean balmy weather.  In fact, sometimes it's downright chilly, damp and grey.  No matter, you can still stop and smell the flowers. 

A couple of days ago, when the kids were squirrley and out of school and my house was full of out of town guests I had to escape to someplace warm.  I thought of booking a last minute flight to Mexico or stowing away on a Caribbian cruise, but somehow that didn't seem very cost effective.  Instead, I remembered the Lincoln Park Conservatory where I hadn't been in years.   I grabbed my camera, three kids and my Sis and headed East to Lincoln Park and the Lakefront.  We lucked out with a good parking space, braved a half block walk against the north winds blowing off the lake and arrived at the doors of the Lincoln Park Conservatory.  We opened the doors and were transported to tropical bliss.   The smell of flowers and the peaceful sound of indoor fountains made us feel as if we stepped into paradise.  The Annual    Chicago Park District Spring Flower Show was in full bloom and runs now through May 10, 2009.  The Conservatory is open daily from 9:00 AM till 5:00 PM.  It's relaxing, the flowers are stunning, and it's free!    

 

         

It's Saturday morning and you're wondering how to spend some quality time doing something different with the kids.   How about building a birdhouse that you can attach to your window?  On April 4, at 9:00 AM, the Lincoln Park Home Depot  is sponsering a free Kids Workshop on building a window birdhouse for children ages 4 - 12.  All of the materials needed to build a window birdhouse will be provided to each child free of cost.  Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The Lincoln Park Home Depot is located at 2665 N. Halsted.   Have some fun with the kids while making something useful. 

Where are people crazy enough to dye an entire river green?  Chicago!  It's a forty year Chicago tradition.  Every year, in honor of St. Patrick's day, the Chicago River  is dyed green and you can watch.  To get he best view, go to the east side of the brdge at Columbus Dr. or to upper and lower Wacker Dr. between Columbus and Lake Shore Dr.  This year the river will be dyed green on March 14th, Saturday,at 10:45am.  

Are you lucky?  Are you Irish?  You don't have to be lucky or Irish to celebrate the Irish way at two of Chicago's largest St. Patrick Day parades.  On Saturday, March 14th at noon, the 54th annual Chicago St.  Patrick's Day parade will kick off at 300 E. Balboa Dr.  Join the fun as floats, Irish step dancers, bands, politicians, and more make their way through downtown Chicago. 

Get ready for a party on Sunday, March 15th when the 31st annual South Side Irish St. Partick's Day parade starts marching at 104th Street and S. Western ave (10400 S. Western Ave) at the crack of noon.  The parade will head south on Western Ave. to 115th St.  Get there early to set up a chair, families on the east side and partiers on the west side where the bars are located.  Use nearby public transportation, please don't drink and drive.