Page 121 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Chicago

F AR THER AFIELD  119

delicious snacks. Panaderia
El Paraiso (No. 1156) is an
excellent local bakery.
The cultural heart of Pilsen
is the National Museum of
Mexican Art (1852 West 19th
Street; 312-738-1503; 10am–
5pm Tue–Sun), the largest
Mexican arts institution in the
US. The museum rotates a broad
range of exhibitions, covering
subjects as diverse as ancient
Mexico and young avant-garde
artists. The more than 1,500
works in the permanent
collection include Mexican Visitors getting a close-up view of a giraffe in the Habitat Africa! exhibit
masters such as Diego Rivera.
display featuring large cats, swamp with egrets, storks,
including an Amur (Siberian) and a 10-ft- (3-m-) long
tiger. Nearby is the 2,000-seat American alligator, which
Dolphinarium. Shows featuring sleeps with its eyes open.
Atlantic bottlenose dolphins The Living Coast features
are offered here daily. To the three habitats of South
north of the Dolphinarium is America’s western coast:
Pinniped Point: outdoor pools open ocean, near-shore
containing sea lions, harbor waters, and rocky shores.
seals, and walruses. Jellyfish, sharks, and penguins
At the southeast corner of are just a few of the creatures
the grounds is the Hamill Family to be found here.
Play Zoo, where kids can track At the interactive Be a
Signs for Mexican bakeries and eateries animal prints, help build animal Bird exhibit, visitors can learn
lining the streets of Pilsen homes, and see animals up about bird anatomy and
close and personal. behavior, and test their own
Another children’s favorite ability to fly.
9 Brookfield Zoo is Tropic World, one of the One of the most spectacular
largest indoor mixed-species exhibits is Habitat Africa! This
First Ave & 31st St., Brookfield. Tel (708) exhibits in the world. Here, re-created savanna is complete
608-8000. £ Hollywood (Burlington with giraffes and wild dogs.
Northern Santa Fe line). @ 304, rainforest creatures and
311. Open 10am–5pm Mon–Fri, primates from South America, A “danger game” trail allows
10am–6pm Sat & Sun. & (free Jan– Asia, and Africa swing through visitors to pretend they’re
Feb: Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun; Oct–Dec: Tue, trees and wander the forest thirsty animals walking to
Thu; separate adm to some exhibits). floor while visitors watch from a waterhole, their steps
7 8 0 - = h Lectures, the observation deck. The activating taped sounds
weekend special events. Brazilian tapir, with a flexible of predators.
∑ brookfieldzoo.org snout; the giant anteater, with Along the zoo’s northern
a 2-ft- (0.6-m-) long tongue; boundary are enclosures for
Brookfield Zoo, opened in 1934, and Ramar, the 365-lb large animals, including the
is one of the largest zoos in the (165-kg) silverback gorilla, unusual Grevy’s zebras. To the
US. More than 5,900 animals are particularly impressive. south, near Roosevelt Fountain,
representing approximately 440 Close by is the Swamp, an is Pachyderm House, home to
species, gathered from around indoor re-created cypress elephants, rhinos, and hippos.
the world, roam realistic habitats.
Many of the animal exhibits
are outdoors, along the zoo’s
15 miles (24 km) of trails, but
there are also a number of
fascinating indoor displays,
such as the Living Coast and
Tropic World. The Fragile
Kingdom comprises two indoor
exhibits – an African desert
and an Asian rainforest, with
indigenous bats, squirrels,
and foxes – and an outdoor Kangaroos in the Australia House enclosure at Brookfield Zoo

118-119_EW_Chicago.indd 119 13/07/16 2:56 pm