Most of the time at Skillet Creek we talk about coming to our community, but sometimes it’s fun to talk about heading the other direction.  Take Chicago for instance.  When I was a kid we didn’t brave the “big city” unless something epic was going on, and then only to drive through.  Yes, let’s admit it right now, lots of small town folk actually do fear big cities or at least fear driving in them.  Thing is, if we don’t get over it we really do miss a lot. Take the Field Museum in Chicago for instance.

Personally in our family, we put a lot of value in Museums.  These days all the information you may want is online, but dry facts and photographs simply lack context.  Humans need the sensual experience to truly comprehend a subject.  A child can read about dinosaurs endlessly but will never really grasp the reality of their existence without standing next to a giant T-Rex.  We cannot understand what we’re doing to our earth today without putting the current destruction of our environment in context of past mass extinctions as the Field Museum so aptly does.  Some will easily argue that Australopithecus is just a chimpanzee until seeing a fleshed out reconstruction.  Experience is the key to knowledge, not simply browsing Wikipedia.

Monkey King Puppet – China

The Chicago Field Museum seems to swing wildly in mood from the old and dusty feel of the Egyptian section to the theme park like 3D theatre.  We recommend the Evolving Planet exhibition. This well thought through exhibition takes visitors through 4 billion years of life on earth using a combination of fossils, imagery and mixed media.  For kids, this is where the “other” dinosaurs are after seeing Sue. For fossil lovers this is an amazing display as well. Of course you can’t miss the mummies of the Inside Egypt exhibit.  Having traveled to the middle east recently I found myself more sensitive to Egypt’s claim on their artifacts around the globe and wondering if the mummies should be returned. A question for folks with much more responsibility than me.

Unis-Ankh

Young kids will fly through the Museum from section to section well beyond what most parents will prefer.  As I’ve said before I think parents have to plan a “date” weekend for themselves, but when they bring the kids they should roam and guide at the Childs speed.  With our 9 year old we still stayed in the museum from 9am to 4pm with no problems.  The only downside of the day is the fact that so many interactive displays are broken, especially in older permanent exhibits.  So many were broken in fact, that we made a game of it all. Better to laugh than be disappointed by all the broken buttons.

Now if you go, here’s some tips.  First, print out the road maps from the Field Museums website.  When they tell you to drive south of the Museum on the interstate, then take the Stevenson expressway over to Lake Shore Dr. and back track north, do it.  If you don’t know the city it’s tempting to drive over to Lake Shore north of the Museum but it  doesn’t quite play out that way! Also it’s tempting to try to take in the Aquarium or Planetarium in the same day.  Put that thought out of your mind.  There is simply too much to see.  Plan another day for the other attractions or make a weekend of it.

As for the Museum itself.. Once inside grab a map.  It’s very easy to miss sections simply by free roaming.  I don’t like guided tours myself, but without a map you will miss interesting sections that are often hidden off the beaten path.  Keep a few quick energy snacks in your pockets for you and your kids. Oh, and wear comfortable shoes.

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