It was a small but very cute place for kids and families! My 8 and 2 yo enjoyed it!! There's a…read moretoddler area where you have to take off your shoes- so I highly recommend wearing socks! There's also a water area and there's some aprons for the kids to wear. My kids still managed to get wet - so maybe also a change of clothes will be a good idea!

Came here for the first time for a birthday party so I wasn't sure what to expect. The place was…read morerecently renovated so things did not seem that dated. There was a variety of different areas to play in, different pretend areas- veterinary, building and grocery. There was a big climbing structure to get into with a variety of different obstacles inside. And there was a water play area. Overall a lot of variety for the space. The things were well maintained. The room was also kept pretty warm.

This was our second Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) tour, having been to Robie House earlier that day…read more The Robie House is beautiful, but the FLW Home and Studio was more interesting because 1. He and his family lived there 2. He continued to add onto the house over the years. 3. It served as his place of business, with a room for him and his architects, a room for meeting with clients, etc. It was interesting to see the progression of his talent all under one (okay, many) roof(s). The home and tour was interesting and informative. There are many surprisingly unique things; you shouldn't miss it. We knew there were many homes in the area designed by FLW. It was raining and, unfortunately, not conducive to exploring the neighborhood on foot. If you're visiting or live in the area and have never been, this tour is worthwhile. I recommend seeing the Robie House first. Wright's talents are on full display. It's very different designing a home for someone other than yourself. Once you've seen the Robie House, seeing his home, built years before and added on to through the building of the Robie House, is profoundly interesting. And if weather permits, take a walk around the neighborhood and see more of Frank Lloyd Wright's genius.

Always an insightful visit, sorry it took 28 years to return. Challenging history coupled with…read morebrilliant insight, creativity, quality, and legacy. Important place for architecture and history. Great preservation and care has been taken here and is worth the visit every time. Modern residential design is incomplete without understanding this storied icon. The transformation from 19th Century to 20th century design refined in this one concise very personal example. Not the whole story but an important chapter. The care and support of this institution is a must for many generations to come.

Quiet, clean and well maintained museum. The building looks really beautiful from the outside and…read morelooks well-kept from the inside. I saw a small play area for small kids in one of the rooms.

Great place mainly for small kids. There's an area to walk around that has a hawk, turkey vulture,…read moreand an owl (I'll add pictures). There's a play area in front of the building with lots of fun activities for kids. Inside the building - which is a 150-year old former mansion, there are 4 rooms with some exhibits, animals like snakes and turtles, and a good-sized play area. Outside, one can walk around the pond - which took me about 20 minutes. It is tree-lined and also goes along the Des Plaines River.

Had a good time at this art museum and gallery. It certainly is a way to know about a local artist…read morewho had a big impact. The Ed Paschke Art Center is the biggest collection of his work. Also it's free. There's a lot of permanent collections, and you can find exhibits by other local artists who come here for training. A few things about him. In 1939 he was born on the North Side. There was early influence by his father who made Disney animation and sketches among other things. After graduating from The School Of The Art Institute Of Chicago, he got a travel scholarship to Mexico. There he was influenced by the art colors and patterns. He was in the army, making drawings for weapons manuals. Then he started making collages using images from newspapers. He would enlarge and reproduce these using oil on canvas. Then getting his MFA at SAIC, he was influenced by the first museum exhibition held by Andy Warhol. He was getting popular as an artist. Then he also began teaching classes at several universities. Often he would invite students over to his studio, and tell them to grab a brush and start painting on a canvas. The Art Institute Of Chicago had a traveling career retrospective in 1989 that was one of his career highlights. In 2004 he passed away. The city honored him by naming a street after him. A few years later this art center was created by his children and the Rabb Family Foundation. This opened in 2014 and increased the awareness of his work and life. Admission is free. This is because of their commitment to accessibility to the public. In the permanent collection is the Howard Street Studio installation. This reimagines his art studio with unfinished art works, source material, and souvenirs. Basically it's like giving you an idea of how he made art. One can get a sense of his painting techniques, like how he used sponges to get the color and volume. A lot of other stuff in the permanent collection. Vaca Victoria was a part of the 1999 public art project "Cows On Parade." It was one of hundreds of fiberglass cows created by Chicago artists. This used to be on Superior in River North. It was only there a few days. There was controversy about some local gang symbols. It has a head painted like the Bulls logo. The six stars represent the NBA Championship wins. Also there's stuff by other local artists. This has a residency program where they can learn. Getting here is pretty easy without a car. It's located on Higgins by Milwaukee Avenue and the Jefferson Park Metra station. This is easy to get to with public transportation.

I'd love to see more of his exhibits or his artworks. I was awestruck when I come across his art…read moreexhibits at art institute I begged my dad to take me there when I was in high school. There I met Ed Paschke after I grabbed bought art book about him, got his autograph. I treasure this art book with his signature when I greeted him politely and told him my name. ( I wrote it down on note because I'm deaf and too shy to talk. Thank you Ed Paschke. May your colorful spirit in arts live on! I hope or wish to have one of your masterpieces. They are so beautiful and vibrant! I'll post pic once I find my art book.

Nice Hummel collectible museum to see while visiting Rosemont, IL (Chicago). Massive collection to…read moreview at no cost. Not far from the outlet malls

My friend and I decided to give the Donald E. Stephens Museum of Hummel's a second chance. This…read moreplace is a large room lined with glass display cabinets that are full of little figurines with a smattering of collectible plates and some other larger items. About 3/4 of the collection consists of Hummels and the remaining 1/4 is made up of various little figurines from other designers. There's minimal signage and there are a lot of repeat figurines (including an entire shelf of miniature little boys reading newspapers). I can see why Donald E. Stephens moved his collection out of his home. Admission is free, so there really isn't much to complain about. If you're a big Hummel aficionado (I am not), this is supposed to be the world's largest collection of Hummel figurines on display to the public, and this would probably be your Graceland. Since I posted my original angry review, they have taken down their website. We relied on this site instead, which has the correct address and seems to be accurate: http://www.rosemont.com/community/museum-of-hummels/. Google Maps still has the wrong address for this place, so enter the street address into your GPS.

Almost everyone you meet in Chicago who loves their city will ask when you tell them you are…read morevisiting from out of town, "Have you done the architectural boat tour?" People in Amsterdam will also ask if you have done a canal boat tour - and you have to do these when you visit these cities. Our docent volunteer guide, Steve, was excellent. He was very personable and extremely knowledgeable about the city's riverside buildings and its history. The boat staff was also hardworking and ready to help with any issues, from getting a drink at the boat's downstairs bar to handing out covers when the rain hit us. For what we paid, the 1.5 hour tour was more than worth it. I recommend sitting at the top towards the back, as you don't have to crane your neck as much when he points out places of interest. This was a truly wonderful experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Not what I expected overall but it was still a very educational experience. Scoring tickets to…read moreChicago's Architecture Center through our hotel, we used the tickets as a good time filler. Not a must see or do attraction but a great day filler activity as you explore the city. Loved the wealth of information they offer as it's valuable to understand Chicagos importance from the ground up! I thought it would be more about highlighting the amazing architectural buildings around the city but nothing like that. It's was more about the environmental impact the city has and the hurdles when designing buildings around town. The staff were friendly at check in and provided great service overall as they were kind and helpful. Small center that you may explore at your own pace and may or may not be worth the admission price. But scoring free tickets it allowed us to be selective in our day or day plans to include the activity to pay it a visit!

This was a phenomenal date. my girlfriend surprised me with a random date and and we ended up and…read moreTricker. Aaron was a one man show and it couldn't have been better. he was great, funny, engagin, patien...JUST GREAT. 10/10 would HIGHLY recommend!!!!

Had a great time with my friends. Wenr for a birthday celebration and it was a blast. Intimate and…read morehilarious. Honestly we were still trying to figure out how he did some of his tricks. It's a BYOB magic show and he does interact woth the audience. 5/5

We visited this museum in Oak Park with our 15 month old grandson…read more He had a great time playing with so many different things. There were other families there, but it was not overly crowded. Many separate areas of play; a treehouse, veterinarian, kitchen, blocks, puppet stage...etc. fun place for young kids.

Was searching for fun stuff to do in Chicago and the suburbs with a toddler and this place popped…read moreup for us! Perfect way to beat the heat wave! Wonderful selection of things to play with, though this isn't really a "museum". Because it isn't a museum, it does seem a little crazy that they charge for adults. All of the indoor play places I've visited in Phoenix (where I live) they only charge for the child. But my son had so much fun it was worth it! His favorite were the treehouse and the cars. Glad we came here!

We held a family celebration at Pleasant Home and the entire experience was perfection! Of course…read morethe home is beautiful, and everyone can learn about the history because their tour guides (Paul and their docents) are very knowledgeable. This added component to your event is very interesting and a must for you to include for guests to take turns to enjoy during your event there. Using both the inside and outside space for seating on the first sunny day in May, 2019, added to the enjoyment for our 80+ guests. Four 60" round tables on the porch allowed for a more spacious layout throughout. For anyone responsible for planning the event, you can count on Alice K., the Rental Coordinator, to guide you through the entire process and help with the set-up, take-down, and she will guide the servers working the event. Though I had to rent a couple of extra tables, Alice took her time with me at the house to design the floor plan to save us some money by using their tables at no charge. Though you will need to rent linens, plates, flatware, serving pieces, etc., there were a few things I forgot and Alice even went the extra distance to help in any way imaginable finding some baskets, pencils to play a game and a couple bowls -- little things that I had forgotten to pack that helped in the busy prep stage before the guests arrived. For anyone not accustomed to hosting events in which you need to plan and bring in prepared food, linens, possibly furniture and serving sets, Alice can advise and refer you to all the necessary vendors to assist you in making Pleasant Home into the perfect unique place for you and your guests to enjoy.

Open on Thursdays from 11-4. As of April 2024, they accept a modest entrance of $2 or canned food…read morefor the food pantry per person.