Enjoy the spring season with new experiences to make your days brighter! From outdoor activities like nature walks and festivals, to exploring new areas and shops, there’s something for everyone. Here’s a round-up of five activities this weekend that we think you will love to kick off the spring season!
City of Big Shoulders
Join this informative and entertaining presentation, focusing on women, both famous and little-known, who helped to build Chicago: from risking their lives in the Underground Railroad and building schools and hospitals to creating the progressive women’s club movement.
Date: March 23
Time: 2:00PM
Cost: $5; $3 for members & students
Location: Glen Ellyn Historical Society, 800 N. Main St, Glen Ellyn
More Info: gehs.org
Spring Into Dining
The fine restaurants and eateries of downtown Wheaton have come together for the community’s first-ever Spring Restaurant Week! Now through the end of the month, this lunch-focused event combines great food with great deals.
Date: Through March 30
Time: Varies by venue
Cost: Varies by venue
Location: 20 participating restaurants and businesses in downtown Wheaton
More Info: downtownwheaton.com
Hop on in to the Brookfield Zoo
Celebrate spring at Brookfield Zoo’s annual Bunny Hop. With fun for the whole family, this delight-filled day includes a photo op with the bunny, educational activities, a scavenger egg hunt throughout the Zoo, and the Bunny Hop dance party in Nature Plaza.
Date: March 23
Time: 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Cost: Adults $29.95; Children 11 and under $20.95; 65+ Senior $24.95
Location: Brookfield Zoo, North Gate Parking ($17), 8400 31st St, Brookfield South Gate Parking ($20), 3300 Golf Rd, Brookfield
More Info: brookfieldzoo.org
Get Your Green On
An annual rite of spring and the kickoff to Chicago’s outdoor running season, Bank of America’s Shamrock Shuffle features a scenic 8K run through the streets of downtown Chicago and a 2-mile walk along the beautiful lakefront.
Date: March 24
Time: 8K Run starts at 8:30AM and 2-Mile Walk at 9:30AM
Cost: $65+ for 8K Run and $35 for 2-Mile Walk
Location: Start line is in Grant Park at Monroe St and Columbus Dr, Chicago
More Info: shamrockshuffle.com
A Taste of Tuscany
With its pastoral landscapes, the Chianti region in Tuscany is renowned for its culinary traditions and fine wines. Join this walk-around food and wine tasting to experience all things Chianti. You’ll have a chance to taste more than 35 Chianti Classico wines and enjoy a variety of bites inspired by Tuscan fare.
Date: March 22
Time: 6:00 to 7:30PM
Cost: $75
Location: Eataly, 43 E. Ohio St, Chicago
More Info: eataly.com
Put On Your Blindfold
They say that when you take away one of your five senses, the others become heightened. Dining in the Dark is a gastronomical experience that invites you to explore the full potential of your senses of taste and smell. Enjoy a 3-course meal while blindfolded in an entertaining atmosphere designed to heighten all of your senses – but sight!
Date: March 23 and select Saturdays through May 18
Time: 6:00 or 8:30PM
Cost: $64
Location: About Last Knife, 168 Michigan Ave, Chicago
More Info: dininginthedarkexperience.org
No, not Stonehenge…
This year’s spring equinox on March 19 is a few days past, but if you hurry – and if the weather cooperates – you can still experience the phenomenon known as Chicagohenge! Thanks to the nearly-perfect east to west (and north to south) alignment of city streets, the rising and setting sun at this time of year shoots its beam directly into the canyons created by skyscrapers along the major downtown streets! Chicagohenge will occur again during the fall equinox on September 22, 2024
Date: Any day this weekend – weather permitting
Time: Sunrise at 6:47AM and sunset at 7:06PM (Mar 23)
Cost: Free
Location: Favorite viewing areas include Randolph Street between State and Michigan and along Madison or Monroe Streets, Chicago
More Info: secretchicago.com
A Martini. Shaken, Not Stirred.
OK, Bond’s choice of cocktail may not be on display, but the new exhibit “007 Science: Inventing the World of James Bond” that opened on March 007 (of course!) will include the iconic cars, gadgets and props that helped to make the James Bond films the world’s longest-running movie franchise.
Date: Through October 27
Time: 9:30AM to 4:00PM Daily
Cost: $18 timed-entry ticket in addition to regular Museum Entry
Location: Museum of Science + Industry, 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr, Chicago
More Info: msichicago.org
