The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is celebrating its 13th Anniversary this year and Thursdays are free admission days, filled with exciting daily programs for the whole family. So gather up the family and get there for free museum days. (click at bottom for more info)
The Bikes: The Green revolution
Hop on as the Nature Museum explores the world of the American bicycle. With an emphasis on Chicago’s bike culture, this exhibit investigates bikes; from low riders and truck bikes to tall bikes and fixed gears, and the cultural phenomenon associated with them. Explore the roots of America’s most democratic and sustainable form of transportation and consider why human-powered locomotion could be the way of the future for our rapidly evolving urban environment.
The Lost Panoramas: When Chicago Changed its River and the Land Beyond
In the late 1800s, Chicago turned heads by reversing the flow of the Chicago River, an impressive engineering feat that would forever change the city and surrounding landscape. The Lost Panoramas is Richard Cahan and Michael Williams‘ newest book featuring an amazing collection of images that document Chicago’s amazing accomplishment and its toll on the environment. The Lost Panoramas exhibit features some of the rare photographs and maps included in the newly published book.
The Chicago Academy of Sciences and its Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum inspire people to learn about and care for nature and the environment. The Academy, founded in 1857, improves the quality of life in Chicago and the region by delivering superior environmental and science education programs to students and teachers, by offering Museum exhibitions and conducting public programs that foster green living, by restoring local ecosystems and advancing scientific knowledge through collections and research. 
During the past 10 years, the Chicago Academy of Sciences has welcomed more than 1.8 million visitors to its Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. The Museum provides hands-on exhibitions and programs to 70,000 students and trains and provides resources for more than 1,700 Chicago teachers in over 430 schools annually. The Museum engages visitors, especially urban dwellers, in new ways to connect with and preserve the natural world through a unique indoor/outdoor experience. It is one of the city’s best examples of eco-friendly building technology with lush outdoor nature trails and habitat, green roof, rain barrels and solar panels.
