Kick off the New Year in great shape by working out for free from Jan. 2-16 at any of the Chicago Park Districts 60 fitness centers located throughout the city.

Discover the beauty of the tropics this summer at the free annual Summer Tropical Flower Show. The Tropical Garden Show offers an assortment of tropical plants, featuring various begonias and hibiscus.

Come see the eight winners of the National Association of Singning Teachers’ annual competition showcase their talents in this music recital.

This Austrian duo’s “soulful and impeccable playing” (The Washington Post) has won them much critical acclaim and an international career with recent appearances throughout Europe, China and the US.

The Chicago Latino Film Festival will celebrate its Silver Anniversary, as the oldest and most comprehensive Latino film festival in the country.

Garfield Park Conservatory celebrates its last centennial year event in 2008 with the winter flower show, Holiday Traditions in the Show House starting Friday, November 28 and running through Friday, January 11, 2009.

The Pritzker Military Library presents original oil paintings and prints by renowned military artist Mort Knstler, famous for his paintings of historic Civil War scenes.

A fun, informative way for school-age kids to spend the day outside of classes, A Day off at the Museum is the Nature Museums collective series of animal tracking activities.

Like a mid-week breath of fresh air…free Tuesdays on the Terrace at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) provide guests with an opportunity to enjoy live jazz music while gazing out onto a scenic Lake Michigan backdrop.

A cultural and social way to end your week, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) plays host to “First Fridays,’ a weekly after-hours party the first Friday of each month.

Take Your Time: Olafur Eliasson, the first comprehensive survey in the United States, showcases immersive environments, sculptures, and photographs which elegantly come together to recreate the extremes of landscape and atmosphere.

The allure of diamonds, a prized symbol of strength, wealth, and love, has persisted for centuries. In exploration of humankinds ongoing fascination with the diamond, The Field Museum’s The Nature of Diamonds exhibit provides an in-depth look at the strongest of all natural substances, from its geologic mining origins to its cultural significance in art, literature, and ornamentation, as well as, its applications within the worlds of modern science and technology.

Explore the Field Museums newly renovated Grainger Hall of Gems exhibition showcasing more than 300 gems, precious and semi-precious stones, crystals, minerals specimens and artifacts reflective of both contemporary and ancient eras.

Celebrate the magic of the holidays with the musical magic of Disney at the Chicago Cultural Center.

The 2009 Cinco De Mayo Parade will take place on May 3rd.