The nation's largest and longest-running auto exposition showcases over 1,000 domestic and imported vehicles, auto-related exhibits, competition vehicles and project, antique and collector cars. Monday, Feb. 18 is Family Day and includes a special appearance by Disney Channel/Disney XD star Leo Howard.

Features live music, children's activities, vendor booths and a variety of sweets, desserts and gourmet baked goods. Plus, baking demonstrations and a Chocolate Bake-Off Contest.

Kids can play in the straw maze, take a 30-minute hayride through the snowy fields, visit with the horses and check out the new Scottish Highland bull calves who were born in early January.

A guided glimpse into the world of outdoor play will depend on the day. Possibilities include snowman and snow fort building with natural materials or garden scavenger hunt for natural objects

Experts from SOAR (Save Our American Raptors) talk about their owls. After the presentation, dissect owl pellets and make a craft to take home.

Search for gnomes in the Children's Garden using your best "I Spy" skills. Checklist provided.

Docents help children and others learn through interactive displays and games in the showrooms. New topics every month. September: "Traveling Seeds"; October: "Cone Bearing Plants"; November: "Fruits, The Seasonal Food Harvest"; December: "Eggs and the Conservatory Critters"; January: "Urban Wildlife"; February: "Chocolate"; March topic: "Survival in the Jungle"; April: "Carnivorous Plants"; May: "Water Works."

With small solar lights to guide their way, hikers, skiers and snowshoers can traverse the 1.3-mile fitness trail at Old School Forest Preserve in Libertyville or the 1.65-mile hilly section of the Millennium Trail adjacent to the winter Sports Area at Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda. Starting Sunday, Nov. 4, the trails and adjacent parking lots will remain open until 9 .m. daily until March 9.

Feature the black bear and its adaptations for survival in the forest. Crawl into the bear's den, compare your senses to that of the black bear, feel his fur, come face to face with a black bear mount and more.

What is a stellar dendrite? Why is snow white? Are there really no two snowflakes that are exactly alike? Learn the answers to all of these questions and more, while investigating the snow.

Families can enjoy winter activities and meet live animals. Activities may include ice carving demonstrations, live animals such as birds of prey, Siberian huskies, live entertainment from the Old Town School of Folk Music, arts and crafts table, and free snowshoe rental if weather conditions allow. First 500 visitors receive a Polar Adventure Day mug filled with hot chocolate. Dress for the outdoors. Call to confirm scheduled activities.

If you're looking for an alternative to skating at Millennium Park this winter, look up. Way up-94 stories, to be exact. Touted as the World's Highest Ice Skating Rink, the 94th floor of the John Hancock Center gives ice skaters a bird's-eye view of the city and the lake.

At 20 feet by 45 feet, the rink is probably too small to be your solo destination of the day, but paired with a trip to see the view from the Hancock, it's a nice way for kids to burn off energy while parents enjoy the great view. And because it's synthetic ice, skaters stay warm and don't get wet.

The rink is scheduled to be open for skating from 9 a.m.-11 p.m. through April 18. A 25-minute skate session costs $6 (in addition to the cost to get into the Hancock Observatory). You can bring your own skates or rent some there for a dollar.

Free, fun and educational arts project for kids. Projects change bi-weekly.

See a toy so amazing, so unbelievable, it has the power to transform into anything you want it to be. Enter a world where imagination rules, and ordinary becomes extraordinary.

The exhibit features the illustrations of W. W. Denslow, a Chicago resident whose famous illustrations helped to inspire the design of the classic 1939 MGM film starring Judy Garland. The bright and colorful exhibit provides a variety of learning opportunities and hands-on activities within a three-dimensional representation of Denslow's distinctive illustrations.

Discover how sounds make music, and how music makes you feel, with activities like making melodies on bolt- and wrench-a-phones, using soft sculpture pegs to make a music box, blowing air over a reed, moving musical notes on a staff, beating percussion instruments, and creating an artistic masterpiece that reflects how music makes you feel

Go "behind the scenes" for an all-new experience at the military museum, plus see rare artifacts seldom displayed. Also features guided tours and hands-on educational activities for all ages.

Watch as LEGO trains race through cities and towns, as well as scenes from popular movies in a custom-made display produced by the Northern Illinois LEGO Train Club. On Saturday, the DuPage Society of Model Engineers will be operating the HO model layout located on the lower level.

Hundreds of objects and documents from the exclusive private collection, together with a rare collection of first editions of his most famous works, tell the story of how Charles Dickens and his characters became enduring cultural icons. Interactive and multi-media displays and personal effects take visitors through a chronological tour of the life, literature and legacy of Dickens. View his personal traveling inkwell, take a ride in an early century carriage, and learn about the memorable characters, stories and themes of his famous tales through games, time period puzzles and Dickens' own personal Facebook page.

Visitors become space adventurers and set off on a journey to discover the Universe in a way never done before. Travel a billion light-years and back, fly through space, orbit the Moon, zoom into a canyon on Mars, and soar through the cosmic web where a million galaxies shower down. The experience was created utilizing real telescopic data and the best scientific imagery.

Dozens of real engineers from local firms are setting up shop to give kids and adults hands-on experiences. Conquer fun challenges, meet local robotics teams, and more.

Meet scientist Jim Holstein as he shares meteorite specimens from the museum's collection, then stop by the art studio to make a piece of art that is out of this world.

The longest-running exhibition of African-American art in the U.S. features more than 100 dynamic works of art from amateur and professional African-American artists from around the nation.

Exhibit explores Schulz's personal history and his role as the sole inspiration and artistic talent behind Peanuts and its unique cast of characters. Through original cartoons, reproductions and related Peanuts ephemera, guests see how characters were developed and evolved. Schulz's Santa Rosa, Calif. studio, recreated for the first time, allows for a deeper look into his work and life. Kids and families have a chance to exercise their own Schultz-like creativity with activities like making a zoetrope.

Bring the stroller along to explore the exhibits, then let the little ones get hands-on experience as they explore and discover nature during a 20-minute playgroup. Jan. 16, Feb. 20, March 20, April 17.