It won't be your imagination if you think the procession is going the wrong way down Main Street on July 4th. This year, the Downers Grove parade route will originate at Main St. and Grant St. on the north side of town and proceed SOUTH on Main toward the Downtown, ending at Warren Avenue. The parade begins at 12:45 p.m.

Fireworks can be viewed best from the lawns of Barrington High School.

See gardens, woodlands, wetlands and prairies in a tram tour. 60-minute and 30-minute tours explain the rich Arboretum history, and describe the trees and plants you'll see. There's also an opportunity to see lovely wildlife in a native habitat.

Interactive story time and fun crafts indoors before heading out on the grounds for a winter walk. Themes change each week. Wednesdays and Fridays.

Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, Percy and James can be found tooling around the Taltree Railway Garden. Daily activities include Thomas coloring page, scavenger hunts, photo opportunities with favorite characters and a picnic on a train. Plus, each weekend adds storybook reading,  Bozo Buckets gameand train ride.

The new Railway Garden, a G-gauge model railway running through a 2.5 acre site, opens April 30. Visitors enter through a 1920s-era railway depot to see trains running through a garden of miniature plants, water features and a variety of landscapes. May 1 through October.

Walk along a winding trail and view gigantic animatronic bugs, plus more than 150 stationary insects, which will be part of six themed scenes. Guests can also see live creepy crawlies in Harry's Big Adventure: My Bug World! The interactive habitats feature several ecosystems to show how insects impact their surroundings, the environment, and human lives. Activities, including bug cooking demonstrations, cockroach races, a spider web climber, and other bug-themed entertainment is planned for guests throughout the summer.

Beautiful views of fireworks, the lake and the skyline.

Navy Pier and Shedd Aquarium have partnered to provide special games, fun activities and festive music to celebrate the extension of the Jellies exhibit. Guests can play games, take their photo with a beach-themed photo board and interact with Navy Pier's own beach bum dancers. Pier visitors can also receive free Shedd Aquarium tickets.

Children can immerse themselves in backstage preparation, perform routines in center ring or manage the behind-the-scenes action of lights and sound. Plus, try making a circus balance toy or dress up like a clown.

Kids build foundations for future learning as they discover what currents, loads and power sources are and what they do, while beginning to understand the basics of electricity, how it is generated and how it moves.

Showcases 14 multi-sensory exploration stations, each incorporating a high-quality reproduction of one of Marc Chagall's works. Interactive components offer hands-on activities and an audio description of each work specifically geared to children. An extensive selection of books about Marc Chagall is provided to encourage further exploration and to stimulate literacy learning.

Take a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the world of magic and its historic roots in Chicago. Features a multimedia object theater experience, artifact display and live performances. Discover the tricks of the trade and witness Chicago's magical past reappear before your very eyes.

A private collection of late 17th and early 18th century French clothing and accessories. This display presents historical information on apparel, as well as the process and passion of building a collection.

From Fannie May to Brach's Candies, Tootsie Rolls, Frango Mints, Lemonheads and more, Chicago has a tasty history of making candy loved the world over. Learn about Chicago's sweet history and how candy and the City of Chicago grew up together. May 11-Sept. 18.

A special exhibit on the history of Girl Scouting, with special focus on Oak Park, River Forest, and Forest Park. Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Join museum staff in a different park each Wednesday morning to learn about a nature theme, do a craft, and go on a nature walk. Each week covers a different theme. For a full list, call the museum at (847) 459-2318.

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.

Exhibit examines the ancestry and evolution of numerous species, ranging from huge to tiny, from speedy to sloth-like, and displays animals with oversized claws, fangs, snouts, and horns. Highlights include taxidermy specimens, an entire skeleton of a giant hoofed plant-eater, a life-size model of the largest land mammal that ever lived, one of the oldest fossilized bats ever found, and an impressive diorama featuring the swamps and forests of an island in the Arctic. Runs May 26, 2012-Jan. 6, 2013.

Learn about the American bicycle and Chicago's bike culture. The exhibition details the roots of America's most democratic and sustainable form of transportation and considers why human-powered locomotion could be the way of the future for our rapidly evolving urban environment.

Why do animals use camouflage and what are different types of camouflage? Learn more about these fascinating adaptations.

Visitors go on an interactive journey through the world of ancient Greece, where they can meet the gods, experience ancient Greek daily life and interact with the epic poem The Odyssey through more than 25 engaging interactive components, including climbing into a 13-foot tall Trojan Horse. Kids play and learn as they navigate rocky caves and open seas on "The Odyssey: A Hero's Journey" and e-mail home their Hero Record, belt tunes in the Sirens Karaoke Cave, discover which Greek god they are most like, match wits with Aristotle in a game of 20 questions, test their arm wrestling prowess in the Gymnasium and marvel at a working replica of the Antikythera Mechanism, believed to be the world's oldest computer.

Girls make their own reading journal to take home, like the one McKenna has in her stories. Mondays and Wednesdays.

Go on a scavenger hunt throughout the store, taking fast and fun challenges. Plus, get a free American Girl poster at the end. Wednesdays.

Watch men painted blue do unusual performance art and original slapstick comedy. It's fun to sit in the front, but remember to wear a plastic poncho to avoid the flying food and liquids. Buy tickets at the box office, online, via Ticketmaster or by calling (773) 348-4000.

Told through a musical narrative, this play seeks to revive the ghosts of those who drowned in the Chicago disaster of 1915, when families were torn apart and unexpected heroes emerged to rescue dozens of Chicagoans from a watery end. Runs from June 6-July 29.

Wear red, white or blue and receive $1 off admission.

One time workshops for all ages given by professional fiddle players Christian Sedelmyer (www.christiansedelmyer.com) and Rachel Baiman (www.belfryfellows.com). Three classes offered: Beginning/Novice tune learning, Slow Jam Skills and Fiddle Tunes for the Classical Violinist.

Enjoy displays of exotic foliage and flowering tropical plants in the Wilder Park Conservatory during the summer months.

Family activities (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) include concessions, Oak Lawn's Got Talent, a treasure hunt, obstacle course, kids tattoos, carnivals games, pony rides, inflatables, bingo, and more. Evening entertainment is held at the football field at Richards High School (106th Street and Central Avenue). Gates open at 6 p.m.; Dave Rudolf takes the stage at 8:15 p.m. followed by a fireworks display.

The City of Elgin, the Village of Hanover Park, Hanover Township and the Village of Hoffman Estates host a celebration that features the suburbs' largest fireworks show, carnival rides for the whole family, food offerings from more than 20 local vendors, a beer garden and full service bar, live nightly music and free parking.

A new, living history guided tour designed for visitors who are curious to discover how the Nickerson servants lived and cared for their distinguished employers and unique residence. With one of the Nickersons' trusted servants as guide, visitors discover the true historic inspiration for the "incident," explore hidden passageways and staircases, and learn about the life of a domestic servant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Exhibit includes bats, uniforms, contracts, team traveling suitcases and much more from Reggie Jackson. Items in the exhibit are presented in collaboration with the Mr. October Foundation for Kids, a non-profit organization to benefit at-risk children.

Multicultural exhibit offers children a chance to become acquainted with other children from around the world. Features children from 11 countries such as Russia, India, Tanzania and Egypt and showcases how they learn, work and play through interactive activities such as playing games, making crafts, learning words in another language and even putting on a puppet show.