Time: 1½ to 2½ hours
Location: Peggy Notebaert Museum, 2430 N. Cannon Drive; Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond, Fullerton and Cannon
Cost: Parking for three hours. Admission to Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum: , kids 3-12, free 2 and under
The museum, with its butterflies and birds (access to North Pond Micole Birdwalk at the back), is one of the tot-friendliest stroller- and parking-accessible options.
- Try to find free parking on Cannon Drive. If there’s none, park at the northernmost tip of the Lincoln Park Zoo lot. From here it’s a good 15-minute stroll (about 400 steps) to the entrance of the museum.
- We’ve kept this jaunt bird and butterfly specific-visit another day for lots more stuff. Allow at least 30 minutes for the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven. Take a break, then 20 minutes in the Birds of Illinois exhibit (115 specimens). Riverworks is a fun water play area to finish with, if you don’t mind getting wet.
- Take another snack and potty break, then head outside through the rear to view some of the flowers and animals of Lincoln Park’s North Pond via the museum’s stroller-accessible Micole Birdwalk.
- Optional extra loop: Pack your stroller into the car and take a shady walk around the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pond located right at the corner of the zoo parking lot and Fullerton
