Chicago, Illinois (Multi-Day Tour)

Give your students a learning adventure they’ll remember forever with a trip to Chicago.  Chicago is a living, dynamic classroom.  Students will learn architecture among some of the grandest buildings in the world, theater at renowned stage companies, the arts and sciences at an incredible array of museums and world culture in their melting pot of ethnic neighborhoods.  Plus, you can explore Millennium park, the downtown showcase of the arts, architecture and landscape design.  When the day’s learning is done, your students will enjoy the attractions, shopping and dining of one of the world’s great cities.  And it all takes place in a friendly, safe environment that welcomes students.  Chicago’s easy to get to, easy to get around and it’s filled with a lot of friendly, helpful people.  For student trips, it’s your kind of town.

ALDER PLANETARIUM & ASTRONOMY MUSEUM

The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum – America's first planetarium – was founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler.  The museum is home to two full-size planetarium theaters, including the world's first all digital projection StarRider Theater and one of the world's most important antique instrument collections.  Students can explore the moon, stars and edge of the galaxy through interactive exhibits and theatre presentations.  The Adler is a recognized leader in science education with a focus on inspiring young people, particularly women and minorities, to pursue careers in science.

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO

One of the great art museums of the world, the Art Institute of Chicago presents a collection spanning 5,000 years of artistic expression.  Paintings, prints and drawings, sculptures, photographs, video, textiles, and architectural drawings and fragments are complemented by a year-round schedule of exhibitions.  And there's more.  The Museum presents programs, lectures, workshops, performances, symposia, travel or courses every day.  From Mini Masters to Elderhostel, there is something for all ages to do.  By visiting the Art Institute students will learn about the character and structure art of the world.  Visit, find your favorites and make the Art Institute your museum.

BLUE MAN GROUP

Blue Man Group is best known for its wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment.  The blissful party atmosphere created at their live events has become the trademark of a Blue Man Group experience.  The performance features three bald and blue characters taking the audience through a multi-sensory experience unlike anything else.  As the company grows, it remains true to its vision of providing exciting experiences in a variety of media which appeal to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds.

BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago's theatres make up the heart of Chicago's Downtown Theatre District and is the hub of your next visit to the city.  Visit any of Chicago’s finest theatres: Ford Center/Oriental, Cadillac Palace, LaSalle Bank Theatre, Drury Lane Water Town and Auditorium Theatre.  In addition to seeing a wonderful show, students can also enjoy an unforgettable and in depth look at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts (Oriental Theatre) and the Cadillac Palace Theatre.  The tours will showcase the glittering vintage décor and the cutting edge technology that makes each theatre the home to today's most complex theatrical productions.  Tour guides will escort students through both theatres, sharing historical information, little know facts and colorful folklore about these two grand venues.

CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE FOUNDATION

Architects and preservationists founded the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) in 1966 to save H.H. Richardson's Glessner House – one of Chicago's oldest residences.  The fight to save it increased awareness of Chicago's architecture.  A few years later CAF began to present lectures and tours led by dedicated volunteers.  Its first downtown location was a shop in the landmark Monadnock Building which was replaced by the ArchiCenter in the Santa Fe Building on South Michigan Avenue.  The ArchiCenter offers changing exhibits, lectures, classes and a museum shop.  It also has permanent exhibits in CitySpace including a scale model of the 16 square mile downtown area, video interviews with famous architects and interactive virtual tours at three kiosks.  Students can enjoy architectural tours on foot, by motor coach or by boat.  Select from a variety of tours and learn first-hand why Chicago is considered by many as the greatest architectural city in the United States.

CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Visitor Center offers an exciting look into the history, trading practices, architecture, technology and global reach of the CBOT and its markets.  Located in the CBOT's historical landmark Art Deco building at Jackson Boulevard and LaSalle Street, the interactive Center is guaranteed to be a favorite stop for students, as well as an important educational resource.  Student activities include state of the art flat screens with streaming video, historical artifacts from the early days of trading, technological advancements used in global trading, educational brochures and informative trading materials and a retail store with gifts, photos, media and apparel.

CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM

The Chicago History Museum stands at the crossroads of America’s past and its future.  For students who are curious about the city’s past, present and future, the Museum should be the first stop.  Located in Chicago’s famous Lincoln Park, the Chicago History Museum cares for, showcases and interprets millions of authentic pieces of Chicago and United States history.  In 2006 the Museum underwent a $20 million renovation and unveiled their newest exhibit – Chicago: Crossroads of America.  In this exhibit students will discovery Chicago – the city whose compelling and dramatic history has reflected and shaped the national experience.  Explore Chicago’s changing economy, challenging crises, diverse neighborhoods, groundbreaking innovations and lively cultural scene.  Wander through these galleries to discover all the legendary Chicago stories.

CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATRE (ON NAVY PIER)

The Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) is one of the fastest growing producing and presenting theater institutions in America today, and presents performances for students of all ages.  Rapid growth has characterized CST from its first production in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.  Just 13 years later in 1999, CST, now recognized as one of Chicago's leading cultural and civic resources, built its permanent home – a $24 million, multi-venue, facility-on Chicago's famous Navy Pier.  Prominently situated on the Pier, CST's location and architectural design – a seven-story, glass curtain-walled structure, housing a 500 seat courtyard theater and a 200 seat flexible black box theater afford panoramic vistas of the Chicago skyline.  Since CST's inception, reaching out to young audiences has been integral to its mission.  Team Shakespeare, CST's arts-in-education program, reached 500,000 students in its first decade serving 50,000 students and teachers annually.

DISCOVERY WORLD

Located in nearby Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Discovery World is a complex and innovative concept that connects the natural world with human-designed technology.  The Museum offers a large variety of educational, cultural and environmental programs for students of all ages.  These programs include hands-on exhibits, fresh and salt water aquariums, interactive educational programs, state of the art media and distance learning labs, digital theatres and a live performance theatre.  Located on Pier 3 on Milwaukee’s lakefront, the Museum is designed to provide life-long learning and to inspire exploration and creation for students.

FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

With a breathtaking view of Chicago’s incomparable skyline along expansive Lake Michigan, the Field Museum draws students from all over the world with more than 35 world-renowned exhibitions.  The Field Museum was incorporated in the State of Illinois on September 16, 1893 as the Columbian Museum of Chicago to house the biological and anthropological collections assembled for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893.  In 1905 the Museum's name was changed to the Field Museum of Natural History to honor the Museum's first major benefactor, Marshall Field, and to better reflect its focus on the natural sciences.  These objects form the core of the Museum's collections which have grown through world-wide expeditions, exchange, purchase and gifts to more than 20 million specimens.  Today the collections provide the foundation of the Museum's exhibition, research and education programs.  Students can enjoy self-exploration or a guided tour of the Museum.  Several dining facilities are also available on site.

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT HOME & STUDIO

The Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in nearby Oak Park served as Wright's private residence and workplace from 1889 to 1909 – the first 20 years of his career.  Wright used his home as an architectural laboratory, experimenting with design concepts that contain the seeds of his architectural philosophy.  Here he raised six children with his first wife, Catherine Tobin.  In the Studio Wright and his associates developed a new American architecture: the Prairie style, and designed 125 structures, including such famous buildings as the Robie House, the Larkin Building and Unity Temple.  Experience the spaces Wright designed for his family and his architectural practice in his first home and studio – trained interpreters offer insights into Wright's family life and architectural career.  Explore the surrounding Historic District at your own pace (over 20 Wright designed homes located in a single block adjacent to his studio).  The combination guided and self-guided tour offer fascinating insights into the world of Frank Lloyd Wright.  We invite you to visit and experience the restored site as it appeared in 1909 – the last year that Wright lived in the Home and worked in the Studio.

HANCOCK OBSERVATORY

Following a multi-million dollar renovation, the new Hancock Observatory is dazzling students with incredible 94th floor views, high-tech features and Chicago’s only open-air Skywalk – 1,000 feet above the Magnificent Mile.  A self-guided tour of John Hancock Center includes, along with stunning lake and city views of up to four states and 80 miles, Skywalk-the city’s highest open-air viewing deck, walking audio tours, virtual tours on Windows on Chicago, photo and fact-filled History Walls, Soundscope talking telescopes and breathtaking photo ops.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON FACTORY TOUR & MUSEUM

Located in nearby Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this 450,000 square foot Powertrain facility is dedicated to manufacturing Harley-Davidson motorcycles.  Your tour experience begins as soon as you walk through the door.  Designed to immerse you in Harley-Davidson heritage, the tour center features a Harley-Davidson engine timeline.  You'll also have the chance to sit on the latest Harley-Davidson and Buell models and visit the gift shop which features tour related merchandise.  The tour begins in the theater with a brief video on Motor Company history.  Then it's on to the factory floor where you'll watch Sportster and Buell powertrains take shape on the assembly line and see engines hot-tested to ensure they meet strict Harley-Davidson standards.  You'll be guided through the Genuine Motor Parts and Screamin' Eagle manufacturing processes and stop in the Engine Remanufacturing Department.  This plant is the only Harley-Davidson facility offering student tours.  Make plans today to see the place where Harley-Davidson motorcycles get their rumble.

JOHN G. SHEDD AQUARIUM

The history of Shedd Aquarium is part vision and part ingenuity.  Founder John G. Shedd, retired president of Marshall Field & Company, was a marketing genius and just as bold and ambitious as his city.  He was determined to transform Chicago into a world-class metropolis.  By 1930 Shedd Aquarium was the largest in the world.  Today Shedd has been completely restored and updated and is now a National Historic Landmark.  With the additions of the Oceanarium and Wild Reef, Shedd has doubled in size.  Students will journey from the Pacific Northwest – playground to dolphins and whales – to the shark and ray patrolled waters of a coral reef – without setting foot outside of Chicago.  The Shedd is a conservation leader in places near and far and it continues to set new standards for the zoo and aquarium community.

LINCOLN PARK ZOO

Lincoln Park Zoo is a world of wildlife in the shadow of skyscrapers.  Located within a lush park just minutes north of Chicago, the Zoo has been a natural, free oasis for generations of animal lovers who come to hear a lion’s roar echo off nearby apartment buildings, see gorillas climb trees as the Sears Tower looms in the distance or forget where they are as they immerse themselves in tropical rainforests, dry-thorn forests or spacious savannas.  Enjoy the wildest spot in Chicago where each year millions of students marvel at wild wonders as they play and learn about the natural world in a living, breathing, roaring classroom.  Students can also enjoy the AT&T Endangered Species Carousel featuring 48 artisan-crafted wooden animals and two chariots (the menagerie is made up of rare and endangered animals, many of which are represented in the Zoo collection).  At the Lincoln Park Zoo students will learn about animal care, education, science and conservation.

MCCORMICK TRIBUNE FREEDOM MUSEUM

Experience the nation’s first museum dedicated to freedom and the First Amendment.  Opened in the spring of 2006, the Freedom Museum inspires generations to understand, value and protect freedom.  Through interactive exploration – interactive exhibits allow students to question, challenge and debate issues such as censorship and flag burning – students gain a greater understanding of the struggle for freedom in the United States and the role the First Amendment plays in our daily lives.  The Museum’s highly-interactive exhibits inspire students to express their opinions, debate constitutional issues and reach their own conclusions about the state of freedom both here and abroad.  Due to the interactive nature of the exhibits, all visits are self-guided.  Visits begin with a brief orientation.  Afterwards, students explore the Museum under the guidance of accompanying chaperones.

MORTON ARBORETUM

The Morton Arboretum was formally established on December 14, 1922 by Mr. Joy Morton (1855-1934), owner of the Morton Salt Company.  Today it is recognized as one of the finest arboretums in North America.  Students will begin their tour by climbing aboard the Evergreen Express trolley for a one hour scenic ride highlighting the beauty of the Arboretum. With panoramic views of the landscape, the tour narration highlights the Arboretum and Morton family history.  Next, students can try their luck in the Maze Garden – a one-acre, living puzzle of hedges and other plants.  Along the way, search for seven different outdoor rooms of plants with seasonal interests.  The adventure gets even more intriguing with a 12 foot high lookout platform built around a stunning 60 foot tall Sycamore tree, providing students with a birds’ eye view to watch friends navigate the maze.  End your day with a boxed lunch or self-exploration of the Arboretum.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & INDUSTRY & IMAX THEATRE

The Museum of Science & Industry opened to the public in 1933 (at the same time as the Century of Progress Exposition).  Today the Museum is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the City of Chicago and among seven of the most visited museums in the United States.  It is the largest science museum in a single building in the Western Hemisphere with over 800 exhibits and over 2,000 interactive units located in over 350,000 square feet of exhibit space.  Students can enjoy a wide array of hands-on-exhibits including a World War II captured German submarine on the National Register of Historic Places, a working coal-mine shaft elevator from 1933, a cantilevered Boeing 727 that students can walk through, a 3,500 square foot model railroad (one of the largest in the world), exhibits on the brain and computer imaging, the world's first permanent exhibit on AIDS/HIV, the Apollo 8 Spacecraft, a British Spitfire World War II Fighter Plane (one of only a few surviving Spitfires to have flown in the Battle of Britain), and much more.  When you’re done, kick back and enjoy a movie on the IMAX Theatre giant screen.

NAVY PIER & IMAX THEATRE

Navy Pier is the place where all of Chicagoland and tourists from around the world have come together since 1995 to enjoy the beauty and the thrills of a day on Lake Michigan.  From rides to restaurants, exhibitions to entertainment, shopping to dining cruises and tour boats, Navy Pier has it all – in a location unlike any other.  There's so much to do in their 50-acres of parks, promenades, gardens, shops, eateries and attractions.  Take a ride on their 15-story tall McDonald's Ferris wheel.  Catch a movie at the IMAX Theatre.  Visit three floors of hands-on fun at the Chicago Children's Museum inside the Family Pavilion.  Or just kick back and enjoy your favorite form of entertainment – dancers, acrobats, theater, blues, jazz, or rock 'n roll at the Pepsi Skyline Stage.  Navy Pier also offers dining opportunities as diverse as Chicago itself.  You can find everything from bikes to books and from souvenirs to sunglasses at the shops in the Family Pavilion open year-round.  Historic Navy Pier is Chicago's lakefront playground and it's the Midwest's No. 1 tourist and leisure destination, attracting more than nine million visitors a year.

SEADOG CRUISES

Enjoy the only tour to take you from the lakefront, through the locks and along the river, the Seadog River & Lake Architecture Tour is your best choice for experiencing Chicago.  This memorable 75-minute river and lake cruise features exciting views and descriptions of Chicago’s most famous architecture, landmarks and history combined with an exciting speedboat ride along the lakefront.  Students will learn when and why the flow of the Chicago River was reversed, how Chicago architects pioneered skyscraper construction, why the beautiful Chicago lakefront is almost all parkland and learn about an $80 million dollar skyscraper construction mistake.  With a Seadog Cruise students will get a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline.

SEARS TOWER SKYDECK

What will I see from the Skydeck?  You’ll see the best view and best overview of Chicago.  At 1,353 feet the Skydeck is the highest observatory in Chicago.  The view is amazing! You can see 40 to 50 miles on a clear day.  Imagine seeing Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin, just by walking around the Skydeck.  And there’s no finer view of Chicago architecture from the tallest building in North America.  Reach the height of education and experience all of Chicago from the world’s best advantage point.  Perfect for students of all ages.

SHORELINE ARCHITECTURE CRUISE

No visit to Chicago is complete without a Shoreline Architectural Tour.  Enjoy a one hour cruise on the historic Chicago River as their professional guides showcase over 40 landmarks of modern American Architecture.  Students will learn the dramatic story of Chicago's rise from the Great Fire of 1871 to become the home of the skyscraper and the cradle of modern American architecture.  Along the route are buildings by world-famous architects including Mies van der Rohe, Skidmore Owings & Merrill and Helmut Jahn.  Their complimentary map and guide is a keepsake for students.  Their convenient departure dock is located at Navy Pier.

SPIRIT OF CHICAGO

Looking for a great time with a different point of view?  Step aboard the Spirit of Chicago cruise at Navy Pier for a morning, afternoon or evening of unparalleled cruising fun on the lakefront in Chicago.  Enjoy this luxurious Chicago cruise ship while you dine, dance and enjoy breathtaking skyline views.  Dining options include breakfast or dinner or try a student buffet lunch with a DJ. Quite simply, a Spirit cruise is the perfect event for students.  This is the ultimate Chicago experience.

Discovery Tours, Inc.
24719 Dundee Drive
Cleveland, OH 44143

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P:  (800) 590.2669
P:  (216) 531.8884
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info@discoverycleveland.com

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