Lincoln Park, Chicago

The Lincoln Park neighborhood stretches from North Avenue to Diversely Parkway and from the lakefront on the east to about Racine Avenue on the west. The adjoining lakefront park is also called Lincoln Park (causing occasional confusion), though it stretches several miles farther north than the neighborhood.

The Chicago Historical Society contains an extensive collection of historic costumes as well as history galleries where you can view Lincoln’s deathbed and artifacts and first hand testimonials from the great Chicago Fire of 1871. Children love to climb aboard the pioneer locomotive, Chicago’s first train.

You will find elegant town houses and small apartment buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, the heart of which is the intersection of Fullerton Avenue, Lincoln Avenue, and Hasted Street. The area declined after World War Ii as residents moved to the suburbs but it was rediscovered in the 1970s; now it is full of million dollar homes, coffee houses and funky boutiques.

Houston Parks, Gardens and Zoos

Hermann Park, with its 545 acres of trees, lawns, and duck filled reflecting pools picnic areas and 18 hole golf course, is only a short drive south of downtown on Main Street. The Houston Zoological Gardens include a primate rain forest, petting zoo and aquarium. The excellent Museum of Natural Science includes the Baker Planetarium, cockerel Butterfly center and Waltham IMAX Theatre.

Memorial Park, several miles west of downtown between the 610 Loop and South Shepherd Drive has 1500 acres of mostly virgin woodland – prime territory for walking, jogging and biking. An Arboretum and Nature Center creates a sanctuary for native spices. The small downtown Sam Houston Park, bounded by Bagby, McKinney, and Dallas streets is a green space where several of the city’s 19th century buildings have been moved. Tickets for guided tours are available at the Heritage Society, on the Bagby side.