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Photo: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
A creative urban history museum. Exhibits include The Pioneer, the first railroad locomotive to operate in Chicago, and the bed upon which Abraham Lincoln died; more fun for kids is the Chicago-style Hot Dog showcase, which supplies all the giant plastic ingredients you'll need to turn yourself (or your little brother) into a life-sized hot dog (no ketchup, of course). They also host regular tours of different CTA lines and walking tours of Lincoln Park and Old Town.
Chicago History Museum is the museum of the Chicago Historical Society (CHS). The CHS was founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago's history. The museum and library have been located in Lincoln Park since the 1930s at 1601 North Clark Street at the intersection of North Avenue in the Old Town Triangle neighborhood, where the museum has been expanded several times. Long known as the CHS, the society adopted the name, Chicago History Museum, in September 2006 for its public presence.
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Housed in a historic mansion, the museum contains four floors of exhibits dedicated to the history of medicine and surgery and is filled with artwork and artifacts ranging from Incan surgical tools circa 2000 BCE to state-of-the-art prosthetic joints. Of special interest to those in the medical field, the collection appeals to anyone interested in history, art, science and architecture.
A member of the River North gallery scene, with contemporary art, including paint, drawings and sculpture.
Several blocks of beautiful cottages and row houses, notably the five at 1826-34 N Lincoln Park West, which were designed by Louis Sullivan in 1885. The anchor of the district is St. Mike's (below).
Quite possibly the beach volleyball capital of the Midwest. There are semi-pro leagues here, and plenty of nets for amateurs to show up and play. There's also an enclosed roller-hockey rink and plenty of people whizzing past on the wide bike lanes. The North Avenue Beach House is a big boat-shaped structure at the center (look for the red smokestacks) where there are a few food and drink options, occasional live music, and Park District offices. A couple blocks south, toward Oak Street Beach, there are chess tables.
Unveiled in 1869, the walls of St Mike's were all that remained after the Chicago Fire swept through Old Town, making it one of only six structures to survive — and the tallest in the city until 1885. A tower was added in 1887, and the current stained glass windows date from 1902. A Catholic church run by the Redemptorist congregation, it has seating for more than 1000 people.
Buddhist temple built by Japanese-Americans who settled in Chicago following their release from the concentration camps after World War II, and part of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Japanese Buddhism. The layout of the main prayer hall more closely resembles that of a church than a traditional Buddhist temple, which was done in an attempt to gain wider acceptance for Buddhism among the mostly-Christian general American society by Americanizing the religion. Best known for their annual Ginza Festival in the summer, when their famous teriyaki chicken is sold, and numerous Japanese cultural performances are staged.