Trip Destinations!

Evanston, declared a city in 1854, currently has a population of 75,000 and is a thriving urban area with an enormous influx of tourist destinations, entertainment, and even construction. The city was home to Native Americans for thousands of years until the Indian Removal Act of 1830 “displaced” them from their homes. 

As Evanston modernized, now, the urban population has diversified and expanded its economy. Evanston is home to Northwestern University, Fountain Square Tower, and Mount Trashmore. Unlike the name, Mount Trashmore is a 65 foot hill located in Robert E. James Park and also has remained as a popular sledding destination in Evanston. As much as there is snow in the winter, there is also heat in Evanston! With watercraft rentals, and sailboat lessons, anyone can enjoy their day down at the beach during summer. 

South of Evanston about 13.6 miles is the Navy Pier, a tourist destination on the shoreline of Lake Michigan that encompasses various family attractions including: Light Tower Ride, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and dinner cruises. There is a Ferris wheel, which was unveiled recently on May of 2016, after the old Ferris wheel got taken down. The Navy Pier has various activities to captivate Chicago tourists.

Seven miles to the west of the Navy Pier is the Garfield Park Conservatory. At 184 acres the conservatory is one of the largest botanical gardens in the country. As the Yelp reviews state, “Great indoor gardens and a fantastic place to go when it is cold out,” “Free admission, free parking, and a warm environment surrounded by multiple rooms full of fantastic vegetation”. Being one of the largest greenhouse conservatories in the nation, it is rather shocking to hear that the admission to the place is FREE of cost. Jens Jenson, former chief landscape architect of Chicago, designed the facility in collaboration with Prairie School Architects during 1906 and 1907. The conservatory still follows Jensen’s philosophy in design and in 2012 won the National Medal for Museum and Library Services. The exhibits feature coco de merseed, an endangered fruit, along with palms, and the octopus of the deserts, which are one of the “plants of interests” at the conservatory. 

As the days narrow down, we will soon be off to the University of Chicago to study our topics of interests but also explore more of the culture that these tourist attractions have. T - 20 days before liftoff.