Jeff Cohen Photography

Prepare to kick off America's holiday season in style at The Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. This mile-long festival has attracted over a million visitors daily for more than 32 years now. The festival's nighttime parade on Michigan Avenue is the largest in the United States, featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse from The Walt Disney World Resort leading the way. The event boasts an impressive lineup of fantastic floats, giant helium balloons, marching bands, celebrities, musical performances, Santa Claus, fireworks, and more. The parade illuminates over a million lights on 200+ trees along The Avenue, creating a truly awe-inspiring sight.

History and nature enthusiasts must visit the Field Museum in Chicago. The museum boasts an impressive collection of over 21 million specimens that showcase the history of human and animal life in different regions. One of the museum's key attractions is Sue, the most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton worldwide. The Field Museum offers permanent and rotating exhibits that provide an insight into the world's natural history. The museum features a wide range of exhibits, including Mammals of Asia, Mammals of Africa, the Grainger Hall of Gems, Underground Adventure, Inside Ancient Egypt, Evolving Planet, The Ancient Americas, DNA Discovery Center, McDonald's Fossil Prep Lab, and the Regenstein Laboratory. The Field Museum Library is home to over 275,000 volumes of research collections, which are fundamental for the museum's scientific staff. The Library provides information on biology, anthropology, botany, geology, archaeology, museology, and other fields of study.