Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo has been free every day since 1868, making it one of the last free zoos in America and one of the oldest in the country. Sitting in the middle of Lincoln Park — itself Chicago's largest public park at 1,208 acres — the zoo manages to house over 1,100 animals representing 200 species on a relatively compact 35-acre site that somehow never feels cramped.

The zoo's small size is actually its strength. Unlike sprawling suburban zoos that require a car and a full day, Lincoln Park is a neighbourhood zoo — you can walk from the penguin habitat to the great ape house in five minutes, stop for coffee, see the African lions, and be back on the L train within two hours. The Regenstein Center for African Apes is the standout exhibit, with a gorilla family whose dynamics — the teenager testing boundaries, the silverback maintaining order with a look — are recognisably, uncomfortably human.

The surrounding park is worth the visit even without the zoo. The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, a restored prairie landscape hidden behind the zoo's north gate, is one of the most peaceful spots in Chicago. The Lincoln Park Conservatory — a Victorian glass house growing palms, ferns, and orchids — is free and uncrowded. North Pond, a natural area surrounded by the skyline, hosts migrating birds in spring and fall. The entire area is proof that Chicago's best attractions don't cost anything.