Our family has a tradition of visiting Brookfield Zoo on Thanksgiving afternoon. Admission (not parking, though) is free, and our clan is big enough to justify waiting for the free day.  The place wasn’t crowded; perhaps everyone else was out shopping, watching football, or sleeping.

Brookfield Zoo is not a traditional zoo. No cages with tigers pacing back and forth all day long. The zoo is a collection of large buildings with large, natural-feeling environments for the animals. Frequently several species share an area. It’s the humans who are confined, to paths with barriers. You can find plenty of signs describing the animals, and a fair number of interactive displays for children. Our favorite joke was the danger of having the kids get mixed in with the monkeys.

Speaking of kids, we let them use the video camera and my Nikon DSLR. Both devices paid for themselves in entertainment value, they didn’t get broken, and the kids paid close attention to the exhibits. The even got a few pretty good pictures. Consider a having a digital camera handy just for the children about seven and up when you go on a trip.

We did some shopping, but you probably don’t need a description of how to do that. But here’s a picture anyway. The Lego store was the busiest one we visited.

That’s about all for the Chicago trip. I hope you picked up a few travel tips. Please share your tips in the comments.