Field Museum

The Field Museum of Natural History is one of the world's premier natural history institutions, located on Chicago's scenic lakefront Museum Campus. It houses an astounding collection of nearly 40 million specimens and artifacts, making it a massive journey through 4 billion years of life on Earth. When you enter the museum, you’ll be greeted by one of its most famous residents, Máximo the Titanosaur, the largest dinosaur to ever walk the earth.

RR: 10 Countries RR
Date: Sept 1

Brookfield Zoo

A polar bear from Brookfield Zoo where they currently have 3 of them: a male, Hudson (19) and 2 females Hope (10) and Amelia Gray (9). They can be found inside Great Bear Wilderness. This habitat is home to three separate spaces for polar bears and brown bears, complete with rocks, water features, pools, dens, and room to roam. 

Tag: Zoo tag
Date: May 18

Brookfield Zoo

Brookfield Zoo Chicago is the largest zoo in the Chicago metropolitan area and houses approximately 511 species of animals in an area of 287 ha. The zoo was the first in the United States to exhibit giant pandas. In 1960 the zoo opened the first fully indoor bottlenose dolphin exhibit in the United States, and in the 1980s the zoo introduced the first fully indoor tropical rainforest simulation exhibit, which was the largest indoor zoo exhibit in the world at that time.

RR: 10 Countries RR (20)
Date: April 28

The Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium is a public museum in Chicago, Illinois, dedicated to astronomy and astrophysics. Located on the northeastern tip of Northerly Island on Lake Michigan, the Adler Planetarium was the first planetarium in the United States. It is part of Chicago's Museum Campus, which includes the John G. Shedd Aquarium and The Field Museum. The Adler has three theaters, space science exhibitions, including the Gemini 12 space capsule, and a collection of antique scientific instruments and print materials. In addition, the Adler Planetarium hosts the Doane Observatory, a research-active public observatory.

RR: Big 50 - May 2025
Date: May 24

Cascade falls

Cascade falls, a seasonal waterfall, separates the upper and lower dells in Matthiessen State Park, an Illinois state park located a few miles south of the more famous Starved Rock State Park. The park is centered on a stream that flows from Matthiessen Lake to the Vermilion River. The stream has eroded partway through the sandstone layers, leaving interesting rock formations and drops.

RR: 10 Countries RR
Date: May 29

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Cahokia Mounds, some 13 km north-east of St Louis, Missouri, is the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico. It was occupied primarily during the Mississippian period (800–1400), when it covered nearly 1,600 ha and included some 120 mounds. It is a striking example of a complex chiefdom society, with many satellite mound centres and numerous outlying hamlets and villages. Primary features at the site include Monks Mound, the largest prehistoric earthwork in the Americas, covering over 5 ha and standing 30 m high.

Unesco: Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site
RR: Unesco RR
Date: Jan 7

Navy Pier

Built in 1916, Navy Pier was the largest pier in the world and used as a cargo facility for Lake Michigan freighters. Today it is an entertainment and amusement park.

RR: 10x10 RR

Date: Nov 11

Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago

Langur Management Therapy
A Francois' langur infant peeks out from the protective warmth of its mother at the Helen Brach Primate House. Newborns of this southwest Asian species are born with orange fur, thought to encourage shared caregiving among adult females in langur troops.

Lincoln Park Zoo is a 35-acre zoo in Lincoln Park, Chicago. The zoo was founded in 1868, making it the fourth oldest zoo in North America.

Thanks a lot Riley!
Tag: Zoo tag
Date: June 24

Illinois

Illinois, nicknamed the Prairie State, is marked by farmland, forests, rolling hills and wetlands. It dates back at least as far as 1842. Most of the state was once covered with prairie grasses.

Many thanks Claire!
Date: June 8

Buckingham Fountain

Buckingham Fountain is a Chicago Landmark in the center of Grant Park, and between Queen's Landing and Congress Parkway. Dedicated in 1927, it is one of the largest fountains in the world. Built in a rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, it is designed to allegorically represent nearby Lake Michigan. It operates from May to mid-October, with regular water shows and evening color-light shows. During the winter, the fountain is decorated with festival lights.

RR: Weekly RR
Date: Feb 16

Chicago

Among Chicagos many highlights are the soaring skyscrapers, its extraordinary architecture, Scenic Lake Shore Drive and the majestic Lake Michigan Shoreline.

Belmont Harbor is located in the heart of beautiful Lincoln Park and is one of the largest harbors in the Chicago Harbors system. The harbor is surrounded by acres of park space and a beautiful skyline view to the south. The Chicago Harbors consist of 10 beautiful harbors situated along Chicago’s 14-mile lakeshore that together constitute the nation’s largest municipal harbor system.

RR: September Alternative RR
Date: Sept 5

Brookfield Zoo

Another card from Brookfield Zoo, this time with dolphins. Seven Seas gives visitors the opportunity to view the resident Bottlenose Dolphin from under the water. Brookfield Zoo currently has six Atlantic bottlenose dolphins: Allie (F), Tapeko (F), Spree (F), Noelani (F), Allison (F), and Merlin (M).

Thanks again Patty!
Date: May 25

Tribune Tower

The Tribune Tower is a 470 feet tall, 36 floor neo-Gothic skyscraper located in Chicago. Built between 1923 and 1925, the international design competition for the tower became a historic event in 20th century architecture. The tower’s main features are the octagonal tower rising to a spidery crowning silhouette and the ornate 3 story arched entryway that contains depictions from Aesop’s fables. Embedded in the exterior walls are stones from well known buildings around the world.

Thanks again Patty!
Date: May 6

Brookfield Zoo

A beautiful Amur tiger from Brookfield Zoo, a zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield. It houses around 450 species of animals in an area of 216 acres. It opened in 1934  and quickly gained international recognition for using moats and ditches instead of cages to separate animals from visitors and from other animals. Malena, a 10-year-old Amur tiger, was given a full hip replacement in a groundbreaking surgery at Brookfield Zoo earlier this year. 

Thanks a lot Patty!
Date: April 27

Dolphins

A beautiful 3D card with some dolphins sent from Chicago where they have bottlenose dolphins in Brookfield Zoo. You can enjoy an up close view of the residents Magic, Noelani, Spree, and Tapeko through an underwater viewing room and learn about dolphin social structures, adaptations, and more while attending one of Brookfield Zoo’s daily Dolphins in Action in the Seven Seas Dolphinarium.

Thanks so much for this wonderful  dolphins Patty!
Date: April 27

Chicago skyline

Chicago, known as the birthplace of the modern skyscraper, has one of the world's most recognizable skylines. The 100-story John Hancock Center, locally known as 'Big John', is a favorite among Chicagoans. Its observatory showcases breathtaking views of Lake Michigan.

Distance: 6,646 km
Travel time: 23 days

Illinois

Illinois, a state in the Midwestern and Great Lakes regions of the United States. bordering Indiana in the east and the Mississippi River in the west. Nicknamed "the Prairie State," it's marked by farmland, forests, rolling hills and wetlands. The capital of Illinois is Springfield, which is located in the central part of the state. 

Thanks a lot Karla!

Date: Oct 3

Chicago

Chicago Loop Buildings
Looking northward from the southern end of Chicago's Loop, chicago's beautiful skyline is highlighted by such distinguished buildings as the Aon Building, the John Hancock Center, the Chicago Board of Trades and many others. It's the second largest central business district in America and its buildings are spaced out throughout the area. Lake Michigan provides an elegant backdrop.

RR: I'm going on vacation
Group: #1517 Chicago
Date: Oct, 16