This neighborhood gets its name from Chicago's largest park. Its 1,200 acres (485 hectares) stretch for 6 miles (10 kilometers), from North Avenue north to Diversey Parkway, where it narrows along the lake and continues until the end of Lake Shore Drive. Lincoln Park & Zoo has many lakes, trails and paths and even a lily pool called Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, providing visitors with a unique architectural landscape. Cross-country skiing in the winter and sunbathing in warmer months are just two of the activities Chicagoans enjoy here.
Most of Lincoln Park's pleasures are natural, though one of its joys is sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens' Standing Lincoln, which shows the 16th president deep in contemplation right before he delivers a great speech. The statue stands in its own garden east of the Chicago History Museum. From a little dock in front of pretty Café Brauer, a 1908 Prairie School architectural creation, you can rent two-person paddle-boats and cruise the South Pond, south of the zoo.
One of the park’s main highlights is the free Lincoln Park Zoo, one of Chicago's most popular attractions. Exhibits include the Regenstein African Journey, where you can get surprisingly close to animals who swim, hop, and crawl in remarkably lifelike environments. Over at Farm-in-the-Zoo, you can see a full range of barnyard animals in a faux farm setting just south of the zoo.
Lincoln Park & Zoo is easily accessible by both buses and El trains. Parking is limited, so public transportation is your best option. If you want to want to picnic in the park, you can pick up foodstuffs from the markets on Clark Street and Diversey Parkway.
You can easily reach the zoo from most parts of the park; there are entrances on all sides. The Gateway Pavilion is the main entrance, and is where to go to pick up a free map that provides times and locations for animal feedings, training demonstrations, and free talks about various animals by zookeepers.
