Things to Do in Forest Park

In a shop lined with more than 100 bikes models from all around the world, Upgrade Cycle Works' pro mechanics channel their love of cycling whether they are aligning the frame on an old single speed or fitting guests for a brand new road bike. During the fit process, staffers employ the same computerized system used at the Olympic training center as opposed to tracing your body outline on a large piece of construction paper. Next, they’ll help guests choose from bike brands such as Felt, Masi, and Raleigh, and an in-store selection of rides that includes road bikes, single speeds, and hybrids.

In Upgrade's workshop, pro mechanics perform comprehensive tune-ups and repairs, revitalize faded paint jobs, replace punctured wheels, and align frames. The staff also hosts repair clinics to teach cyclists how to fix flat tires and adjust brakes.

Move Your Feet Sports' hour-long lessons teach all ages and abilities to serve and volley like professional bowlers who used to be tennis title holders. Classes for beginners, intermediate players, and advanced players ($25 each) are available at all three facilities. The staff of experienced instructors pump each hour-long lesson full of heart-pounding cardio moves, skill-building exercises, and techniques to crush competition like monster trucks crush hot-dog carts. Look under the Groupon tab on Move Your Feet Sports' registration page to see class options.

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During the four one-hour tennis lessons, you'll learn the basics of tennis from one of XS Tennis's instructors, each an experienced professional. Master the art of the backhand, draw power and sustenance from the strength of the serve, or unravel the allure of the mysterious drop shot, all while getting exercise that doesn't involve hitting a bag of potato chips with a hammer. The lessons are group lessons, giving students the chance to make new friends or potential athletic rivals between grunts and fault-fueled arguments. Customers can apply the value of this Groupon toward an upgrade to another XS Tennis class or lesson and just pay the difference directly to XS Tennis.

Peering directly over Wrigley Field's right-center-field wall, 3639 Wrigley Rooftop unites Cubs baseball with stunning views of the historic diamond and refreshments. Rather than resorting to such desperate measures as donning a ghillie suit and hiding in the outfield ivy, fans can kick back in comfy stadium-style seats and enjoy the action from high above Sheffield Avenue.

3639 Wrigley Rooftop’s multilevel facility, located between the foul poles, is fully stocked with 40 high-definition TVs. During the game, burgers and brats hit the sweet spot from a loaded menu that also features desserts and soft drinks. An elevator ferries guests among the three levels, and two large, open-air decks and a climate-controlled clubroom help mitigate Chicago's alternating five-minute heat waves and blizzards.

Members of the Chicago Academy of Sciences first met in 1857, gathering at the original Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum to share their passion for education and the natural world. Though their meetingplace and library was burnt down in the Great Chicago Fire, their commitment to natural science stood strong. By 1894, the Academy had regrouped and rebuilt their collection in Lincoln Park, using dioramas filled with flora and fauna to create an interactive learning experience.

Today, the museum welcomes guests on a 6.35-acre campus opened in 1999 and filled with exhibits that expand the relationship between the public and nature. In addition to more than 15,000 plant specimens and 22,000 amphibians and reptiles, a wilderness walk takes guests through Midwestern environments, including praries, savannahs, and dunes, all filled with living and preserved animals. Visitors can touch live wildlife from Illinois wetlands and stand in a swirl of 1,000 exotic butterflies and birds in the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven and tropical greenhouse. Outdoor exhibits demonstrate the power of energy-efficient technology with 17,000 square feet of green roofs, the compost coral, rain-barrel ranch, and the restored native prairie made completely out of recycled soda cans.