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Take a trek through a tropical rainforest without hopping a flight and dance with a cloud of exotic butterflies anytime you want with today’s Groupon: a one-year membership to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, good for unlimited general admission and a host of other perks. With today’s deal, you get an individual membership for $21, a $42 value. With regular admission prices at $9 for adults, it only takes three museum visits to get you more than your money’s worth of natural knowledge, beautiful artwork, and graceful wildlife.

Whether you love the outdoors or prefer to watch the outdoors on TV, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum will change the way you see the Midwestern prairie on your camping trip and revolutionize your perception of Chicago’s waterways as you pass them on your commute. Add a flutter of color to the sixth month of Chicago winter at the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, one of the museum’s most beloved permanent exhibitions. Housed in a 2,700-square-foot greenhouse, pools of water and tropical flora provide lush perches for more than 75 species of butterflies and birds. Study a thousand butterfly wings to inspire your latest art project, or let their delicate flight take your imagination to new heights.

Discover the mysteries of the marsh as you learn about its endangered species and spooky creatures, such as black widow spiders, water scorpions, and stick bugs. Let your ear for music and eye for design rove over the colorful plumage and melodic songs of Chicago’s birds.

You’ll have something new to look forward to on every visit with the Nature Museum’s visiting exhibitions. Check out Chicago artist Helen Oh’s stunning paintings and drawings of seashells, and get shark-, lion-, and penguin-eye views with footage shot by unusually visionary animals outfitted with crittercams. When the weather warms up, head out to the museum’s outdoor restored natural prairie and take a birdwalk to discover the wildlife that flits across the city skyline.

Your Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum membership will get you all of the following benefits:

• unlimited general admission
• free coat check and stroller rental
• 10% off all purchases at the museum shop and café
• 20% off shop and cafe on the first Monday of each month
• invites to exclusive members-only events
• subscriptions to Nature Museum News and the Nature Museum’s e-newsletter
• Chicago Wilderness magazine subscription discount
• free or discounted admission to hundreds of museums nationwide
• $25 off I-Go car-sharing membership fee
• discounts on summer camps, overnights, birthday parties, adult lecture series, and more

Note: You must redeem for your membership before this Groupon’s expiration date of 2/13/10.

Reviews

Centerstage Chicago loves the butterflies, Googlers give Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum four stars, and Citysearchers and Yelpers give it 4.5: > * Perhaps the most popular spot among the post-puberty crowd is the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, which is home to more than 250 species of butterflies and open year-round. In summer the 2,700-square-foot greenhouse is a relaxing retreat; in winter the splash of color offers a refreshing pick-me-up and a reminder that winter can’t last forever. – Kate Rockwood, Centerstage Chicago > * Many of the exhibits are kid-friendly, but interesting and informative for adults as well. You learn about ecosystems, wildlife, the natural world and how/why to protect the environment - its very positive, not preachy…Really an idyllic place. – Vera, Google > * …interactive, engaging exhibits…a good destination for anyone visiting Chicago with children… – bluehensfan, Citysearch