Chicago has always been one of the great American family vacation destinations, for its beautiful green spaces (Millennium Park, Grant Park), all those awesome gorillas, lions and penguins at the historic Lincoln Park Zoo, its extremely enthusiastic sports culture, and its scenic Riverwalk, where you can be awed by the city's majestic downtown architecture, and then stop for lunch with an amazing view.

But don't even think of taking the kids on a Windy City whirl without also including a healthy dose of culture - from the interactive Chicago Children's Museum, to the world renowned Adler Planetarium, to the new-ish Museum of Ice Cream, which hardly needs explaining.

The Art Institute of Chicago's renowned Ryan Learning Center, however, gets our vote as the most enlightening place in the city for eager young minds. Initially founded by the venerable cultural institution as the Department of Museum Instruction back in 1913, it was renamed The Department of Learning and Public Engagement in 2017, before officially becoming the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Learning Center in 2022.

This fall, for instance, kids and parents can drop in any day through March 9 for The Artist's Studio: Brilliant Bricolage, where kids can get creative and make their own bricolage** charm, inspired by the current exhibition 'Bruce Goff: Materials Worlds', which looks back at the astonishing career of the legendary 20th Century Architect. (To learn more about him check out this recent Chicago Tribune article.)

A particularly youth-empowering ongoing program at the RLC is the JourneyMaker, which literally allows you to pull up to an interactive kiosk and design your own museum visit. A printout of each unique "adventure" created on it then acts as a "museum guide", leading the way on a completely individualized journey of artistic discovery.

However, we most highly recommend visiting the Trott Gallery for Art & Science: A Horse of a Different Color - where kids can learn how conservation scientists go about the challenging task of preserving centuries-old artworks held in the museum's permanent collection. Best of all? Getting an up close look at a pair of historic carousel horses, charmingly named Woody and Old Paint.

Parents will be especially thrilled to know that the Ryan Learning Center does not require a ticket, and is free for everyone young and old to pop in for a visit. Opening days/hours are Wednesday - Monday, 11am - 3pm. See you there!

(**What is bricolage? Quite simply, it is art made from a variety of materials that just happen to be available to the artist. You can find some fun ideas to do at home at the YouTube channel Girl Crafts FRANCE.)