Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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Saturday, October 11
Well, so to speak. Chicago museums and zoos caught a break in this year's sluggish economic downturn, seeing a 7 percent increase in attendance in 2009. The free-admission Lincoln Park Zoo; the Shedd Aquarium; and the Art Institute, who opened their new Modern Wing last summer, topped the list, with significant utilization of the attractions' free days. Here's the Local Tourist's free days list.