Lincoln Park is a real time commitment — fit it in only if it's a priority.
Allow 1.5–4 hours.
Chicago's great green sprawl along the North Side lakefront, holding the free zoo, a conservatory, lagoons, and beaches — a place locals actually live in rather than visit. The honest catch is its scale and diffuseness: there's no single 'sight', so it rewards a plan (zoo, conservatory, beach) over an aimless drop-in.