(photo: City of Chicago/Peter J. Schulz)

Celebrate the last month of winter and swing into spring with an off-season visit to Chicago. March and April are the perfect months for a long weekend visit before the city thaws and crowds migrate back to local sights and attractions. Yes, it's still cold and gray, but what better place to plow through winter than in a city that turns its back on the cold and forges on?

Beginning on March 1, Chicago Spring Training will help visitors and locals alike shed pounds or at least the winter sluggishness with events and activities to stimulate the body and mind. Enjoy anything from biking and dance to exhibitions and performances, all while staying in style. Over 40 city hotels are offering special rates during Chicago Spring Training from March 7 to May 29, 2003 (blackout dates do apply).

Chicago Spring Training events during the months of March and April include: Baseball As America exhibition at the Field Museum (through July 20) featuring 500 treasures from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Another spring-like exhibition takes place at Navy Pier from March 8 - 16 when the city blooms with the Ninth Annual Chicago Flower and Garden Show. Demonstrations and lectures will have would be gardeners - green thumbs or not - prepared to plant when the warm weather hits.

Theater buffs can shun cold weather at two of many magical performances. March 20, 22 and 23, the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theater presents Princess Magogo, a story of a Zulu princess whose musical gifts inspired her people during a time of exile in the early 20th century. Beginning in April, Disney's The Lion King roars to life at the Cadillac Palace Theater.

The Chicago Cultural Center and the Chicago Historical Society carry exhibits that will warm visitors up and have them thinking of spring. First, the Chicago Cultural Center hosts Teddy Bears at Home in Chicago through March 23. More than 100 vintage, artist-created and contemporary teddy bears and teddy bear-themed items illustrate the evolution of the teddy bear, from it's creation in honor of President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt to present day.

Learn all about Chicago Sports and the role sports has played in shaping Chicago's history at the Chicago Historical Society with the same-named exhibit beginning on March 29. The exhibit will have visitors ready to claim a seat and root on the local teams.

If sports aren't your thing, exercise your mind while uncovering the methods behind the magic at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum when the exhibit, Magic, the Science of Illusion, opens on April 5. The exhibit shows the scientific secrets behind magical illusion and showcases famous magicians from the past.

Midway through April the Shedd Aquarium will unveil its new permanent exhibit, Wild Reef-Sharks at Shedd. Visitors can safely view more than 30 sharks and enjoy a coral reef exhibit with more than 500 aquatic species, all within over 750,000 gallons of water. No need to travel to the ocean this spring - the ocean is close at hand in Chicago!

In between viewing the new exhibits and performances in Chicago, pay a visit to the lakefront's newest addition, Millennium Park. The 25-acre park on Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe Streets is still under development, with a recently opened Greco-Roman peristyle known as Millennium Monument. The monument names the individuals, foundations and corporations who are making continued construction possible.

(photo: City of Chicago/Willy Schmidt)

There is plenty to see and do in Chicago, and no better time to warm up to all the city has to offer than now!

For more information on Chicago, call 877-CHICAGO, or visit the website at www.877chicago.com.