Chicago’s New Reptile Exhibit Is Straight-Up Nightmare Fuel
If I wanted to voluntarily have a panic attack in public, I'd just climb a tall ladder while holding a snake. But since I'm not completely unhinged, I'll be outside the Field Museum this summer while my kids brave Chicago's newest exhibit: Reptiles Alive.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?
This summer, the Field Museum in Chicago has chosen violence, scaly, slithery violence. Their new exhibit, Reptiles Alive, opens June 20 and features twenty live reptiles from around the world. We're talking venomous snakes, lizards with attitude, and a 14-FOOT PYTHON that probably pays rent. It's all a partnership with Clyde Peeling's Reptiland, which I assume is a theme park designed to haunt my dreams.
My Kids Can Go In, I'll Be With the Hot Dog Guy Outside
I'm a loving father. I support science, nature, and hands-on learning. But you try staring down a spitting cobra and not immediately need therapy. While my kids and their brave, cold-blooded mother explore the exhibit, I'll be sitting 50 feet away, stress-eating a Chicago dog. They can ooh and aah at a Cuban rock iguana and a baby alligator. I'll be Googling "how fast can a python slither?"
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The Stuff of Nightmares, But Worth the Drive
The real showstopper? The spider-tailed horned viper, a snake so rare it's the only one on display in the entire U.S..
Just knowing it's in the same ZIP code as me raises my blood pressure. But if you or your kids are reptile lovers, this is a road trip worth making from Rockford.
Reptiles Alive runs all summer at the Field Museum in Chicago. For hours, tickets, and a full list of nightmare fuel—er, reptiles—visit fieldmuseum.org.
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