Outdoor museums of Chicago are all around you, and even some natives don’t know about these hidden city treasures

**HOLD FOR STORY BY JASON KEYSER**In this photo taken Wednesday, June 29, 2016, tourists walk along Chicago's Lake Michigan waterfront and near the site where George Lucas wanted to build his Star Wars museum in Chicago. Friends of the Parks Director Juanita Irizarry led the obscure nonprofit that stood its ground and blocked Lucas' private museum from being built on Chicago's prized lakefront. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chicago is home to many things: deep dish pizza, Worlds Series Champs, comedy and so much more.

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Chicago is also home to many famous art pieces inside and outside of museums.

Taking a stroll through Lincoln Park or Millennium Park, statues all stand out in photos and minds of visitors.

However, when people think of the lakefront, more often than not, the Chicago skyline is the image standing out the strongest.

Two months ago, Chicago added a new sculpture along the lakefront for spectators to enjoy while they are taking in the views of the skyline.

More than 500 pieces of art can be found throughout the city of Chicago for passerby’s to see, from parks to CTA stations.  

And within those 500, 40 of them are along the lakefront.

As part of his mayorship, Rahm Emanuel created an initiative for more art to be displayed around the city for visitors and Chicagoans alike, all without having to step foot in a museum.  

In 2004, the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Sculpture International came together to create the Chicago Tree Project.

The Chicago Tree Project takes dying trees within the city, and instead of cutting them down, uses what they can of the tree to create a sculpture and turning it into an art piece.

Since the start of this initiative, over 30 trees have been turned into sculptures you can now see across town. 

Many of these tree sculptures are visible toward the lakefront in Lincoln Park by North Avenue or the Belmont Avenue entrance.

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Next time you take a walk through Lincoln Park or along the Lakefront, make sure to keep an eye out of the art pieces scattered through the city.

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