Chicago Map Quest

A collaborative effort among 30 of Chicago's museums and institutions, it's MapFest! Some exhibits have opened already (The Virtual Tourist in Renaissance Rome at U of C), and the centerpiece exhibit at the Field Museum starts on November 2nd, running through Jan 27th. Tribune:

The Field exhibit shows how maps not only help travelers get from place to place but have been vital to scientific discovery. It boasts a 19th Century map British physician John Snow made to pinpoint a particular London well as the culprit in a cholera epidemic, disproving the prevailing idea that cholera was spread through the air.

Also included is the world's first geological map, 200 years old. The map would shine a light for Charles Darwin as he formulated his theory of evolution, piecing together the orderly progression of fossil life found in geological formations.

For the full listing, go to Festival of Maps.