Things to do in Chicago

Willis Tower

Landmark in Chicago

Willis Tower is a famous Chicago landmark that, at the time of its 1973 construction, was the tallest building in the world at 1,453 feet tall (1,729 feet tall if you count the tip). No trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to the The Ledge at Skydeck Chicago- with 360 degree views spanning up to 50 miles and 4 states. They also have glass balconies extending 4.3 feet outside the building provide a thrilling experience of looking more than 1,300 ft down!

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $26 per person
• 📍 233 S Wacker Drive, Chicago IL 60606

Navy Pier

Landmark in Chicago

Navy Pier is one of Chicago's top landmarks. The 3,300-foot long stretches over the waters of Lake Michigan and includes more than 50 acres to include attractions, gardens, parks, shopping, dining, and exhibitions. The pier is highlighted by its iconic ferris wheel. An estimated two million people visit Navy Pier every year, making it the most visited place in the Windy City.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 600 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Skydeck Chicago

Landmark in Chicago

Skydeck Chicago offers views from the Willis Tower's glass observation platform 103 stories into the sky. The Ledge at Skydeck allows visitors to step outside the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The Ledge extends just over four feet from the building, and stands 1,353 feet tall.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $25 per person
• 📍 233 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606

Deep Dish from Lou Malnati's

Food and Restaurant in Chicago

Deep dish pizza is one of Chicago's most iconic things to eat; it only makes sense that the famed deep dish from Lou Malnati's makes our list of the most Instagrammable things in Chicago.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $15+ per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Millennium Park’s Hidden Garden, aka Lurie Garden

Hidden Gem in Chicago

Millennium Park is a hot tourist attraction in Chicago but Lurie Garden is a less-visited hidden gem in the city. The garden, often called Millennium Park's Hidden Garden, is hidden from the city by a 15-foot wall of trees to keep it a beautiful, relaxing oasis in the middle of the city's hustle and bustle.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 Millennium Park, E Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60601

Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots

Restaurant in Chicago

Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots serves up one of the dishes Chicago is famous for: hot dogs! It's a tucked away hidden gem that Anthony Bourdain loved. The eat-as-you-go hot dogs are among the city's best, but be prepared. You'll get a cucumber inside of the traditional pickle.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $3+ per person
• 📍 7242 S Western Ave Chicago, IL 60686

Ping Tom Memorial Park

Park in Chicago

Ping Tom Memorial Park is a hidden gem in Chicago. The 17-plus acre park is in Chicago's Chinatown neighborhood and has three sections thanks to 18th Street and a railway track running through it. Features of the park include bamboo gardens, playgrounds, and a pagoda pavilion.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 1700 S. Wentworth Ave. Chicago, IL 60616

Museum Hack's Un-Highlights Tour of the Art Institute of Chicago

Museum Tour in Chicago

Museum Hack's Un-Highlights Tour of the Art Institute of Chicago is made for people who love museums and people who think they don't like museums. Tour guests will see a side of the museum they've never seen before with renegade stories, scandalous tales, and the hidden gossip about the artists you won't find on any museum placard. Consider this a satisfying tasting menu approach to visiting one of Chicago's best art museums.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $59 per person
• 📍 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

Museum Hack's Badass Bitches Tour at the Art Institute of Chicago

Museum Tour in Chicago

Remember when feminism happened, and Georgia O’Keeffe kicked butt, and now museums and the art world totally treat male and female artists with equal value? JK, IT’S STILL SUPER BAD! On this two-hour tour of the Art Institute of Chicago, celebrate the awesome women who are on display and learn what you can do to help increase female artists in the museum. Note: This tour celebrates women, but there's no man-hating allowed.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $59 per person
• 📍 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

Second City Classic by Chicago Food Planet

Food Tour in Chicago

The Second City Classic by Chicago Food Planet is a three-hour Chicago food tour. The tour offers seven stops across the city with guests getting to sample some of Chicago's best food, like famous Chicago hot dogs and deep dish pizza. Guests will also learn more about the famous historical and architectural landmarks along the food tour route.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $47 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Chicago's Big Bus Tour

Bus Tour in Chicago

See Chicago's sights with Big Bus Tours, one of Chicago's best hop-on, hop-off bus tour experiences. With your ticket, you'll be able to get on and off the bus as you please at the best spots in the city: the Field Museum, the Adler Planetarium, Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier, and Millennium Park. Chicago Big Bus Tours also offers different packages to include the Willis Tower Skydeck or a Chicago Architecture tour.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $42 per person
• 📍 98 East Wacker Drive; Chicago, IL 60601

Weird Chicago Tours

Bus Tour in Chicago

Weird Chicago Tours offers bus tours of the famous spots and hidden gems that make up Chicago's incredible history. You'll see gangster locales, crime scenes, haunted hotspots, and more. Guests can expect to get on and off the bus over the course of the three-hour tour. Note: Children under the age of 10 are not permitted on tour.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $40 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

See It All Chicago Tours

Bus Tours in Chicago

See It All Chicago Tours offers tours of the best landmarks and icons in Chicago. Travel comfortably by bus from landmark to landmark, visiting downtown and a handful of Chicago's best neighborhoods. Highlights include the Willis Tower, Buckingham Fountain, Museum Campus, and the Chicago River.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $38 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Inside Chicago Walking Tours

Walking Tours in Chicago

Woman-owned and operated, Inside Chicago Walking Tours offers a variety of cool architectural tours of Chicago. Tour options include Beautiful Interiors, Great Views, and Holiday Sights, depending on what you're interested in seeing. Inside Chicago Walking Tours also offers private tours of the best Chicago has to offer.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $30 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Historic Chicago Walking Bar Tour

Walking and Bar Tour in Chicago

The Historic Chicago Walking Bar Tour by Chicago Detours offers a walking tour of the best historic bars in the Windy City. Ranked as one of the best things to do at night in Chicago on TripAdvisor, this tour offers stories about the history of jazz, social clubs, theater, speakeasies, and prohibition in Chicago.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $36 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Original Chicago Pizza Tour

Food Tour in Chicago

Original Chicago Pizza Tour offers food tours of the best pizza places in Chicago. This guided bus and food tour highlights four different neighborhoods and five different styles of pizza. Guests will learn about the history of deep dish and how pizza in Chicago differs from other pizza across the country.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $60 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Hamilton

Musical in Chicago

Catch the award-winning musical phenomenon Hamilton at Chicago's CIBC Theatre. The Lin-Manuel Miranda musical made its Chicago debut at the CIBC Theatre in 2016. The musical has won numerous awards, including a Tony Award for Best Musical and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical. The show also earned a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $62 per person
• 📍 18 W Monroe St, Chicago, IL 60603

Blue Man Group

Show in Chicago

The Blue Man Group in Chicago's Briar Street Theater is an award-winning theater production featuring three bald and blue characters. The show is multi-sensory and interactive, using percussion, art, science, vaudeville, and theater to create an experience unlike any other. Blue Man Group has been performing in Chicago at the Briar Street Theater since 1997.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $49 per person
• 📍 3133 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60657

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament

Show in Chicago

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament is a Chicago area show that combines performance and theatrics with a great meal. Enjoy a jousting tournament, sword fighting, horse shows, and birds while you dine on a four-course medieval-inspired meal. Each section of the audience is assigned a color, which corresponds to a knight who you'll cheer for throughout the evening.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $64 per person
• 📍 2001 N Roselle Rd, Schaumburg, IL 60195

Dick's Last Resort

Restaurant in Chicago

Housed in the famous Marina Towers overlooking the Chicago River, Dick's Last Resort is an infamous Chicago restaurant. Customers who dine at Dick's should expect to be treated poorly by staff -- on purpose! Servers are intentionally insulting and obnoxious; guests don adult bibs and paper hats, often marked with insults by the servers, who also tend to throw napkins at diners. It's not a traditional restaurant experience, but it's one that many visitors to Chicago want to experience at least once.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $10+ per person
• 📍 315 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60654

Ditka's Restaurant Chicago

Restaurant in Chicago

Ditka's Restaurant Chicago is quintessential Chicago dining. Ditka's offers upscale food, including steaks, as guests dine surrounded by football memorabilia. Recent reviewers note: "This place is great! The food is incredible, the staff friendly, and the atmosphere is great. There is usually a wait, so I highly recommend reservations in advance. I will definitely be visiting this place the next time I am in Chicago."

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $15+ per person
• 📍 100 E Chestnut St, Chicago, IL 60611

Firecakes Donuts

Dessert in Chicago

Chicago's Firecakes Donuts offers an impressive selection of donuts, ranging from classics with sprinkles to seasonal options like apple cider and pumpkin pie to eggnog and banana split. With tasty, conventional and unconventional donuts and delicious coffee, Firecakes is a great River North spot to satisfy your post-dinner sweet tooth.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $3+ per person
• 📍 68 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654

Sweet Mandy B's Old-Fashioned Desserts

Bakery in Chicago

Sweet Mandy B's Old-Fashioned Desserts is a dessert shop with a variety of sweet treats, ranging from cupcakes to cookies to pies. Bonus: You can even get vegan cupcakes from Sweet Mandy B's!

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $3+ per person
• 📍 1208 W Webster Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

Mario's Italian Ice

Italian Ice Shop in Chicago

Mario's Italian Ice is a neighborhood icon in Chicago. Mario’s Italian Lemonade has been in business since the mid 1950s. It's such a popular spot for a cold, refreshing treat on a hot day that the lines are famously long -- but reviewers note the ice is well worth the wait.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $3+ per person
• 📍 1068 W Taylor St, Chicago, IL 60607

The Happy Lobster

Food Truck in Chicago

Chicago may not be known for its fresh lobster, but The Happy Lobster food truck is changing that. With rave reviews, the Happy Lobster offers lobster rolls, lobster grilled cheese, fried haddock sandwiches, king crab bisque, lobster mac n' cheese bites, and fried fish tacos. Complete the meal with Maine root beer or blueberry soda and a Maine-famous whoopie pie for dessert.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $5+ per person
• 📍 The West Loop: Chicago French Market

Aztec Dave's Food Truck

Food Truck in Chicago

Aztec Dave's Food Truck offers Mexican comfort food and small plates. Aztec Dave's authentic fare comes complete with the truck's signature sauces: Pineapple Devil, Avocado Heaven, and Mexican Green Tomatillo. From recent reviews: "This is the best food truck I have ever come across. The truck is clean, the food is delicious, and the prices aren't even comparable to other trucks. I regularly eat here, and if you get The daily special you will pay less than 7$. The staff is extremely friendly and personable, and the owner is a genuine good guy. If you see an Aztec Dave's truck I highly recommend grabbing some tacos, a torta, or their signiture "Burrito Gordo"! 5 stars isn't enough."

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $3+ per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Da Pizza Dude

Food Truck in Chicago

Da Pizza Dude is a Chicago-area pizza and Italian food truck. The truck offers several different types of pizzas, ranging from the classic Margherita to meatball, veggie, pepperoni, or their signature Sunday Morning pizza, which has eggs, bacon, green peppers, and sausage. Sides include arancini and fruit.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $7+ per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

The Second City

Comedy Club in Chicago

The Second City is an improv comedy club in Chicago that opened in the 1950s and has developed a world-class reputation as one of the best homes of comedy. Famous comedians that have come out of The Second City include Bill Murray, John Candy, John Belushi, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Steve Carrell, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Amy Poehler. Today, The Second City is home to shows, improv classes, and comedy training.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $10+ per person
• 📍 1616 N Wells St, Chicago, IL 60614

UP Comedy Club

Comedy Club in Chicago

UP Comedy Club is a Chicago comedy club in Old Town that's part of The Second City. UP Comedy Club offers shows on weekends, ranging from She The People to Deck The Hallmark. Fro recent reviewers: "Overall, this was a great diversion for a Saturday and a "classic" Chicago experience. Definitely recommend."

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $10+ per person
• 📍 230 W North Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

The Kerryman

Bar in Chicago

The Kerryman is an Irish bar in Chicago that specializes in a relaxing after-work atmosphere with good drinks and great Irish fare. The multilevel bar is a popular spot in the city's River North neighborhood. The Kerryman has more than 500 rave reviews.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 661 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Scofflaw

Bar in Chicago

Scofflaw is a gin-specialty bar famous for its delicious drinks and stunning hand-drawn menus. If you're not a gin fan, that's no problem. The bar still offers an assortment of cocktails, craft beers, and other drinks. Bonus: The food is top notch at Scofflaw.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $7+ per person
• 📍 3201 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

DISCO

Nightclub in Chicago

DISCO Chicago is a nightclub in the Windy City that celebrates the 1970s and its legendary disco music and dance. Founded in 2016, DISCO plays both classic and contemporary disco tunes. The club boasts a wall-to-wall LED dance floor along with fur sofas, retro decor, mirrored ceilings, tropical foliage, and, of course, disco balls. Advance reservations are not required.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 111 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654

The Gallery Cabaret

Club and Bar in Chicago

The Gallery Cabaret offers nightly live entertainment in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood. Described as a mash-up of comedy club, music venue, and dive bar, The Gallery Cabaret has something for everyone. The Smashing Pumpkins once got their start performing here. It's a great way to spend any night of the week if you're looking for live entertainment.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $5+ per person
• 📍 2020 N Oakley Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

TAO Chicago

Nightclub in Chicago

TAO Chicago is a glamorous, high-end nightclub in Chicago. TAO offers Asian cuisine in addition to a nightclub atmosphere. From recent reviews: "So much fun! The entrance is definitely a little different than what we were used to but everything was on brand. The decor was fantastic, the light was fun and the music was great. We're still talking about this night club."

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $10+ per person
• 📍 632 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60654

Debonair Social Club

Club in Chicago

Debonair Social Club is a Chicago nightclub in the city's Wicker Park neighborhood. The multi-level club offers a full bar, food service, and a DJ booth. There is a dance floor on each level. From the reviews: "Great fun and dance floor. Neighborhood gem."

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $8+ per person
• 📍 1575 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Waldorf Astoria Chicago

Luxury Hotel in Chicago

The Waldorf Astoria Chicago, once known as the Elysian Hotel Chicago, is a luxury hotel in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood. The Waldorf Astoria, which opened in 2009, is meant to mimic the finest Parisian hotels with its architecture consisting of spires, colonnades, a cobblestone courtyard, and a motor court. The Elysian Hotel was bought and renamed to the Waldorf Astoria three years after its opening.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $260+ per person
• 📍 11 E Walton St, Chicago, IL 60611

The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago

Luxury Hotel in Chicago

The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago is a five-star luxury hotel on Magnificent Mile in Chicago. The upscale hotel offers view of Lake Michigan or the downtown Chicago skyline. On-site amenities at the Ritz Carlton, Chicago include a bar, rooftop lounge, indoor pool, gym, spa, and fitness classes.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $259+ per person
• 📍 At Water Tower Place, 160 E Pearson St, Chicago, IL 60611

Hotel Lincoln

Boutique Hotel in Chicago

Hotel Lincoln is a top boutique hotel in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. The former Days Inn underwent a full revitalization by Joie de Vivre. Hotel Lincoln, which has 12 stories and 184 rooms, boasts fun, eccentric wall decor found at garage sales in the neighborhood. The hotel has a well-received restaurant, bar, and coffee shop. The rooftop bar allows guests to enjoy top-notch views of the Chicago skyline.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $77+ per person
• 📍 816 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

Thompson Chicago

Boutique Hotel in Chicago

Thompson Chicago is a four-star boutique hotel in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood. The hotel is trendy and upscale, with modern rooms, some offering views of Lake Michigan or private terraces. Guests can enjoy the high-end on-site restaurant, gym, and free luxury car service.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $143+ per person
• 📍 21 E Bellevue Pl, Chicago, IL 60611

Freehand Chicago

Budget Boutique Hotel in Chicago

Freehand Chicago is a budget boutique hotel in Chicago. Freehand Chicago offers a free WiFi, a selection of tours and activities, one of the city's best cocktail bars in the Broken Shaker, free coffee, 24/7 food and drinks, and cheap parking in Chicago. Freehand has four different room types to choose from: queen, king, penthouse, and quad, where guests can choose to share a suite with other guests at a discount.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $70+ per person
• 📍 19 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611

The Blackstone, Autograph Collection

Budget Hotel in Chicago

The Blackstone, Autograph Collection is a nice hotel in Chicago that's affordable for travelers visiting the city on a budget. The Blackstone offers a taste of historic Chicago as it's housed in a 1910 beaux arts building across the street from Grant Park. On-site amenities include a Spanish restaurant, lobby lounge, coffee shop, and gym.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $109+ per person
• 📍 636 South Michigan Avenue, E Balbo Dr, Chicago, IL 60605

The Wheelhouse Hotel

Budget Hotel in Chicago

The Wheelhouse Hotel is a budget-friendly three-star hotel in Chicago. The Wheelhouse is housed in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood, making it a great option for baseball fans in town to see the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Hotel amenities include a pizza restaurant, cocktail bar, rooftop bar, and dessert shop.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $100+ per person
• 📍 3475 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657

Eurostars Magnificent Mile

Budget Hotel in Chicago

Eurostars Magnificent Mile is a four-star budget-friendly Chicago hotel. Eurostars is housed in Chicago's River North neighborhood, close to the Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park. Hotel amenities include an on-site restaurant, bar, rooftop bar, gym, spa, and sauna.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $82 per person
• 📍 660 N State St, Chicago, IL 60654

Grant Park

Park in Chicago

Chicago's Grant Park is nearly 313 acres of oasis in the concrete jungle. Housed within Grant Park are the world famous Buckingham Fountain, built in 1927, the Museum Campus, famous museums like The Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum, and the Adler Planetarium, and Millennium Park. Grant Park is home to some of the city's top festivals and events, like The Taste of Chicago, and has a long history of being the site of many famous political and historical events, such as Pope John Paul II's 1979 speech and President Barack Obama's 2008 victory speech.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 337 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

Burnham Park

Park in Chicago

Burnham Park is a Chicago park on the Lake Michigan waterfront not too far from the famed Grant Park. The 650-plus acre park is home to Chicago's Soldier Field, the city's top convention center, McCormick Place-on-the-Lake, a handful of beaches a huge skatepark, boats, the Chicago Lakefront Trail, and several harbors.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Maggie Daley Park

Park in Chicago

Maggie Daley Park in Chicago is a public park in the downtown Chicago Loop area. Maggie Daley Park connects via the BP Pedestrian Bridge to the popular Millennium Park. The park features a field house, an ice skating area, climbing walls, and children's play equipment. There is a garden in the park to honor cancer survivors, as the park was named for Chicago's First Lady who succumbed to cancer.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 337 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601

The Field Museum

Museum in Chicago

The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago should top any must-do things to do in Chicago list. Not only is it one of the biggest natural history museums in the world, the Field Museum is thought of as an innovator and leader in programming for science and education for guests. The museum houses more than 24 million specimens in its collection, with everything from gems to fossils to meteorites. More than two million guests check out the Field Museum every year; we recommend you join them if you're visiting Chicago!

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $26 per person
• 📍 1400 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605

The Chicago History Museum

Museum in Chicago

The Chicago History Museum, which was founded in the mid-1800s, was originally known as the Chicago Historical Society, but the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 claimed most of the museum's original collection. Items that were destroyed include crucial pieces of history, like Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $19 per person
• 📍 1601 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

Douglas Tomb State Historic Site

Historic Site in Chicago

The Douglas Tomb State Historic Site dates back to 1861. It marks the place of Stephen A. Douglas' burial in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood. The 96-foot tall granite monument is a mausoleum that contains Stephen A. Douglas' remains. The site stands in tribute to Douglas, with a statue of the man and bronze figures standing guard that are meant to symbolize Justice, Eloquence, History, and Illinois. Douglas is remembered by history for his debates with President Abraham Lincoln over abolitionism.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 636 E 35th St, Chicago, IL 60616

Robie House

Historic Site in Chicago

A wonderful World Heritage site, the Frederick C. Robie House, designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the early 1900s, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark that is thought of as one of the best examples of the Prairie School architectural style. They run a very cool tour of FLWright's Home and Studio you can't miss.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $20 per person
• 📍 5757 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637

Jane Addams Hull-House Museum

Historic Site Museum in Chicago

The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum served as a settlement house. Founded in 1889 by Ellen Gates Starr and Janes Addams, the Hull House operated as a place for European immigrants to get their start in America after coming to the nation's shores. Today, the museum includes exhibits with thousands of artifacts on display.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $5 per person
• 📍 800 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60607

Pritzker Military Museum & Library

Library and Museum in Chicago

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago has a focus on military history. The relatively new museum (it only came into existence in the early 2000s) has hundreds of thousands of items in its collection, from books to artifacts to pictures. The Pritzker Military Museum was the recipient of the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, which is awarded to museums making outstanding contributions to society.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $5 per person
• 📍 104 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

Harold Washington Library Center, Chicago Public Library

Library in Chicago

The Harold Washington Library Center, which serves as the Chicago Public Library System's central library, occupies more than 756,000 square feet. The library itself is a work of architectural significance with a rooftop garden.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 400 S State St, Chicago, IL 60605

Newberry Library

Library in Chicago

The Newberry Library, an independent research library in Chicago's Washington Square, is a free access public library with an extensive collection that highlights history and the humanities. Items in the library's collection include maps, music, travel, photos, and documents.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 60 W Walton St, Chicago, IL 60610

Boystown

Neighborhood in Chicago

Chicago's Boystown neighborhood is a small part of the broader Lakeview area in the city. Boystown earned the honor of being the first gay neighborhood in the United States that was granted recognition by a city government. Boystown houses the Center on Halsted, the Midwest's biggest LGBTQ community center, and dozens of queer bars and shops. In 1998, city officials installed rainbow pylons along the streets to celebrate gay pride in Boystown.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Wicker Park

Neighborhood in Chicago

Wicker Park has always been one of Chicago's top residential neighborhoods; today, it's mainly known for its hipster millennial culture. Wicker Park is home to many coffee shops, art galleries, cocktail bars, and bookstores, many of which are locally owned. Wicker Park contains several green spaces, including Humboldt Park and Logan Square, and the 606, a former railroad track that has been concerted into a running and bike trial elevated above the neighborhood.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

River North

Neighborhood in Chicago

River North is one of Chicago's more affluent neighborhoods. Located near the downtown Chicago loop, River North is both residential and corporate with great spots for post-work cocktails, dinner dates, and nightlife. The area contains the Wrigley Building and part of Chicago's Magnificent Mile, as well as the Merchandise Mart, which houses shopping and art galleries.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0 per person
• 📍 Chicago, IL

Komoda

Shopping in Chicago

Komoda is a great local shop in a hardware store turned boutique. The shop offers handmade gifts ranging from stationery to candles to jewelry. This is a hidden gem shopping experience in Chicago.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0+ per person
• 📍 2559 W Chicago Ave Chicago, IL 60622

Water Tower Place

Shopping in Chicago

Water Tower Place is a big-time shopping center along Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Water Tower Place offers a shopping mall with more than 100 stores, dining, condos, a hotel, and a theater in a 74-story skyscraper in Chicago.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0+ per person
• 📍 835 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

Maxwell Street Market

Shopping in Chicago

The Maxwell Street Market is one of the best weekly markets in Chicago. Open on Sundays only, the Maxwell Street Market offers food vendors, crafts, homemade goods, and more. The market also hosts live performers and events during its Sunday hours.

• 🌐 Website
• 🎟️ $0+ per person
• 📍 800 S Desplaines St, Chicago, IL 60607