Fun things to do in Chicago
Close-by dining options
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Art of Pizza on State Street
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Eleven City Diner
Deli standards and classic American diner meals in a casual, retro-style restaurant.
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Burger Bar Chicago
Build-your-own gourmet burgers pair with craft beers & handmade shakes in a funky space.
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Yolk - South Loop
Cafe chain serving creative breakfast dishes & sandwiches in a cheery, contemporary atmosphere.
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Chicago Curry House
Indian-Nepalese cuisine served in a sophisticated setting, as well as a full bar.
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Taco Maya
Free things to do in Chicago
Chicago Cultural Center
Chicago Cultural Center
Location: 78 E. Washington St., Chicago IL 60602
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/chicago-cultural-center/
Description: This historic landmark hosts hundreds of free programs year-round. Take a free building tour to see the world’s largest glass Tiffany done, check out the schedule of free events and exhibits, catch one of the weekly classical music concerts to blues, jazz and more. Also check out the daily Chicago Cultural Center schedule for free dance performances, film screenings, seminars, and theatrical events.
Chicago Greeter neighborhood tours
Chicago Greeter neighborhood tours
Location: 700 E. Grand Ave. Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 527-1000
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/chicago-greeter/
Description: The Chicago Greeter program pairs knowledgeable (and friendly!) locals with Chicago visitors for an informal, insider’s orientation of the city and its many vibrant neighborhoods. Through customized, guided walks you can sightsee all across the city based on your particular interest areas, from public art and architecture to food and films.
Lakefront Trail
Lakefront Trail
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/articles/parks-outdoors/chicagos-lakefront-trail/
Description: Hit the scenic Lakefront Trail to run, walk, bike or rollerblade with the blue waters of Lake Michigan to one side and gorgeous, green parks to the other. Along the trail, you’ll find beaches, gardens, public art, playgrounds, tennis courts, and more.
Chicago’s scenic Lakefront Trail is an 18-mile paved path that follows the Lake Michigan shoreline on the city’s eastern edge. It extends from Ardmore Street (5800 N. Sheridan Rd) on the north side to 71st Street (7100 S. South Shore Drive) on the south side, traversing a number of stunning lakefront neighborhoods, cultural gems, waterfront restaurants, and more. Designated as an official city bike path in 1963, the trail offers recreational access to the lakefront and continues to be a signature feature of Chicago’s well-preserved lakefront.
Chicago Riverwalk
Chicago Riverwalk
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/articles/parks-outdoors/chicago-riverwalk/
Description: Walk along the award-winning Chicago Riverwalk, a scenic waterfront promenade that stretches through the heart of the city. Watch a bridge lift from inside the bridge house with a visit the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum(free on Sundays) and take in the world-famous architecture that lines the Chicago River.
City Gallery at the Historic Water Tower
City Gallery at the Historic Water Tower
Location: 806 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 60611
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/city-gallery-at-the-historic-water-tower/
Description: This treasured landmark on The Magnificent Mile has been transformed into a free art gallery for rotating exhibits featuring local photographers and artists. Constructed between 1867 and 1869, the Water Tower was one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
Clarke House Museum
Clarke House Museum
Location: 1827 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago IL 60616
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/clarke-house-museum/
Description: Built in 1836, the Clarke-Ford House is Chicago’s oldest house. It was recently renamed to affirm the profound role of Bishop Louis Henry and Margaret Ford in preserving the house as a significant part of Chicago’s history — and to recognize the contributions of Caroline Palmer Clarke.
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art
Location: 756 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago IL 60622
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/intuit-the-center-for-intuitive-and-outsider-art/
Description: Intuit presents exhibitions of intuitive and outsider arts, and is the permanent home of the Henry Darger Collection. Educational programs are open to the public. The Robert A. Roth Study Center provides a resource to students and scholars who are interested in researching intuitive, self-taught and outsider art and artists.
Garden of the Phoenix
Garden of the Phoenix
Location: 5900 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago IL 60615
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/osaka-garden/
Description: This authentic Japanese garden is tucked away inside the sprawling Jackson Park, located along the lakefront in the scenic Hyde Park neighborhood. The intimate garden was originally built on the park’s wooded island as the Japanese pavilion for the 1893 World’s Fair. It’s a popular spot year-round, particularly in the spring when the area’s many cherry trees start to blossom.
Harold Washington Library Center
Harold Washington Library Center
Location: 400 S. State St., Chicago IL 60605
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/harold-washington-library/
Description: This is one of the largest public libraries in the world, filling a whole city block and housing more than 13-million published works. Check out the sun-filled Winter Garden and explore the art collection that features over 50 local and internationally known artists displayed throughout the halls and reading rooms.
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
Location: 800 S. Halsted St., Chicago IL 60607
Website: https://www.choosechicago.com/listing/jane-addams-hull-house-museum/
Description: The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum serves as a dynamic memorial to social reformer Jane Addams, the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and her colleagues whose work changed the lives of their immigrant neighbors as well as national and international public policy. The Museum preserves and develops the original Hull-House site for the interpretation and continuation of the historic settlement house vision, linking research, education, and social engagement. The Museum is located in two of the original settlement house buildings- the Hull Home, a National Historic Landmark, and the Residents’ Dining Hall, a beautiful Arts and Crafts building that has welcomed some of the world’s most important thinkers, artists and activists.
Chicago Tours & Tickets
There’s so much to see and do in the lively city of Chicago. Check out some of the cruise, helicopter and themed tours, day trips and excursions.
Millennium Park
Millennium Park
201 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 744-6050
Website: http://www.millenniumpark.org
Email: millenniumpark@cityofchicago.org
Description:
Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, and architecture and landscape design. Its prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor’s hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture. Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the east, Randolph Street to the North and Monroe Street to the South.
Right next to Millennium Park is Maggie Daley Park (Great for the kids!)
It is a 20-acre public park in the Loop community area of Chicago. It is near the Lake Michigan shoreline in northeastern Grant Park where Daley Bicentennial Plaza previously stood. Maggie Daley Park, like its predecessor, is connected to Millennium Park by the BP Pedestrian Bridge.
Chicago Children’s Museum
Chicago Children’s Museum
700 E. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 527-1000
Website: http://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org
Description:
There are so many ways to play at Chicago Children’s Museum, located on historic Navy Pier. Climb on our schooner, hide in a tree house, construct a skyscraper, tinker with real tools, fish in a river, and explore art and so much more. There are floors of fun for children, from birth through early-elementary school, and their families to learn and play together. Check the calendar of events for daily programs, and plan on having an awesome time Hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily; 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Thursday. Admission: $14 – Adults and children (1 and older), $13 – seniors, Children under 1 are free. Check the website for extended summer hours.
Adler Planetarium
Adler Planetarium
1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: (312) 922-7827
Website: http://www.adlerplanetarium.org
Description:
The Adler Planetarium—America’s First Planetarium—is more than a museum; it is a laboratory, a classroom, and a community exploring the Universe together. Each year, over 550,000 visitors experience the museum’s interactive exhibitions, live planetarium shows, hands-on, minds-on STEM education programs, and world-class collections. The museum’s scientists, historians, and educators inspire the next generation of explorers and invite you to explore space with us. The Adler is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago’s Museum Campus. Please visit www.adlerplanetarium.org for admission rates, hours and more information.
The Field Museum
The Field Museum
1400 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: (312) 922-9410
Website: http://www.fieldmuseum.org
Description:
Leisure Visitors: Discover Sue, the world’s largest and most complete T. rex ever found! Descend into an Egyptian tomb and see 23 Egyptian mummies and 5,000 year-old hieroglyphics, shrink to 1/100th of your natural size and get a bug’s-eye view in Underground Adventure, come nose-to-nose with the man-eating lions of Tsavo, walk among dinosaurs in Evolving Planet or explore 13,000 years of history from the Ice Age Mammoth hunters to the temples of the Aztecs in the Ancient Americas Hall. Experience Chicago’s only completely digital 3-D theater featuring “Waking the T.Rex.” Open daily 9am-5pm, last admission at 4pm. Adults $15, students & seniors $12, children (4-11) $10. Some exhibits require additional ticket. Ongoing: “Sue” – the T.Rex; Underground Adventure; Evolving Planet, Ancient Americas, Inside Ancient Egypt. Meeting Professionals: The Field Museum is Chicago’s most elegant and unique setting for special events. Whether it is an intimate dinner for 10 or a rockin’ reception for 10,000, we can accommodate your needs. Let us treasure you and your guests by providing superior service and priceless exhibitions to experience. Year round your groups can enjoy more than 35 world-renowned exhibitions. Don’t miss our Mammals of Asia and Native American Halls; Explore inside Ancient Egypt, with its mysterious mummies and dazzle your guests with our Hall of Gems. Daytime meeting space, theater space and outdoor terraces are also available. Travel Professionals: Groups of ten or more can enjoy discounted admission to The Field Museum! Home to SUE, the world’s largest, most complete T. rex ever found! Discover 23 Egyptian mummies, the Halls of Gems and Jades, a journey to the ancient Incas and Aztecs and 4 billion years of life on earth inside our expanded dinosaur hall! Enhance your group’s experience with a docent led tour, a behind the scenes experience or a lunch with the man-eating lions of Tsavo! Located on Chicago’s Museum Campus, The Field Museum also has dining facilities, performance and clinic opportunities and an unbeatable view of Lake Michigan and Chicago’s downtown skyline.
Historic Navy Pier
Historic Navy Pier
600 E. Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 595-5300
Website: http://navypier.org/
Description:
Historic Navy Pier® is Chicago’s lakefront playground with over 50 acres of parks, shops, restaurants, entertainment and attractions. Navy Pier is the Midwest’s #1 attractions with more than 8 million visitors a year. Enjoy a ride on the Ferris Wheel, musical carousel, Wave Swinger and miniature golf course. Visit the Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago Shakespeare Theater or the Navy Pier IMAX® Theatre. Take a ride on a tour boat or dining cruise ship. Fireworks on Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 10:15 p.m. between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Navy Pier is home to over 170,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including the historic Grand Ballroom, Festival Hall exhibition space, a rooftop tent and 36 meeting rooms available for private and public events.
Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
111 S. Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
Phone: (312) 443-3600
Website: http://www.artinstituteofchicago.org
Description:
No trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to the Art Institute. Consistently rated among the world’s top museums by TripAdvisor travelers, the Art Institute of Chicago is home to the greatest collection of Impressionist paintings outside of Paris, including works by Monet, Renoir, Seurat, and Van Gogh. Explore the Renzo Piano¬–designed Modern Wing and its extraordinary collection of works by Chagall, Dalí, Matisse, Picasso, and Pollock, and visit the Ryan Learning Center, a free space offering programs and art-making activities for the whole family. With a wide variety of special exhibitions, daily gallery tours, performance programs, and more, the Art Institute has something for everyone! Hours: The museum is open daily 10:30–5:00; Thursdays 10:30–8:00; and closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s days. Admission: Complete admission information is available at artic.edu/visit. Purchase tickets online or take advantage of CityPASS for up to 50% off combined admission to the Windy City’s top attractions. A list of hotel partners offering exclusive packages that include museum admission is available at artic.edu/visit/visiting-chicago. Professional events: The Art Institute offers gallery spaces, gardens, and auditoriums for gatherings large and small. Our professional planning experts create everything from catered receptions with private gallery viewing to elegant dinners in the Art Institute’s unique event spaces. Bon Appétit, the exclusive onsite caterer for the Art Institute, will exceed your expectations with seamless, sophisticated service and culinary excellence, preparing flexible menus that offer a variety of options. Call Bon Appétit at (312) 443-3530 to view our event spaces and begin planning your upcoming event. Visit artic.edu/about/event-planning for additional information.
Sky Deck Chicago
Sky Deck Chicago
233 S. Wacker Dr., 103rd Fl.
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (312) 875-9696
Website: http://www.theskydeck.com
Description:
The Ledge at Sky deck Chicago is at Your Feet-Literally. Dare to Stand Out on the 103rd floor, with never before seen views. The 1,353 feet straight down, with a glass boxes extending 4.3 feet out from the Sky deck, providing never before seen views of Chicago. Enjoy 360 degree views spanning up to 50 miles and 4 states. The new, multimedia elevator ride gives visitors one of the fastest in the world, while referencing points of interest that match the ascending height. Atop the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, Sky deck Chicago is a “one stop Chicago” experience featuring museum quality interactive exhibits. Open daily. 9-10pm March – Oct; 10-8pm Oct – February. Multi-language maps available. Groups of 20 or more receive discounts.
Shoreline Sightseeing Company
Shoreline Sightseeing Company
Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 222-9328
Website: http://www.shorelinesightseeing.com
Description:
Join Shoreline for a dramatic, guided Architecture River Tour, exciting Classic Lake Tour or thrilling Fireworks Tour! Discover why TripAdvisor named Shoreline’s Architecture Tours the most popular tour in America in 2017! Our expert, entertaining guides will share the inside stories behind Chicago’s world-famous landmarks and dramatic history. Learn how Chicago rose from the ashes of the Great Fire of 1871 to become the birthplace of the skyscraper and the home of modern American architecture as you view more than 40 landmarks by world-famous architects. Shoreline’s Classic Lake Tours cover the entire panorama of Chicago’s world-famous skyline and are accompanied by professional narration on the city’s history and landmarks. Shoreline is also famous for Fireworks tours with two options; Architecture/Fireworks Tour or Lake Michigan Fireworks Tour. See our website for complete details on all cruises, tours and special events, including popular Brew Cruises and Wine Tasting Cruises. Day and evening departures from multiple docks April through November. Great group rates and private charters. March- November. Shoreline also offers Water Taxis from multiple docks including Navy Pier, Museum Campus, Michigan Ave. Bridge and Willis Tower May through October.
Chicago’s First Lady Cruises
Chicago’s First Lady Cruises
112 E. Wacker Dr. on Chicago’s Riverwalk
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (847) 358-1330
Website: http://www.cruisechicago.com
Description:
Welcome to the Official Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) River Cruise aboard Chicago’s First Lady Cruises, Chicago’s #1 tour based on TripAdvisor reviews and the ultimate way to see Chicago from the water. Experience a fascinating, 90-minute journey through Chicago’s diverse riverfront architecture as passionate, CAF-certified volunteer docents provide a detailed narrative of Chicago’s various architectural styles and the stories of the people who designed and built the city. Cruises depart daily March 31 – November 8, 2018 from Chicago’s Riverwalk. Individual tickets start at $43.53 (plus tax) and can be purchased at the dockside box office, CAF store or ticketmaster.com/rivercruise. Specialty architecture cruises include the Capture Chicago Photography Cruise (Summer Saturdays and Sundays at 9am) and the popular Twilight Cruise (select summer evenings at 7:30pm). Group tours are available for $26 and up (based on day and time) and may reserve in advance. Groups of 10 or more may be booked by calling the Chicago Architecture Foundation at (312) 922-8687 or emailing groupsales@architecture.org.
Wendella Tours & Cruises
Wendella Tours & Cruises
400 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: (312) 337-1446
Website: http://www.wendellaboats.com
Description:
Family-owned and operated since 1935, Wendella is Chicago’s Original Architecture Tour. Offering the greatest variety of tours and cruises on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, Wendella is the ultimate Chicago experience. In addition to tours and cruises, Wendella owns and operates the Chicago Water Taxi which provides transportation along the Chicago River.
