Being a metropolis in the Midwest gives Chicago the best of both worlds: friendly folks and an urban lifestyle. The type of place where if you stand on a corner with an open map, more than one passerby will stop to ask if you need help—really. The city’s reputation as a gentler, cleaner option than our East Coast cousin is what brings people here—and keeps them here too. While New York may be the “city that never sleeps,” Chicago is, as the famous song says, “my kind of town” where “people smile at you.” L.A. may have its posh Hollywood hills and fancy red carpets, but Chicago has soaring skyscrapers and beachfront paths. Sure, the winters last too long, but Chicagoans tough it out and patiently explain to visitors and newcomers, “You just need to dress for it.” Then, as soon as the thermometer inches over 60, Chicagoans dash outside to play until winter starts again. With its easy public transportation system, top-notch cultural institutions, shopping meccas, and stunning architecture, it’s no wonder that Chicago has grown from its days as a swampy, stinky place in the middle of nowhere to a world-class city, boasting a booming economy and a bustling tourism industry that attracts more than 45 million people each year.
There had been no attraction like it before and arguably none like it since: Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. And it led to the formation of several of the city’s top attractions and museums that we enjoy today. The Field Museum began its existence in the only structure left standing on the fairgrounds, the Palace of Fine Arts building. Originally named the Columbian Museum of Chicago, its first exhibits comprised the anthropological specimens, gems, taxidermy, and other items from fair collections. After the Field Museum moved in 1921 to new digs closer to downtown, the Museum of Science and Industry moved in and now attracts more than 2 million visitors each year. To stay in business during a downturn, the MSI pioneered the idea of corporate-sponsored exhibits.
The Navy Pier Ferris wheel is also a direct descendant of the World’s Fair, where the very first Ferris wheel debuted, a marvel even taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Also with links to the Columbian Exposition is the Art Institute of Chicago, owing a large part of its highly acclaimed Impressionist collection to Bertha Honore Palmer, the fair’s chairman of the Board of Lady Managers. People once sought invitations to the Palmer home just to get a glimpse of her collection of paintings, and now, thanks to her posthumous donation, any visitor can see her Monets, Renoirs, Degas, and more.
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum doesn’t have World’s Fair ties, because it can actually trace its founding back to 1857 (long before the 1893 event and named something different back then), earning it the title of the city’s very first museum. Its new building in Lincoln Park is a mainstay of school and camp groups, mom-and-tot meet-ups, and family outings.
The Field Museum now ranks up there with the Smithsonian, and has been joined in Chicago by a host of other historic, artistic, cultural, and just plain entertaining museums. The Adler Planetarium was the country’s first planetarium; the Brookfield Zoo established the first barless animal habitats in the US; the DuSable Museum of African American History was the first of its kind in America; and the National Museum of Mexican Art is considered a model for other ethnic museums in the city and beyond.
The chapter includes family-friendly attractions and others that skew to more mature audiences. They range from the spiritual to the frivolous, from emotionally moving museums to attractions that encourage you to get out and move.
It’s an eye-opening experience to take a tour of your own city. You see things you’d never noticed before and learn about places you took for granted. You get differing perspectives on what you thought to be black-and-white, and you come away with a deeper appreciation of the place you call home. For visitors, a tour goes a step or two beyond that. Tours can introduce you to a new place, enticing you to hone in on a specific interest; or they’ll delve into the details of a particular topic. They can efficiently organize a whole wish list full of places to see into a fun, focused excursion. They can take you to the must-see spots and the hidden gems. Thanks to an amazingly professional community of experienced guides here, tours are educational without being boring, and reveal interesting insights that you could only get from a local. They cover a lot of information in a short amount of time and set the stage for further explorations.
There are so many tours in Chicago these days that you can choose one that satisfies exactly what you’re looking for—a bike ride that drops kickstands at several restaurants; a bus tour in search of ghosts from Chicago’s past; a walking tour of Art Deco architecture that dots the Loop; a boat trip that speeds up to 45 miles an hour; or a sampling tour of various sweet spots. There’s a tour for every interest, age, budget, season, and ability.
Overview
This chapter is broken down into four broad categories. “Architecture & History” includes a bit of everything and on all types of transportation—foot, bike, bus, trolley, and Segway. “Boat Tours” groups together the many Chicago River and Lake Michigan tours. “Food Tours” deserve their own section because the list is long and growing in this food-loving town. And “Arts & Theater” is last with a few insider looks at both. Note that most tour prices given do not include taxes. Some companies require advance reservations, but if you’re set on one and it’s the day-of, go ahead and call anyway because sometimes a new tour time will be added with enough interest or someone will cancel and open up a spot.
Chicago’s astronomic growth following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 led to many of the world’s building innovations. Like the first skyscrapers, a practical answer to the downtown area’s increasing land values. Why not build up instead of out? Many of the architects who are known as part of the first Chicago School of architecture were the ones who designed these lofty towers. They started with load-bearing masonry walls and moved into iron and steel and then the glass-and-steel structures that foretold even taller things to come.
Just 20 years after the destruction of the city, Chicago was selected as the site of the sought-after world’s fair. And while it was mostly the level of financial backing that beat out New York for the right to host the event, the planners put their money where their mouths were and proved that the selection committee had made the right decision. Despite hiccups and tragedies during the process (co-organizer John Root died suddenly in 1891, for example), Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 was a resounding success. Much gratitude was bestowed on its director, John Burnham, who commissioned some of the era’s greatest architects to design the fair’s many structures: Richard Morris Hunt; Charles McKim, Mead and White; Henry Ives Cobb; and Adler and Sullivan, to name a few. Though some decried the overall neoclassical Beaux-Arts plan with its plaster of Paris–clad buildings as a sad step backward for architecture, most visitors were decidedly wowed by what became known as the White City—and by Chicago.
From there, the city continued to prove itself as a creditable hotbed of architectural creativity. One particularly lasting legacy: Chicago and the close suburb of Oak Park were where Frank Lloyd Wright and his followers began developing the Prairie School of design. Interest in this style lasted from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, ending soon after World War I, as America took a more conservative turn. Today, the Prairie School–designed homes are a hot commodity.
A Second Chicago School of architecture appeared in the 1940s and continued right through to the early 1970s, most influenced by Mies van der Rohe, his large-scale commission of the Illinois Institute of Technology campus, and his many students who followed in his rectilinear footsteps. It was what led to some of Chicago’s most impressive skyscrapers standing today, including the Hancock and Willis (formerly Sears) towers.
Wherever you look in Chicago, whatever direction you take to explore, its mighty architectural legacy greets you. It might be as you crane your neck up to see what’s standing at the top of the Chicago Board of Trade or as you meander the blocks of the beautiful Astor Street. The sites here offer a place to start your architectural journey of Chicago.
Overview
Whittling down the endless architecturally interesting places in Chicago was not an easy task. This chapter could have easily encompassed the entire city and included sites in every neighborhood, or I could have categorized places by time period or style, but I found it best to focus on downtown and the Loop. This area alone has such a wide range and close concentration of noteworthy buildings that it serves as a great introduction and representation of Chicago architecture as a whole.
The category “Historic Districts & Homes” gives you a taste of what’s beyond the city center and even a bit of what’s hidden amid it. Take the book with you as you visit the places that interest you, so you can compare the history and descriptions of what you see; it’s always so much more impressive to see these places in person. Or check the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s website to find out when its docents are leading guided tours of the locations listed; their tours include visits to every one of these (and many more), except for Clark House, which has its own tours.
There’s a ban on bored kids in Chicago. Well, maybe not officially, but there might as well be. Just take a look at all the options. It’s a list you can’t help but love. With more families choosing to stay in the city rather than move out to the suburbs, the choices just keep getting better too. That’s not to say that the suburbs aren’t allowed in the chapter—there are some amazing attractions within a half hour or so of downtown that are definitely kid-crowd-pleasers. So whether you’ve got a 2-year-old who goes gaga for princesses or an 8-year-old who bends it like Beckham, there’s a place for them in this city made for fun.
Overview
It was tough to find a way to break up this kid list into meaningful groups. The first one is admittedly a fusion of fun stuff, so be sure to scan all the entries, because they range from the ever-popular American Girl Place, to an art-centric destination outside the city meant for mini mess-makers, to a mammoth amusement park. Other categories cover sports classes, perfect for families who are relocating; children’s theater and music; and attractions with a focus on young visitors. We’ve tried to include all current hours and pricing, but as these tend to change, it’s always good to call or check online first. Some favored spots for birthdays may close if there’s a private party, while some have seasonally dependent hours of operation. We know that traveling with kids can often mean traveling with their unwieldy strollers too, but many of these kid-oriented locations do offer stroller parking; it’s worth calling to find that out before you discover that you are forced to leave it outside. Some places boost the fun factor with special events like live bands, appearances by costumed story characters, or even moms’ nights out (also good to check calendars for special events like these). A few of these spots require at least a half a day to fully enjoy, particularly those that are beyond the city, while some of these spots are perfect for squeezing into a busy schedule.
There are dozens of places to visit within a quick drive of Chicago, so if you have some extra time on your trip, take advantage by heading out on one of these added adventures. If you’re moving to Chicago, then these excursions are perfect for a day or weekend away after you’ve settled in (believe it or not, Chicago residents sometimes need a change of scenery). I’ve left out most specific pricing and hours, as these descriptions are intended as mini guides, quick reads that are jam-packed with information on how to get to each destination, where go, where to eat, and where to stay. All the pertinent contact details are there for you to take it that step further when you’re ready to hit the road.