Things To Do
Millennium Park
Hours: Daily 6am-11pm Admission: Free See "Cloudgate" aka The Bean
The Art Institute of Chicago
Hours: Daily 10:30am-5pm, TH until 8pm Admission: Adults $25 Seniors $19 Founded in 1879 and home to masterpieces by Monet, Degas and van Gogh.
The Field Museum
Hours: Daily 9am-5pm Admission: Adults $32 Seniors $28 See Sue, one of the largest, most extensive, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimens ever found
Shedd Aquarium
Hours: Weekdays 9am-5pm Weekends 9am-6pm Admission: Adults $39.95 One of the World's Largest Indoor Aquariums, home to over 32,000 animals
Adler Planetarium
Hours: Daily 9am-4pm Admission: Adults + 1 show $24 Seniors + 1 Show $22 First ever planetarium founded in 1930, dedicated to the study of astronomy and astrophysics.
Lincoln Park Zoo
Hours: 10am-5pm Admission: Free Founded in 1868, the 35-acre zoo is among the oldest zoos in North America. **Also where we got engaged!**
Chicago Cultural Center
Hours: Weekdays 10am-7pm Weekends 10am-5pm Admission: Free Formerly the Harold Washington Public Library. See the stained glass dome on the 2nd floor North & the Tiffany dome 3rd floor South
Navy Pier
Hours: MO-TH 10am-8pm FR-SA 10am-10pm SU 10am-7pm Admission: Free
Chicago Riverwalk
Admission: Free Scenic walkway along the Chicago River with restaurants, bars and several boat tours available.
John Hancock Center
Hours: M–Th: 9:00am to 11:00pm, last entry at 10:30pm; Fri and Sat: 8:00am to 11:30pm, last ticket sale at 11:00pm; Sun: 8:00am to 11:00pm, last entry at 10:30pm Admission: Adults $25 100-story, 1,128-foot skyscraper located in the Magnificent Mile district. 360 CHICAGO, the observation deck on the 94th floor, offers breathtaking views of Chicago's skyline, the lakefront, and four states.
Willis Tower
Hours: Weekdays 10am-8pm Weekends 9:30am-9pm Admission: Adults $25 (Skydeck) The Willis Tower, built as and still commonly referred to as the Sears Tower, is a 110-story, 1,450-foot skyscraper. The skydeck on the 103rd floor has clear observation boxes & views extending to four states.
Chicago Motor Club Hampton Inn
Admission: Free See Ford Model T in lobby & huge relief map of US roads
Museum of Broadcast Communications
Hours: TU, WE, FR, SA, SU 10am-6pm TH 10am-8pm Closed MO Admission: Adults $18 Seniors $14
Museum of Science and Industry
Hours: Limited hours in Autumn - check website Admission: Adults $21.95 Only building remaining from the 1893 Columbian Exposition
Museum of Contemporary Photography
Hours: MO-SA 10am-5pm SU 12pm-5pm Admission: Free
Buddy Guy's Legends
Hours: MO, TU 5pm-2am WE-FR 11am-2am SA 12pm-3am SU 12pm-2am Admission: Free acoustic lunch and dinner sets - check web site
Chess Records
Hours: TU-SA 12-4pm closed SU & MO; Tours every hours until 3pm Admission: Adults $15 Blues label started in Chicago in 1950 by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess that featured among its stable of artists Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Etta James, plus many others who birthed rock 'n' roll.
The Wiener's Circle
Hours: 11am-4am daily Famous for 4 things: its signature Chicago-style hot dogs, hamburgers and cheese fries, and the mutual verbal abuse between the employees and the customers during the late-weekend hours.