Chicago things to do

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Loading view. October 25, Jul 23 Oct Get to know… Event details. Friday July 23 a. Chicago Architecture Center E. Wacker Drive. Aug 14 Dec 1. Saturday August 14 p. Sep 2 Oct A live stand-up comedy show! Located in the… Event details. Thursday September 2 p. Donuts, pizzas, Al Capone tours — throw it all out there and people will nod knowingly.

But what Chicago does have is a lot of unusual things to do. Find out how YOU can support the site. We work hard to put out the best backpacker resources on the web for free! For the sake of transparency , some of the links in our content are affiliate links.

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Sign Me Up! Day Trips from Chicago. Ashley Ryan. An Orange County native, Ashley Ryan can't get enough of the laidback-by-day, upscale-by-night Southern California atmosphere. Between the freelance pen and paper gigs - all featured on her portfolio at Nomads Nation - Ashley loves traversing across her favourite places in the US: the West Coast, Hawaii, the Dakota twins, little ol' windy Chicago.

Share or save this post Pinterest. Our Favourite 'Living on the Road' Pack. A neighborhood that serves as one of the primary hubs of Chicago's Chinese community, filled with restaurants, shops and incredible nods to East Asian architecture.

Chinatown is a great place to mosey from shop to shop and spend some time outdoors, whether you're walking through Chinatown Square or admiring the sweeping skyline views from Ping Tom Memorial Park. Start at Chinatown Square and work your way south down Wentworth, passing under the street's famous gate and into its central commercial strip.

You haven't really made liking The Office a part of your personality until you've posed at Michael Scott's desk, discovered Dwight's Jello-encased stapler hidden in a drawer or explored all the other nooks and crannies of this fairly true-to-show replica of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch. Once you've finished grabbing photo ops in the office, check out rooms dedicated to Pam and Jim's wedding and other key moments from the show.

A tucked-away, homey music mecca on an industrial stretch of the city. After 17 months of virtual concerts and programming, the Hideout has finally reopened its doors to the public for in-person shows on the patio. Remember to bring your vaccination card or a photo of it; either way, you'll need to be fully vaccinated to enter and buy your tickets ahead of visiting. Creepy haunted experiences full of zombies, ghosts, killer clowns and other scream-inducing horrors.

You'll have to schlepp it to the suburbs to find the Chicago area's best haunted houses, but these seasonal attractions are back and better than ever after mostly taking the year off in Who says we can't push patio season just a little longer?

These extra-cozy spots make it easy to have a drink or meal in the open air when temps start to drop though you might want to bring a sweater. Because of last year's push for expanded outdoor dining, tons of Chicago bars and restaurants have outfitted their patios with heaters, firepits and other nifty features that will help you stay warm while imbibing and dining alfresco.

An ace place to lose it to house music, right in the city that invented the genre. If you want to experience house music, there's no more authentic environment than Smart Bar. Within the subterranean Wrigleyville club, skilled DJs, drag performers and sweaty revelers come together to the steady pulse of a house beat. A collection of murals and street art on an old railroad embankment in Pilsen that stretches from the Chicago River to Western Avenue.

An annual pop-up that brings a pumpkin patch, corn maze and more fall attractions to a two-acre lot in Goose Island. It might be more legit to hop in a car and pluck a pumpkin straight from the farm-grown vine, but y ou certainly won't find any other pumpkin patches within city limits; plus, it helps that you can score drinks from three bars scattered throughout the premises. Located on the edge of Pilsen and Chinatown, 88 Marketplace is a multi-level Chinese grocery store stocked with all kind of imported food and beverages.

The second-floor market isn't just a place to shop for ingredients—it also hosts an expansive food court, where you'll find sushi, Hong Kong-style barbecue, Vietnamese pho and Chinese baked goods. While it doesn't boast the sheer variety of dishes that you'll find while walking through Chinatown, it's an extremely convenient spot to sample various cuisines under one roof.

Don't miss: Swing by the brightly-lit pastry cases at Chiu Quon for a milk tea egg tart, a palm-sized confection with all the brown sugar toastiness of its namesake. The towering works—all 15 to 26 feet in height and made of glass-reinforced concrete, wood, fiberglass and steel—depict human figures interacting with their natural surroundings, creating some awe-inspiring sights tucked into the abundant greenery of the Arboretum.

Don't miss: The gentle-looking "UMI" sculpture lends a maternal feel to a glen of magnolia trees on the park's east side. When it was e stablished in the late 19th century, the Maxwell Street Market brought vendors, musicians and cooks to an open-air flea market where shoppers could find just about anything they wanted.

Nowadays, the market functions as a hub for vendors to sell handmade crafts, resale goods, clothes and top-notch street food. You never know what treasures you might find, from candy pink cowboy hats to some of the city's most delicious tacos. Don't miss: It's free to enter the market, but bring a wallet stuffed with cash—many of the vendors don't accept cards.

Expanded and updated in , this riverside walkway hosts restaurants, bars, boating docks and plenty of spots to sit and admire the views. Like everything else downtown, the Riverwalk can be pricey, but you can't beat the views when you snag a glass of vino at City Winery or enjoy some local grub at Chicago Brewhouse. Several boat tour and kayak rental companies also have launch points along the Riverwalk, if you prefer to get out on the water.

A career retrospective of the German-born, Chicago-based architect Helmut Jahn—who designed local structures like the James R. Jahn died earlier this year after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle in suburban Chicago, so the exhibit functions a poignant tribute to his architectural influence in Chicago and worldwide—especially as the Thompson Center downtown faces an ongoing preservation battle.

The college's Bronzeville campus is studded with one of the country's largest collection of buildings designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the German-born steward of the Bauhaus architecture movement in Chicago.

Mies van der Rohe was a pioneering figure in American Modernism, and he completed some of his most significant work while serving as the director of the Department of Architecture at the Armour Institute of Technology.

The sleek, column-free S. Crown Hall—which houses the present-day College of Architecture at IIT—is considered his masterpiece, and the college's entire campus has been inducted into the National Register of Historic Places. A high-tech experience inside the Germania Club Building that brings Vincent Van Gogh's paniting to life with the help of 50 digital projectors. The tickets to "Immersive Van Gogh" aren't cheap, but you've likely never seen anything quite like this exhibit, which animates some of Van Gogh's most famous works and sets them to a booming sountrack.

The minute presentation is filled with impressive moments—and plenty of great photo ops. Don't miss: Stop by the "Immersive Van Gogh" gift shop on your way out to pick up shirts, masks and more swag covered in colorful brushstrokes. A combination of favorable real estate, happenstance and collaborative spirit has drawn some of Chicago's finest galleries—including Matthew Rachman Gallery, DOCUMENT, Rhona Hoffman, Chicago Truborn and many others—to this multi-block stretch in West Town, creating a concentrated and not to mention, free tour of curated work.

Plan an afternoon around the exhibitions that pique your interest, and don't forget to make a reservation at each gallery ahead of time. Make an appointment to view the furniture collection available for sale, where you'll find items from iconic designers like Vladimir Kagan, Jens Risom and Eero Saarinen. One of the last free zoos in the country, this acre attraction connects visitors with animals from all over the world.

Sure, you could pay for a ticket to a zoo, but more than 1, critters are waiting for you to visit them, free of charge just make a reservation , in Lincoln Park. From mammals beavers, lions, otters and bears to birds penguins, eagles and parrots to reptiles snakes, crocodiles and turtles , there's something for every animal lover.

Home to iconic public art installations such as Cloud Gate a. Visitors can walk through the vegetation in the Lurie Garden—renowned for its beauty throughout all of Chicago's seasons—or grab a spot in the sunshine on the Great Lawn. The U is one of only four surviving German U-boats, housed in a gigantic 35,square-foot enclosure. Equally as impressive as the giant hardware are the smaller artifacts that were recovered from within the ship, including a code-breaking Enigma machine, cigarettes and German phonograph records.

There's also a traveling exhibition devoted to Marvel super heroes on display. Order crab rangoon, assorted congee and beef brisket casserole from the all-day menu, or opt for the Noodle Cart offerings served from a dedicated kitchen. You can customize your noodle bowl to your liking, picking the broth, the noodles and all of the delicious toppings from a long list of options.

Don't miss: The Noodle Cart is likely to be the main attraction, but the deep menu of classic Hong Kong and American-Chinese dishes is worth your time, too. And there's nothing stopping you from ordering from both.

Chicago's premiere arthouse theater, which is currently hosting indoor screenings and offering streaming options for those who are staying home. Aside from being one of the 50 most beautiful cinemas in the world , the Music Box's screens one of the best assortments of arthouse films, documentaries and foreign language pictures in the city.

And, if you're not ready to venture out to see a movie yet, Music Box Direct allows you to stream movies at home and help keep the theater afloat. Don't miss: Missing the Music Box's made-with-real-butter popcorn?

You can order it to-go , accompanied by boxed candies and beverages. This destination houses exhibits about the South Side 'hood's growth and preservation. When businessman George Pullman started a railroad sleeping car factory on the South Side of Chicago, he built an entire town to house his employees. The industrial complex has since been designated a National Monument and the Pullman Foundation Visitor Center is the best place to start exploring the area, especially if you want to join a guided tour on the first Sunday of every month.

A formerly abandoned stretch of elevated railway track named after the first three digits in every Chicago zip code.

This is it. The 2. These jet-black e-bikes have joined the Divvy fleet, allowing riders to go up to 15 miles per hour with the help of a small electric motor. Why try it? Let's face it: the original bright blue Divvy bikes are heavy and cumbersome. These new e-bikes which you'll find at stations throughout the city make it easier to see more of the city atop a shared ride. The pedal-assist system adds some additional power everytime you move your legs, allowing you to get to your destination faster—and possibly without breaking a sweat.

Don't miss: Divvy e-bikes come with an attached lock, meaning that you can end your ride by locking it to a bike rake or sign post, though you may incur an extra fee. You can also place them in any Divvy dock. As its name suggests, Superdawg specializes in Chicago-style hot dogs, which add piccalilli and a pickled green tomato to the usual array of toppings. Every super dish comes in a cute box usually on a bed of crisp French fries and can be ordered from your car or at a walk-up window.

Don't miss: Try the Superonionchips instead of the Superfries—they're like onion rings, but better. A mile paved trail beginning in Gompers Park that takes riders all the way to the Chicago Botanic Garden. If you're craving a quick escape from the city on your bike, you can take the North Branch Trail to attractions throughout the northern suburbs.

Don't miss: The four-mile loop trail through the Skokie Lagoons which can also be used to get to the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Chicago's only aquarium, home to thousands of colorful fish and other aquatic creatures.