Local Attractions

• Navy Pier - A family attraction with over 50 acres of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants, entertainment, cruises, an IMAX theatre, sculpture garden, special events, theatre, ferris wheel, bi-weekly seasonal fireworks and so much more!
• The Sears Tower Skydeck - See Chicago's most breathtaking views from the world's second largest building. There's an interactive display and a virtual tour of Chicago and its history.
• John Hancock Observatory - Experience spectacular views spanning up to 80 miles and four states. The newly renovated Hancock Observatory will meet your loftiest expectations!
• Millennium Park - A magnificent public space with extraordinary art and architecture, spectacular concerts and events, and breathtaking gardens that capture the energy and excitement of Chicago.
• Grant Park - Referred to as Chicago's "front yard," Grant Park is among the city's loveliest and most prominent parks, and the site of three world-class museums - the Art Institute, the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium. Grant Park's centerpiece is the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, built in 1927 to provide a monumental focal point while protecting the parks breathtaking lakefront views.

Museums

• The Field Museum - Founded in 1893, one of the world's great natural history museums, with a world-renowned scientific staff and collections of more than 20 million specimens.
• The Shedd Aquarium - The world's largest indoor aquarium with permanent exhibits from around the world, including the Amazon, the Pacific Northwest, and the Caribbean coral reefs.
• The Adler Planetarium - An astronomy museum that tackles some of life's biggest questions.
• The Museum of Science and Industry - One of the most extensive science museums in the world features a coal mine, a U-505 submarine, intelligent LEGO bricks, and a chance to travel through virtual reality, and many exceptional exhibits.
• The Art Institute of Chicago - This world-class art museum houses more than 300,000 works of art and includes among its treasures American Gothic by Grant Wood, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks and an extensive collection of French Impressionists like Monet, Manet, Degas and others.
• The Museum of Contemporary Art - Offers exhibitions of painting, sculpture, video, film, and performance created since 1945, all housed in an architecturally intriguing building.
• The Peggy Nortebaert Nature Museum - A child-friendly museum on the edge of Lincoln Park that's dedicated to expanding the public's knowledge of nature and environmental science. Don't miss the "butterfly" room and other outstanding permanent exhibits.
• The Children's Museum - A "must see" attraction at Navy Pier for anyone with kids. Features 13 permanent interactive exhibits on three floors.
• The Kohl Children's Museum - Exhibits encourage the building of strong social skills by creating situations that require children to help each other and work as a team. The museum's new home in Glenview opens officially on October 22, 2005.
• The Chicago Historical Society - A privately endowed, independent institution devoted to collecting, interpreting, and presenting the rich multicultural history of Chicago and Illinois. Located in Lincoln Park.

Theatre

• The Goodman Theatre - Located in Chicago's North Loop Theatre district, this world-class theatre features drama and musical performances.
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company - Steppenwolf has redefined the landscape of acting and performance by spawning a generation of America's most gifted artists. Founded in 1976 as an ensemble of nine actors, Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of thirty-five artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking, and textual adaptation. No other American theater ensemble has survived as long and thrived as much as the Steppenwolf Company of artists.
• Looking Glass Theater - This local ensemble of actors, writers and directors has offered dynamic, physical and intellectual theater since 1989.
• The Shakespeare Theater - A professional theatre venue/company located on Chicago's Navy Pier. It features 510 seats on three levels around the courtyard theatre's thrust stage.
• The Chicago Theater - See some of Broadway's best at the Chicago Theatre, along with concerts and other events
• The Auditorium Theatre - Located in the South loop area and attached to Roosevelt University, the Auditorium Theatre Council is an Illinois not-for-profit corporation committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, local and community theatre and dance performances.
• The Civic Opera House - Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the Civic Opera House is a hybrid of Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles and is considered to be one of the world's most beautiful opera houses. Built in 1929 and recently restored, it boasts gracious surroundings, excellent sight lines and premium acoustics.
• Broadway In Chicago - A series of Broadway productions in the Windy City performed at the Ford Center/Oriental Theatre, LaSalle Bank Theatre, Cadillac Palace Theatre, or the Auditorium Theatre.
• Second City - Chicago's famous improvisation club that served as a breeding ground for many Saturday Night Live greats and other famous comedians and actors.
• Zanies - Experience Chicago's unique blend of stand-up comedy.

Music

• Lakefront Music Festivals - Outdoor music festivals that keep the spring, summer and fall alive with great music.
• Chicago Jazz Festival - The most comprehensive jazz festival of its kind.
• Chicago Blues Festival - This annual outdoor event is the largest free-admission blues festival in the world. It showcases international, national and local Chicago artists on over five stages.
• Chicago Gospel Festival - This weekend long festival attracts as many as 150,000 people each year. This celebration of classic and contemporary gospel music also features several vendors serving soul food.
• Northerly Island - This 91-acre peninsula juts into Lake Michigan at the heart of the Museum Campus juts south of the Adler Planetarium and east of Soldier Field. The nature area at Northerly Island features beautiful strolling paths, casual play areas, and a spectacular view of the Chicago skyline. A new state-of-the-art concert venue was built at the northern end of the island. The 7,500 seat Charter One Pavilion hosts concerts from some of today's most popular artists along with family matinees.
• Chicago Symphony Orchestra - The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is a musical force in Chicago and around the world with 200 performances and events a year.
• Ravinia Festival - Located in the north suburb of Highland Park and accessible by Metra Train, this exquisite outdoor concert and park hosts a variety of music all summer long. Ravinia Festival is the oldest outdoor music festival in North America and attracts about 500,000 listeners to some 120 to 160 events that span all genres from classical music to jazz to music-theatre over each three-month summer season.
• The House of Blues - Located just across the river in the North loop, the House of Blues hosts some of the city's best concerts and features some of the hottest musical artists in addition to serving great soul food.
• The Lyric Opera - An international-level opera company that hosts some of the finest classical operas and new works.

Shopping

There are so many great places in Chicago to shop. Listed below are just a few or them. For a comprehensive website that details shopping opportunities around the city, visit www.chicago.il.org/shopping.html. For shopping recommendations and extensive listings from boutiques to large-scale malls, visit www.chicago.citysearch.com/section/shopping.

• Water Tower Place
• American Girl Place
• Barneys
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Marshall Fields
• Bloomingdales
• Nordstroms
• H & M
• State Street
• The Merchandise Mart - Visit the Merchandise Mart for furnishings, apparel and other gift items at wholesale prices.

Dining and Entertainment

For the most extensive listing of dining and entertainment options in the city, with an up-to-date schedule of concerts, clubs and special events, visit www.metromix.com.

• Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants - Creators of some of the most intriguing and excellent restaurants in the city, Lettuce Entertain You operates 31 restaurants across the country and are based here in Chicago.
• Berghoff Restaurant - in the Loop, German cuisine
• Bubba Gump Shrimp - at Navy Pier
• Banderas - great barbeque
• Grand Lux Cafe
• Cheesecake Factory
• Chicago Firehouse Restaurant - South Loop's Finest
• Gioco - Italian in the South Loop
• Zapatista - the newest in Mexican Cuisine
• The Hard Rock Café
• Lawry's Restaurant
• Morton's, The Steakhouse
• The Rainforest Cafe

Sports

• Chicago Cubs - Visit Wrigley field and cheer for the north side baseball team - the Chicago Cubs!
• Chicago White Sox - Visit Cellular Field on the south side and cheer for the White Sox!
• Chicago Bears - Check out the new renovations at Soldier Field.
• Chicago Bulls - Watch the legendary team play at the United Center, where you'll find an exquisite statue of Michael Jordan.
• Chicago Blackhawks - Chicago's favorite and only hockey team plays at the United Center.
• Recreation - About five blocks from the hotel is a 20-mile path that runs along Lake Michigan where guests can run, walk, bike or skate (and rent bicycles, in-line skates and pedal-powered buggies). Various beachfront locations offer recreational activities, such as volleyball at Oak Street Beach.