One of the great benefits of a world class city like Chicago is access to many different activities from cultures and conventions, to attractions and restaurants, to museums and sports. Below you will find a list of different things to take advantage of while you are in Chicago. We encourage you to enjoy all this fabulous city has to offer!

Visitors Information Numbers
Entertainment & Sports Information
Attractions
Museums
Sports Venues
Nearby Downtown Chicago
Suburban Chicago
Sightseeing & Tours
Sightseeing by Bus
Sightseeing Boats

Visitors Information Numbers

• Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau: 312/567-8500
• Chicago Office of Tourism: 312/744-2400
• RTA Travel Information Center: 312/836-7000
• Chicago Switchboard: 312/744-8599
• Hotel/Motel Association of Illinois: 312/236-3473
• Illinois Bureau of Tourism: 1-800-2CONNECT

Entertainment & Sports Information

• Chicago Art Dealers Association: 312/649-0065
• Chicago Fine Arts Hotline: 312/346-3278
• Chicago Live Concert Hotline: 312/666-6667
• Chicago Music & Dance Coalition Alliance: 312/987-9296
• Chicago Park District: 312/747-2200
• Jazz Hotline: 312/427-3300
• Mayor's Office of Special Events: 312/744-3315
• Ticketmaster: 312/559-1212

Attractions

• Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, 312/747-2200, May 1 - October 1, color display every night
• Centennial Fountain and Water Area, 300 E. McClurg Ct., 312/751-5600, May 1 - October 1
• Chicago Board of Trade, 141 W Jackson St, 312/435-3590, Monday-Friday, free admission
• Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, 312/346-3278, open daily, free admission
• Chicago Mercantile Exchange, 30 S Wacker Dr, 312/930-8249. Monday-Friday, free admission
• Chicago Stock Exchange, 440 S LaSalle St, 312/663-2980, Monday-Friday, free admission
• Daley Center Plaza, Picasso Sculpture, Washington & Dearborn St, 312/346-3278
• Gallery 37/Skate on State, State St between Washington & Randolph Sts, 312/744-6630, free admission
• James R. Thompson Center, 100 W Randolph St, 312/814-6660, Closed Saturdays
• John Hancock Center, 875 N Michigan Ave, 312/751-3681, open daily, admission charged
• Lincoln Park Conservatory, 2400 N Stockton DR, 312/742-7736, open daily 9:00am - 5:00pm, free admission
• Lincoln Park Zoo, 312/742-2000, open daily, free admission
• Merchandise Mart, world's largest wholesale building on the Chicago River between Wells & Orleans St, "Tours at the Mart" 312/927-7055
• Navy Pier, 312/595-PIER, Chicago's famous landmark on the lake
• North Pier Festival Market, 435 E Illinois, 312/836-4300, shops, restaurants, clubs, and special events, open daily
• Sears Tower Skydeck, Wacker DR at Jackson Blvd, 312/875-9696, One of the world's tallest buildings, open daily, admission charged

Museums

• Adler Planetarium, 1300 S Lake Shore DR, 312/922-STAR, open daily, admission charge, children under 5 free
• Chicago Academy of Science, 435 E Illinois St, 773/755-5100, open daily
• Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S Michigan Ave, 312/922-8687, open daily, admissions prices vary. Call for tour schedules
• Chicago Children's Museum, Navy Pier 700 E Grand Ave, 312/527-1000, Open Tuesday- Sunday, admission charge
• Chicago Historical Society, 1629 N Clark St at North Ave, 312/642-4600, open daily, admission charge
• DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E 56th Pl, 773/947-0600, open daily, admission charge
• Field Museum of Natural History, 1200 S Lake Shore DR, 312/922-9410, open daily 9-5, Free on Wednesday, 1-800-Field-54, www.fieldmuseum.org
• Harold Washington Library Center, 400 S State St, 312/747-4300, open daily, free admission
• Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum, 1852 W 19th St, 312/738-1503, Tuesday-Sunday, free admission
• Museum of Broadcast Communications, Michigan Ave at Washington St, 312/629-6000, open daily, free admission
• Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E Chicago Ave, 312/280-2660, Tuesday-Sunday, admission charge
• Museum of Science and Industry, 57th St and S Lake Shore DR, 773/684-1414, Weekday's - 9:30 am-4 pm; Weekends, most holidays & daily during the summer - 9:30 am-5:30 PM, Features Omni-Max Theatre, www.msichicago.org
• National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, 1727 S Indiana, 312/326-0270, open daily, admission charge
• Oriental Institute Museum, 1155 E 58th St, 773/702-9520, Tuesday-Sunday, free admission
• Polish Museum of America, 984 N Milwaukee Ave, 773/384-3352, open daily, free admission
• Robie House Frank Lloyd Wright Architectural Landmark, 5757 S Woodlawn Ave, 708/848-1976 or 773/834-1361 (individual and group tours available)
• John G. Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S Lake Shore DR, 312/939-2438 or 312/939-2426, open daily, Featuring the Oceanarium, admission charge
• The Smart Museum of Art, 5550 S Greenwood Ave, 773/702-0200, Tuesday-Sunday, free admission
• Spertus Museum, 618 S Michigan Ave, 312/922-9012, Sunday-Friday, admission charge
• Terra Museum of American Art, 666 N Michigan Ave, 312/664-3939, Tuesday-Sunday, admission charge

Sports Venues

• Comiskey Park, Chicago White Sox (baseball), 3500 S Shields St, Ticketmaster, 312/831-1769
• Soldier Field, Chicago Bears (football), McFetridge DR & Lake Shore DR, Ticketmaster 312/559-1212
• United Center, Chicago Bulls (basketball) and Chicago Blackhawks (hockey), 1901 W Madison St, Ticketmaster 312/559-1212
• Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs (baseball), 1060 W Addison St, Ticketmaster, 312/831-2827

Nearby Downtown Chicago

• Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, 6500 S Pulaski Rd, 773/582-6500, open daily, admission charge
• Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N Central Park Blvd, 312/746-5100
• Historic Pullman Foundation, (Hotel Florence Museum), 11111 S Forrestville Ave, 773/785-8181
• Swedish American Museum, 5211 N Clark St, 773/728-8111, Tuesday-Sunday, admission charge
• Ukranian National Museum, 721 N Oakley Blvd, 312/421-8020, Thursday-Sunday, free admission

Suburban Chicago

• Allstate Arena, 6920 N Mannheim Rd, Rosemont, 847/635-6601
• Arlington Park, Euclid & Wilke Rd, Arlington Heights, 847/255-4300, Racing season May-October
• Bahai House of Worship, 100 Linden Ave at Sheridan Rd, Wilmette, 847/853-2300
• Balmoral Park, 26435 S Dizie Highway, Crete 708/672-7544, call for dates
• Brookfield Zoo, 1st Ave & 31st St, Brookfield 708/485-2200, open daily, admission charge, parking fee
• Charles Gates Dawes House, (Evanston Historical Society), 225 Greenwood St, Evanston 847/475-3410
• Chicago Botanic Garden, Lake Cook Rd, east of I-94, Glencoe, 847/835-5440
• Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, 951 Chicago Ave, Oak Park 708/848-1976
• Haeger Potteries, Seven Maiden Ln, Dundee, 847/426-3441
• Hawthorne Race Course, 3501 S Laramie Ave, Stickney, 708/780-3700, Racing season: Thoroughbred October-December; Harness January-February
• Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, 220 Cottage Hill (Wilder Park), Elmhurst 630/833-1616, Tuesday-Sunday, admission charge
• Long Grove Village, Old McHenry Rd & Coffin Rd, 847/634-9440, restored 19th century village Maywood Park Race Track, 8600 W North Ave, Maywood, 708/343-4800, racing season February-May; October-December
• Morton Arboretum, Rt 53 at I-88 (East/West Tollway), Lisle, 630/968-0074
• Oak Park Visitor Center, 158 Forest Ave, Oak Park, 708/848-1500, tours of Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio plus surrounding historic district
• Pleasant Home, (Formerly Farson Mills), 217 Home Ave, Oak Park, 708/383-2654, Thursday- Sunday, admission charge
• Ravinia Festival Park, Green Bay Rd, 1.5 blocks north of Lake Cook Rd, Highland Park, summer long concert series, Chicago Symphony Orchestra & visiting artists. www.ravinia.com
• Rosemont Convention Center, 555 N River Rd, Rosemont, 847/692-2220
• Gurnee Mills, I-94 at 132 West (Grand Ave), Gurnee, 1-800-937-7467, discount shopping
• Six Flags Great America, I-94 at 132 East (Grand Ave), Gurnee, 847/249-1776
• Sportsman's Park, 3301 S Laramie Ave, Stickney, 708/652-2812, Racing season: Thoroughbread February-May; Harness May-October
• Tweeter Center, Ridgeland Ave & Flossmoor Rd, Tinley Park, 708/614-1616, May- September

Sightseeing & Tours

Architecture: Chicago is not only the birthplace of the skyscraper, it's also home to some of the world's finest and most innovative architecture. Like most world-class cities, Chicago is best seen on foot. With very little effort, you can cut a wide swath across our vibrant cultural landscape.

• Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S Michigan Ave, 312/922-3432, trace the legacy of Chicago Architecture through a variety of critically acclaimed architectural tours of Chicago by foot, bus or boat.

Sightseeing by Bus

• American Sightseeing Chicago 312/251-3100
• Chicago Charter Express(double decker busses) 312/666-1000
• Chicago Trolley Company 773/648-5000

Sightseeing Boats

• Anita Dee Yacht Charters (year round) 773/281-1300
• Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruises (May-October) 312/922-TOUR
• Chicago from the Lake(April-October) 312/527-2002
• Mercury, Chicago's Skyline Cruiseline (May-September) 312/332-1368
• Odyssey Cruises (year round) 888/957-2325
• Shoreline Sightseeing Company (May-September) 312/222-9328
• Spirit of Chicago (year round) 312/836-7888
• Wendella Sightseeing Boats (late April-early October) 312/337-1446