Chicago is a city full of cultural offerings, from excellent art museums to great parks and legendary nightclubs. Go to a baseball game, the zoo, or learn about the architecture and history. There's something for everyone in Chicago.

1. The Top Attractions in Chicago
Chicago is a city full of cultural offerings, from excellent art
museums to great parks and legendary nightclubs. Go to a
baseball game, the zoo, or learn about the architecture and
history. There’s something for everyone in Chicago.
Here’s our favorites:

2. 1. Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago is the 2nd largest art museum in the United States,
with a permanent collection that contains over 260,000 pieces and includes
preeminent examples of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, American
art, Old Masters, European and American decorative arts, and Asian art.
There is a separate wing that houses Modern art and its massive art collection
is world-renowned. Famous paintings on display include: A Sunday
Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatteby Seurat, The Old Guitarist by
Picasso, Water Lilies by Monet, and American Gothic by Grant Wood. The
museum is centrally located in Chicago’s Grant Park, where two bronze lions
stand guard flanking the entrance – read more here (Photo by Teemu008)

3. 2. Millennium Park
Millennium Park is a 25 acre urban park with green space, public art,
landscaped gardens, and event space located in Chicago between the Loop
and Lake Michigan and just north of the larger and older Grant Park. The
park opened in 2004 and was built to celebrate the new millennium. The star
attraction is the oft-photographed Cloud Gate (the Bean), but there’s plenty
more to see. The 50-foot tall Crown Fountain is public art sculpture that
allows kids can play in the water, and there’s also Lurie Garden, the
McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, the BP Pedestrian Bridge, and the Nichols
Bridgeway. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion was designed by Frank Gehry and is
used for free outdoor concerts. A multilevel parking garage are now located
beneath the park – read more here (Photo by Calamity_sal)

4. 3. Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is widely considered to be one of the great cathedrals of
baseball, and visiting the stadium is a link back to the origins of baseball. In
2014, Wrigley turned 100 years old, and it’s been the home field of the
Chicago Cubs for 98 of those 100 years. For the two years before that, it was
home to the Chicago Whales. It is the second oldest stadium in MLB after
Fenway Park in Boston. Iconic images at Wrigley include the ivy on the
outfield walls, the famous marquee out front, the hand-operated scoreboard,
the bleachers and rooftops across the street, and the pennants flying above the
scoreboard. Consider taking a tour of Wrigley Field. Tours include visits to
the field, the locker room, and the press box – read more here (Photo
by Chris Brown)

5. 4. Willis Tower
Willis Tower in Chicago is 1,353 feet tall and was the tallest building in the
world when it was completed in 1973. It is currently the tallest building in the
Western Hemisphere and the 7th in the world. Visitors can take a super-fast
elevator that travels from the lobby to the Skydeck on the 103rd floor in 60
seconds. Once there, fearless visitors can then step out onto one of The
Ledges, which are glass boxes that extend out 4 feet from the Skydeck and
have a glass floor. (One of the Ledges was closed for a short time in 2014
after the glass floor cracked.) – read more here (Photo by David Berkowitz)

6. 5. Chicago Architecture Foundation Tours
Chicago is the “City of the Big Shoulders,” and the Chicago Architecture
Foundation Tours offers a great introduction to the city’s history and culture
by exploring Chicago’s massive skyscrapers, magnificent churches, grand
hotels, and other historically significant buildings. The Foundation
offers more than 85 different tours of the city. Tours can be taken by boat (the
most popular tours), bike, €€L€€, bus, segway, or walking. The
Foundation is a nonprofit organization, and tour guides are very
knowledgeable and accommodating – read more here (Photo by Smart
Destinations)

7. 6. The Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History contains a staggering 26 million
artifacts and specimens, making it one of the premiere natural history
museums in the world. The collection is so massive that only 1% of the items
can be displayed at any one time. The museum was originally called the Field
Columbian Museum, and it opened in 1893 as part the Chicago World’s Fair
and housed a collection of artifacts and exhibits. It moved to its current
location near the John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium in
1921. A visit to The Field Museum is a walk through history. The favorite
exhibit is probably Sue, the largest and best preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex
specimen ever found. Other favorite exhibit include Inside Ancient Egypt,
which contains 23 complete mummies and an actual Book of the Dead, and
The Ancient Americas, which dwells on the life and culture of the Native
Americans – read more here (Photo by Allison Meier)

8. 7. Museum of Science and Industry
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago is the largest science
museum in the western hemisphere with over 35,000 artifacts spread across
14 acres. The huge and sprawling complex opened in 1933 south of
downtown in the beautiful former Palace of Fine Arts that was built for the
1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The most popular exhibits include a
German U-505 submarine captured during WWII, a full-size replica Coal
Mine, the Silver Streak Pioneer Zephyr Train, and the Apollo 8 spacecraft
that carried the first humans to the moon – read more here (Photo by Annette
Stahelin)

9. 8. Lincoln Park Zoo
Lincoln Park Zoo is a 35-acre zoo just north of downtown Chicago that was
founded in 1868, making it one of the oldest zoos in the country. It’s not as
large as the Brookfield Zoo west of town, but it is more accessible and
compact. And it’s free. The zoo began in 1868 with the donation of a pair of
swans from New York’s Central Park, and now there are now over 1,200
animals. Wide walking paths are flanked by flowering gardens and mature
shade trees and meander between the old Georgian Revival buildings and
modern structures that house the indoor animals – read more here (Photo
by Valerie Everett)

10. 9. 360 Chicago
360 Chicago in located on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Tower, which
is a 100-story, 1,127-foot tall skyscraper on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The
Tower was completed in 1968 and is now Chicago’s 4th tallest building, but
it has some of the most unobstructed views of the skyline. To get to 360
Chicago (formerly John Hancock Observatory), visitors take North America’s
fastest elevator, which whisks them to the 94th floor in 40 seconds. For the
more brave at heart, there is TILT, which allows 8 people at a time to tilt
outward from the building and look downward from 1,000 feet – read more
here (Photo by Monika Thorpe)

11. 10. Magnificent Mile
The Magnificent Mile is world famous and a must-see for any visitor to
Chicago who likes to shop. The shopping opportunities include both high-end
department stores and smaller luxury boutiques, and there are also many
luxury-class hotels are also in the area. The prestigious section of Michigan
Avenue runs from the Chicago River to Oak Street in the Near North Side,
and it serves as the main thoroughfare between the Loop business district and
the Gold Coast – read more here (Photo by Stephen Hanafin)

12. 11. Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium houses 1500 species of fish, marine mammals, snakes, and
amphibians and is one of the most popular attractions in Chicago. When the
Shedd opened in 1930, it contained over 25,000 fish, making it the largest
indoor aquarium in the world when it opened, and the only inland aquarium
with a permanent saltwater fish collection. Animal highlights of a visit
include Beluga whales, Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Nickel the Green Sea
Turtle, California Sea Lions, and Bob the Grand Caymon Blue Iguana.
Maybe the most famous animal is Granddad, an Australian lungfish, who has
been a resident at the Shedd since 1933. The Shedd is located at the Museum
Campus on the Lake Michigan shore near the Field Museum and the Adler
Planetarium – read more here (Photo by Michael Gray)

13. 12. Chicago Cultural Center
The Chicago Cultural Center is the perfect place to start off a visit to the
city. Housed in a beautiful, historic building that takes up an entire downtown
block, the Center not only serves as Chicago’s official visitor’s center, it also
houses art galleries and hosts hundreds of concerts, recitals, dance
performances, and films throughout the best. It is considered one of the most
comprehensive arts showcases in the country, and, best of all, everything is
free. The Visitor’s Resource Center is located on the first floor of the Beaux
Arts style building and is the perfect to get expert advice on the best Chicago
sites and attractions. Be sure to note the the Tiffany-stained glass dome – it’s
the largest in the world and has an estimated worth of $35 million – read
more here (Photo by Velvet)

14. 13. The Second City
For comedy fans, Second City is a Chicago must-see attraction.
The improvisational comedy company that was founded in 1959 in Chicago’s
Old Town neighborhood and is considered to be one of the best launching
pad for comedians in the whole country. Comedians who got their start at
Second City include Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, John Belushi, John Candy, Bill
Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Stephen Colbert, and Tina Fey. Second City has since
expanded to other locations, including Toronto and Los Angeles. The shows
consist of a rotation of comedy skits with a few improv segments thrown
in. Tip: don’t sit in the first few rows if you don’t want to be chosen to come
on stage – read more here (Photo by John)

15. 14. The Green Mill
The Green Mill is the oldest nightclub in Chicago and may be the oldest jazz
club in the country. In addition to offering some of the finest jazz in town, it
is a great place to try Chicago’s ownMalort liqueur. The bar opened in 1907
as Pop Morse’s Roadhouse and was changed to The Green Mill in 1910 when
an actual green windmill was attached to the roof. During the Prohibition era,
tunnels under the bar were used to smuggle in booze, and business boomed.
Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn, who was Al Capone’s most trusted gunman,
was a part-owner of the club, and Capone was a frequent patron. His table
can still be found in the club – read more here (Photo by Señor Codo)

16. 15. Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio is located in Chicago’s Oak
Park neighborhood and is where Wright developed his Prairie School of
Architecture style. Wright purchased the property in 1889 at the age of 22.
He and his wife, Catherine, raised six children in the home and lived there
until 1909, when Wright left his wife and moved to Germany with another
woman. The home itself is not a textbook example of the Prairie style, but it
does include the “inglenook” fireplaces, innovative floor plans, art-glass
windows, and horizontal sightlines that were to become representative of the
Prairie style. In 1976, the home was declared a National Historic
Landmark. Tours of the Home and Studio are inclusive enough to include
explanations of the thought processes behind his designs – read more
here (Photo by Teemu008)

17. 16. Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is consistently cited as one of the
greatest orchestras in the world and is known as one of the “Big Five” U.S.
orchestras along with the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony
Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra. Any
chance to see them will be a highlight of a trip to Chicago. The Symphony
makes its home at Orchestra Hall in the Symphony Center and performs over
100 concerts annually. The CSO maintains a summer home at the Ravinia
Festival in Highland Park. Symphony Center is located in Chicago’s Loop
and also includes Buntrock Hall, Grainger Ballroom, a rotunda, offices, and a
restaurant – read more here (Photo by Mark Ordonez)

18. 17. Oriental Institute Museum
The Oriental Institute Museum is part of the University of Chicago and is
dedicated to the history, art, and archaeology of the ancient Near East,
including Mesopotamia, Egypt, Nubia, Persia, Sumeria, Syria, and
Anatolia. Works range from 10,000 BC to around 650 CE, and there are over
30,000 artifacts from Egypt alone. The University sponsored expeditions to
the Middle East as far back as 1896, and the Oriental Institute Museum was
opened in 1931 to showcase the collection to the public. One of the major
expeditions of the Institute was conducted in Egypt between the years 1926
to 1933 and included the excavation of the tomb of King Tutankhamun. The
excavation discovered two statues of the king – one resides at the Institute
and the other at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo – read more here (Photo by
benet2006)

19. 18. Buddy Guy’s Legends
Buddy Guy’s Legends was opened in 1989 by the blues guitar legend and
has since became the premiere venue for blues music in Chicago. The club
features live music every day of the week with a mix of nationally known and
up-and-coming acts. The cozy environment sports memorabilia on the wall
and a menu of southern and Cajun food. Buddy Guy is regularly in the house,
and in the last few years he has been there for a January residency. The
nightclub is consistently hailed by authority sources as one of the best blues
clubs in America – read more here (Photo by Matthew Ginger)

20. 19. Merz Apothecary
To enter Merz Apothecary is to step back in time to an era when drugstores
didn’t just have pharmacists filling prescriptions written out by doctors.
When Peter Merz opened his shop in 1875, pharmacists filled the role of a
chemist – they would listen to the customer explain his condition and then
make up a custom remedy by combining an ingredient from one glass jar
with ingredients from other glass jars. The shop originally served the
European immigrant community and specialized in using traditional
European remedies and herbal medicines to treat his clientele. Merz moved to
a new, larger location in 1982, which was built to resemble a turn-of-the-
century European Apothecary. Merz has become a mecca for people who
want unique and natural products for their bodies, and it’s a great place to
shop for homeopathic medicine, vitamins and other natural remedies, plus
European soaps, lotions, and skin care products – read more
here (Photo by Andy Piper)

21. 20. Navy Pier
The Navy Pier was built in 1916 on Chicago’s shoreline, and it juts out
3,300-foot into Lake Michigan. It is Chicago’s number one tourist
attraction. Stuff to do at there include plenty of touristy stuff that can be
found in other cities, but there’s also attrctions that are unique to Chicago,
including the Chicago Children’s Museum, Shakespeare Theater, and Crystal
Gardens. Every summer the pier is home to a Beer Garden and in the winter
there is a Winter Wonder Fest – read more here (Photo by Jeff Dell)

22. 21. Grant Park
Grant Park occupies a beautiful stretch of land between the skyscrapers of
the Loop and the Lake Michigan waterfront, providing a central gathering
place for both Chicagoans and visitors. The park provides on-lookers with
breathtaking views of one of the most revered skylines in the
world. Attractions include: Buckingham Fountain – one of the world’s largest
fountains, the Museum Campus of the Adler Planetarium, Field Museum of
Natural History, and Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago,
and Millennium Park – read more here (Photo by Marit & Toomas
Hinnosaar)

23. 22. Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Steppenwolf Theatre Company was founded in the basement of a church in
Highland Park in 1974 and has grown to become an internationally renowned
and Tony Award-winning theatre company. Actors who began their careers at
there include John Malkovich, Martha Plimpton, and Nick Offerman, and
many of their productions travelling to New York, Los Angeles, and other
cities. Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents modern plays using Chicago-
based actors, directors, and playwrights. The acting is always professional
and excellent – read more here (Photo by Seth Anderson)
Featured photo by Giuseppe Milol. All photos CC-BY-2.0.
See our list of the 49 best things to do in Chicago here.