Chicago Visitor and Tourism Information
Chicago tourism is synonymous with spectacular theater, gourmet dining, world-class museums and great shopping. If you want to see exciting Broadway shows, enjoy international cuisine, soak up beautiful panoramas and shop ėtil you drop, Chicago is definitely the place for you! Chicago tourism offers something for everyone - young and old.
See the best of Broadway right here in Chicago
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| Annaleigh Ashford as Glinda in the Chicago company of WICKED © Joan Marcus |
Chicago tourism means a night on the town, with tickets to celebrated Broadway shows - from record-breaking musicals like "Mary Poppins" and "Jersey Boys" to award-winning productions like "A Chorus Line" and "Spring Awakening." Plus pre-Broadway world premieres like "The Addams Family” will make a visit to Chicago unforgettable. Historic venues such as the Cadillac Palace Theatre, Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre, the Bank of America Theatre and the Auditorium Theatre underscore the longevity of Chicago as a center for theatre. Historically celebrated theater companies such as The Goodman Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theater, Lookingglass Theatre and The Second City are world renowned for their exciting productions. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, explore Chicago's neighborhoods for theater created by hundreds of other talented, engaging and risk-taking companies. Don't forget to check out area institutions like the Lyric Opera, The Chicago Symphony and hundreds of blues and jazz clubs throughout the city.
Find the perfect gift or souvenir at Chicago's bustling department stores and chic designer boutiques
If shopping is your pleasure, Chicago tourism means a paradise of options. Shopping here means everything from small boutiques offering one-of-a-kind items to stores devoted to international designers. Check out the city's quiet, tree-lined shopping neighborhoods as well as the pulsating downtown shopping districts for beautiful clothes, leather goods, hand-crafted jewelry, antiques, furniture and more. State Street - that great street - sits amidst Chicago's Downtown Theater District creating the ideal day of shopping and entertainment. So whether you are looking for the prefect lithograph in a River North Gallery, a hand-painted silk scarf in Wicker Park or the latest designer suit in an historic downtown department store, when it comes to shopping, Chicago offers something for every taste and budget.
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| Sears Tower |
Enjoy International Cuisine on any budget
Chicago means great food. Dine at four-star French restaurants or munch on a Chicago-style pizza or Italian beef. Choose from spicy Thai, sophisticated Mexican or simple burgers and fries. We have virtually hundreds of great restaurants serving Greek, Cantonese, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Afghani, African, Turkish, Korean and vegetarian food. Visit China Town for great Dim Sum, Greek Town for flaming saganaki or Old Town for great steaks and folk music. The Downtown Theater District is home to some of the most dynamic and satisfying restaurants in the city, making your need to combine epicurean delights with unequaled entertainment easy to satisfy.
Attractions and cultural offerings will round out your visit
In the summer, enjoy scenic cruises on beautiful Lake Michigan or take the Chicago Architectural boat ride on the river. Don't miss taking a spin on the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier or taking in the view from the Hancock Observatory or the Sears Tower Skydeck, any time of year. Just steps away from the Downtown Theater District you will the city's world famous public sculptures including the Picasso statue on Daley Plaza, Cloudgate (also known by locals as The Bean) in beautiful Millennium Park, Alexander Calder's The Flamingo on Federal Center Plaza, Jean Dubuffet's Standing Beast on the State of Illinois Building plaza and Chagall's Four Seasons mosaic on Chase Plaza.
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| Navy Pier |
For more cultural immersion, the city boasts some of the best museums in the world. Check out the 1944 German submarine - the U-505 - at the Museum of Science and Industry. See the world's largest and most complete T. rex, Sue, at the Field Museum. On the same museum campus you will also find dolphins and sharks at the Shedd Aquarium, and all the mysteries of the skies at the Adler Planetarium. If art is your thing, you can visit the French Impressionist Gallery at the Art Institute, home to one of the largest collections of Impressionist art outside of Paris. Just up Michigan Avenue from the Art Institute you will find the Museum of Contemporary Art, a state of the art museum focusing on surrealism, minimalism, conceptual photography and work by area based artists.
Find what you want to see easily.
Thanks to the city's convenient public transportation system, it couldn't be easier to get from one unique neighborhood to another, from one outstanding cultural experience to another. Public trains and buses run regularly and you can find cabs on virtually every street corner. All of the public transportation systems will lead you to the Downtown Theater District.
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