City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 220 E. Chicago Ave.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
33. National Hellenic Museum
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (312) 655-1234
Address: 333 S. Halsted St.
Description: It’s all Greek to them, and that’s a good thing at this first-rate museum that just moved to a brand-new building in the West Loop’s Greektown neighborhood. In a tribute to ancient Greek storytelling, the museum’s collections cover everything from original Greek civilizations to contemporary culture. Through the words of Homer, Herodotus, Aristotle, and modern-day families who traveled from Greece to America, you’ll get a true sense of Greek heritage and traditions, art, and culture. Exhibits include ancient ceramics, modern art, handmade textiles, traditional costumes, vintage photos, and musical instruments. Admission $5; under 12 free. Open Tues through Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat and Sun 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mon.
34. National Museum Of Mexican Art
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (312) 738-1503
Address: 1852 W. 19th St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Tucked along the edge of Harrison Park in the largely Latino Pilsen neighborhood, this gem of a museum presents carefully laid-out galleries that showcase artwork focusing on Mexican culture across the country and across the border. Past exhibits have covered subjects such as the commonalities between Chicago’s Mexican and African-American communities; the annual Dia de los Muertos; and Chicano art as a recognized “school” of art, gathering works mostly from the collection of Cheech Marin. Fifteen of the exhibits organized here have gone on to travel to other US and Mexican museums. A dynamic performing arts series includes film, literature, dance, culinary arts, and more. Free. Open Tues to Sun 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
35. National Veterans Art Museum
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (312) 326-0270
Address: 1801 S. Indiana Ave.
Description: When you first enter this museum, you’re struck by a clinking noise coming from overhead. You glance up to see what it is. And then you’re stopped cold. It’s more than 58,000 dog tags, imprinted with the names of the servicemen and women who died in the Vietnam War. Titled Above & Beyond, the sculpture is just one of the poignant and sometimes heart-wrenching exhibits of this unique museum, the only one in the world to focus on war through art. Founded in 1981 as a series of exhibits, the museum opened in 1986, and it broadened its reach in 2003 to showcase artwork by veterans of all wars. Admission $10; students $7. Open Tues through Sat 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1155 E. 58th St.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 2430 N. Cannon Dr.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 5550 S. Greenwood Ave.
39. Spertus Institute
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (312) 322-1700
Address: 610 S. Michigan Ave.
Description: What began in 1924 as Chicago’s College of Jewish Studies has developed into a complete learning center, grounded in Jewish values and offering education in the form of not only degree programs, but continuing education, lectures, seminars, concerts, and films. Now based in a glittering new glass structure of geometric angles, designed by Chicago’s award-winning Krueck + Sexton Architects in 2007, its light-filled ground floor features a currently evolving exhibit titled “Uncovered & Rediscovered: Stories of Jewish Chicago.” On the second floor, video clips about Jewish life in Chicago continues the story, while an “interactive map” lets visitors add their own chapter. Free. Open Sun through Thurs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Fri and Sat.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 5211 N. Clark St.
41. Agora
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Stumbling upon the 106 9-foot-tall headless bronze figures at the southwest end of Grant Park is quite a startling experience. Poised in various walking and standing positions, they seem a ghostly presence and yet stunningly beautiful. The imposing sculpture is the largest of many like this created by internationally acclaimed artist Magdalena Abakanowicz, who uses these forms as a way to express the image of the unthinking crowd.
42. Batcolumn
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (877) 244-2246
Address: 600 W. Madison St.
Description: Though some people laughed off this Claes Oldenburg obelisk when it was dedicated in 1977, the 101-foot-high lattice-design steel gray baseball bat has become a local favorite. Considering Chicago is such a baseball- and skyscraper-loving city, how could it be anything but a home run?
43. Flamingo
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (877) 244-2246
Address: 230 S. Dearborn St.
Description: Standing on four graceful legs in the center of the Loop’s Federal Plaza, this abstract sculpture is not actually flamingo-pink, but a striking vermilion red. Designed by renowned American artist Alexander Calder, the 5-story sculpture—referred to most often by locals as simply, “the Calder,”—provides a spirited contrast to the trio of black, blocky Mies van der Rohe buildings that surround it. Go ahead and walk under it and around it. And for a free viewing of Calder’s famous mobiles, take a step into the lobby of the nearby Willis (formerly Sears) Tower.
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
45. Four Seasons
City: Chicago, IL
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 10 S. Dearborn St.
Description: A gift to the city from its French artist Marc Chagall in 1974, this 70-foot-long, 14-foot-high rectangular box is composed of thousands of mosaic tiles in more than 250 colors. Wrapping around its four sides, the mesmerizing image depicts the four seasons as a symbol of the journey of life, with tiles hailing from Italy, France, Norway, Belgium, Israel, and right here in Chicago.