City: Chicago, IL

Category: Tours & Attractions

Description: The names you’ll find at this 119-acre Northside cemetery read like a who’s who of Windy City movers and shakers, making it as much a stroll back through Chicago history as it is a final resting place. Amid the parklike setting of old-growth trees, a pond, subtle hills, and lush, landscaped lawns, are buried the likes of architects Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe—his minimalist style carried right through to his simple black granite marker designed by his grandson, architect Dirk Lohan. You’ll also spot the tombs of famous Chicago business moguls such as Potter Palmer, whose ostentatiously large Greek temple is unmissable. A giant stone baseball marks the grave of William Hubert, who founded the National League of Professional Baseball. Of all the markers, the must-see here is the understated Louis Sullivan–designed Getty Tomb, built for the wife of lumber merchant Henry Harrison Getty. You’re free to roam the grounds on your own—pick up a map at the office or download it from the website—or join one of the tours led by either the Chicago Architecture Foundation or the Chicago History Museum (check their respective calendars for dates). Tours charge a fee. Open daily until 4:30 p.m.; office closed on Sun.