Images
|
|
|
|
|
Tours in Chicago |
For a Half Day
Oak Park Neighbourhood: Two famous residents, architect Frank Lloyd Wright and writer Ernest Hemingway, made their home 16km (10 miles) west of the Loop in the suburb of Oak Park. The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation, 951 Chicago Avenue (tel: (708) 848 1976; website: www.wrightplus.org), was where, between 1898 and 1908, Wright developed his new approach to architecture. Foundation offerings include Prairie School of Architecture educational programmes, daily tours (usually between 1100 and 1500) of Frank Lloyd Wright structures and maps for exploring on your own. Discover aspects of the author's life and history at the Ernest Hemingway Museum (tel: (708) 848 2222; website: www.ehfop.org). Oak Park is reached on the CTA green line or on the METRA West Line to Oak Park station. Tourist information is available from the Oak Park Visitors Bureau, 1118 Westgate (tel: 1 888 625 7275 or (708) 524 7800; website: www.visitoakpark.com).
The North Shore: Rent a car and discover Chicagoland's North Shore. Take the Outer Drive north and continue down Sheridan road to Evanston past the scenic lakeside campus of Northwestern University, the Grosse Pointe Lighthouse to the delicately sculptured Baha'i Temple in Wilmette. Continue on Sheridan Road toward the winding roads, ravines and stately homes of Kenilworth, Glencoe and Winnetka. Turn left on Lake Cook Road to the Chicago Botanic Garden (tel: (847) 835 5440; website: www.chicago-botanic.org) and stroll along the numerous lush green paths and through the lovely English and Japanese gardens. Admission is free, but there is a charge for parking.
Cantigny: The 202-hectare (500-acre) estate of legendary Chicago Tribune editor and publisher from 1925-1955, Colonel Robert R McCormick, is one of the far west suburbs' key attractions. Originally built in 1899 by McCormick's grandfather and founder of the Chicago Tribune, Joseph Medill, the estate has 16 hectares (40 acres) of stately gardens and two museums. Embedded in the floor of the Visitors Center is a map of the property (1/25th scale). The Visitors Center also offers a 10-minute video of McCormick's life.
McCormick served in the US Army's First Division and The First Division Museum is devoted to the history of this infantry division from 1917 to Desert Storm. On the lawn are tanks from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The Robert R McCormick Museum is the colonel's 35-room, plantation-style mansion complete with original furniture, antiques and artwork. An entertaining introductory video is shown periodically in the home's own art-deco theatre. Well-informed guides help provide a glimpse into the 'Upstairs, Downstairs' lifestyle of mid-20th-century gentry. Cantigny also hosts a parade of special events throughout the year, including regionally known art shows and family festivals.
To reach Cantigny Park, 1 South 151 Winfield Road, Wheaton (tel: (630) 668 5161; website: www.cantignypark.com) by car, take I-290 West to I-88 West to Winfield Road. Free parking is available. The grounds are open Tues-Sun 0900-sunset (closed January) and the museums Tues-Sun 1000-1700 (summer), 1000-1600 (winter). Admission charged, concerts are free.
For a Whole Day
Milwaukee: No longer merely the land of beer and brats, Milwaukee is taking great pains to reinvent itself. It is worth the trip up there just to have a look at the stunning winged (or as some think of it, whale-fluked shaped) white Quadracci Pavilion of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, it has a moveable roof that opens and closes twice a day. When open, it spans over 66m (217ft) and looks like it will soar over Lake Michigan at any minute.
Milwaukee has many other interesting attractions to explore: museums, a very cool zoo, Potawatomi Bingo Casino, brewery tours and funky neighbourhoods. For motorcycle buffs, there is the House of Harley. You can learn all about the illustrious bike, plan a trip and talk with other bike enthusiasts. There are Harley tours at the PowerTrain Operations on Capitol Drive. Miller Park, the country's only ballpark with a retractable fan-shaped roof, is the place to see a baseball game. In fact, if the Brewers are playing the Chicago Cubs, the majority of fans will be Chicagoans.
Restaurants run the gamut from brats and wiener schnitzel to elegant, haute cuisine. Milwaukee is about 90 miles north of Chicago and easily accessible via I-94.
St Charles: The undulating hillsides and open prairie of St Charles are just one hour west of Chicago. Situated along the Fox River, the town is as much about the great outdoors as it is about shopping, eating and sightseeing. Float 6.4 km (4 miles) down the Fox River on a Paddlewheel Riverboat Cruise (tel: (630) 584 2334). Alternatively, canoes and pedal boats are available at Pottawatomie Park, 8 North Avenue. Other relaxing parks (website: www.st-charlesparks.org) include the Ferson Creek Park, on Route 31, two miles north of Main Street, and Mount St Mary Park, also on Route 31, to the west of Fox River and south of Prairie Street. The Fox River Trail, a spring and summer bike and hiking trail and a winter cross-country ski trail, borders the river.
The attractive historic town is a shopper's paradise with antique shops, boutiques, the Charlestowne Mall, 3800 East Main Street, and on the first Sunday of every month and the preceding Saturday afternoon, the Kane Flea Market, Kane County Fairgrounds, Randall Road and Route 64, with over 1,000 dealers, all hoping to catch the eye and wallet of every visitor. The Town House Books & Café, 105 North Second Avenue, is a wonderful place for browsing books and drinking coffee.
St Charles is one hour by road on Route 64. Contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Suite 100, 311 North Second Street (tel: 1 800 777 4373; website: www.visitstcharles.com), for further information.
Oak Park Neighbourhood: Two famous residents, architect Frank Lloyd Wright and writer Ernest Hemingway, made their home 16km (10 miles) west of the Loop in the suburb of Oak Park. The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation, 951 Chicago Avenue (tel: (708) 848 1976; website: www.wrightplus.org), was where, between 1898 and 1908, Wright developed his new approach to architecture. Foundation offerings include Prairie School of Architecture educational programmes, daily tours (usually between 1100 and 1500) of Frank Lloyd Wright structures and maps for exploring on your own. Discover aspects of the author's life and history at the Ernest Hemingway Museum (tel: (708) 848 2222; website: www.ehfop.org). Oak Park is reached on the CTA green line or on the METRA West Line to Oak Park station. Tourist information is available from the Oak Park Visitors Bureau, 1118 Westgate (tel: 1 888 625 7275 or (708) 524 7800; website: www.visitoakpark.com).
The North Shore: Rent a car and discover Chicagoland's North Shore. Take the Outer Drive north and continue down Sheridan road to Evanston past the scenic lakeside campus of Northwestern University, the Grosse Pointe Lighthouse to the delicately sculptured Baha'i Temple in Wilmette. Continue on Sheridan Road toward the winding roads, ravines and stately homes of Kenilworth, Glencoe and Winnetka. Turn left on Lake Cook Road to the Chicago Botanic Garden (tel: (847) 835 5440; website: www.chicago-botanic.org) and stroll along the numerous lush green paths and through the lovely English and Japanese gardens. Admission is free, but there is a charge for parking.
Cantigny: The 202-hectare (500-acre) estate of legendary Chicago Tribune editor and publisher from 1925-1955, Colonel Robert R McCormick, is one of the far west suburbs' key attractions. Originally built in 1899 by McCormick's grandfather and founder of the Chicago Tribune, Joseph Medill, the estate has 16 hectares (40 acres) of stately gardens and two museums. Embedded in the floor of the Visitors Center is a map of the property (1/25th scale). The Visitors Center also offers a 10-minute video of McCormick's life.
McCormick served in the US Army's First Division and The First Division Museum is devoted to the history of this infantry division from 1917 to Desert Storm. On the lawn are tanks from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The Robert R McCormick Museum is the colonel's 35-room, plantation-style mansion complete with original furniture, antiques and artwork. An entertaining introductory video is shown periodically in the home's own art-deco theatre. Well-informed guides help provide a glimpse into the 'Upstairs, Downstairs' lifestyle of mid-20th-century gentry. Cantigny also hosts a parade of special events throughout the year, including regionally known art shows and family festivals.
To reach Cantigny Park, 1 South 151 Winfield Road, Wheaton (tel: (630) 668 5161; website: www.cantignypark.com) by car, take I-290 West to I-88 West to Winfield Road. Free parking is available. The grounds are open Tues-Sun 0900-sunset (closed January) and the museums Tues-Sun 1000-1700 (summer), 1000-1600 (winter). Admission charged, concerts are free.
For a Whole Day
Milwaukee: No longer merely the land of beer and brats, Milwaukee is taking great pains to reinvent itself. It is worth the trip up there just to have a look at the stunning winged (or as some think of it, whale-fluked shaped) white Quadracci Pavilion of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, it has a moveable roof that opens and closes twice a day. When open, it spans over 66m (217ft) and looks like it will soar over Lake Michigan at any minute.
Milwaukee has many other interesting attractions to explore: museums, a very cool zoo, Potawatomi Bingo Casino, brewery tours and funky neighbourhoods. For motorcycle buffs, there is the House of Harley. You can learn all about the illustrious bike, plan a trip and talk with other bike enthusiasts. There are Harley tours at the PowerTrain Operations on Capitol Drive. Miller Park, the country's only ballpark with a retractable fan-shaped roof, is the place to see a baseball game. In fact, if the Brewers are playing the Chicago Cubs, the majority of fans will be Chicagoans.
Restaurants run the gamut from brats and wiener schnitzel to elegant, haute cuisine. Milwaukee is about 90 miles north of Chicago and easily accessible via I-94.
St Charles: The undulating hillsides and open prairie of St Charles are just one hour west of Chicago. Situated along the Fox River, the town is as much about the great outdoors as it is about shopping, eating and sightseeing. Float 6.4 km (4 miles) down the Fox River on a Paddlewheel Riverboat Cruise (tel: (630) 584 2334). Alternatively, canoes and pedal boats are available at Pottawatomie Park, 8 North Avenue. Other relaxing parks (website: www.st-charlesparks.org) include the Ferson Creek Park, on Route 31, two miles north of Main Street, and Mount St Mary Park, also on Route 31, to the west of Fox River and south of Prairie Street. The Fox River Trail, a spring and summer bike and hiking trail and a winter cross-country ski trail, borders the river.
The attractive historic town is a shopper's paradise with antique shops, boutiques, the Charlestowne Mall, 3800 East Main Street, and on the first Sunday of every month and the preceding Saturday afternoon, the Kane Flea Market, Kane County Fairgrounds, Randall Road and Route 64, with over 1,000 dealers, all hoping to catch the eye and wallet of every visitor. The Town House Books & Café, 105 North Second Avenue, is a wonderful place for browsing books and drinking coffee.
St Charles is one hour by road on Route 64. Contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Suite 100, 311 North Second Street (tel: 1 800 777 4373; website: www.visitstcharles.com), for further information.
View Our Airport Guides for Chicago:
Chicago Midway International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
