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If you’re looking for fun and adventure mixed with great culture and history in a bustling and happening city, then look no further than the exciting city of Chicago, Illinois for your next vacation.
Chicago is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States, and for good reason. Chicago has much to offer tourists, guests visiting family and friends, and locals alike on a year-round, everyday basis.
Often referred to as the “Windy City” and the “Second City,” Chicago ranks high on the scale of the “things-to-do, places-to-see” domain. In fact, there are so many different options for what you can do and see during your stay in Chicago that it’s hard to know where to start.
For children, the young at heart, and animal lovers of all ages, Chicago offers two of the best zoos in the U.S. The Brookfield Zoo, located just outside Chicago, is a must-see, with its vast array of wildlife and beautiful and unique animals—more than 2,000 species, in fact—for your viewing pleasure. The Lincoln Park Zoo in northern Chicago is also highly recommended and more than worth your time.
Fine arts meet history in the magnificent and renowned Apollo Theatre located in the heart of the city of three million, in the Lincoln Park theater district. The famous Apollo stage has hosted many fabulous performances over the years, and to this day continues to be the home of many comedic and dramatic plays, musicals, concerts, and other special events.
Chicago boasts a number of other spectacular landmarks and attractions as well, including both the Sears Tower Skydeck and the John Hancock Observatory. Both landmarks give the tourist a breathtaking bird’s-eye view at about 1,000 feet above the ground of not only Chicago and all its dazzling splendor, but also of the entire Chicagoland, which encompasses parts of neighboring states Indiana and Wisconsin, in addition to Illinois’ Chicago and surrounding counties.
Many tourists prefer to visit these landmarks either at night—complete with all the city’s stunning lights—or at sunset, for a glorious view of the sky. The summer nights in Chicago, by the shores of Lake Michigan, are ofter illuminated by spectacular fireworks. These pyrotechnical feasts can be best viewed by the Navy Pier.
For an all-in-one journey through much of Chicago’s cultural and historical landmarks, check out the Amazing Chicago Funhouse Maze down at the Navy Pier, which is also home to Time Escape, a motion simulation taking you through the history of Chicago.
Another great way to experience Chicago and all it has to offer is through one of the available boat tours, which take you around Chicago and are more leisurely in nature, or city bus tours, which take you through the streets of Chicago, with tour guides pointing out landmarks and giving historical information.
Chicago hosts a wide variety of annual festivals and shows that draw in large crowds comprising locals, residents of nearby communities and counties, and tourists who travel in from all over the place. A few of the more popular ones include the Chicago Blues Festival, Taste of Chicago, Venetian Night, and the Chicago Air & Water Show—which are all held in summertime, generally from about mid-June until the end of August.
Chicago is also home to one of the magnificent Six Flags theme parks, so if you love thrills and rides galore, take a day to spend at Six Flags for more fun and excitement that you can handle. Great for families with children, couples, and groups of friends.
Of course, what trip to a great American city would be complete without taking the time to check out at least a few of its museums? Although Chicago offers a wide selection, if you go to Museum Campus, you can take in The Field Museum, Adler Planetarium, and Shedd Aquarium all in one stop.
If Chicago is tempting the traveler inside you to witness its landmarks first-hand and partake in its many attractions, start making your travel plans today! Book some time off work, and then start conducting some research well enough in advance for you to be able to find great deals and special discounts for a travel package to Chicago.
Chicago is one of America's biggest and brightest cities. Perched on the shore of Lake Michigan, the Windy City has the third-highest urban population in the US. Officially incorporated in 1837, the city of Chicago is now home to famous landmarks such as Wrigley Field, Willis Tower, and the Cloud Gate sculpture.
Chicago's story begins in the pre-Colombian era, so let's go back in time and explore the history of Chicago.
Before Europeans arrived, the Chicago region was home to several Native American tribes derived from the Algonquian culture. Two of the major tribes associated with the area were the Miami and the Potawatomi. By 1670, the Miami had founded a small settlement near the site of modern Chicago.
This settlement occupied a strategic portage – an area of muddy ground connecting Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River. Understandably, this natural crossing attracted the interest of European explorers. In 1673, Native Americans from the Kaskaskia tribe guided the Jolliet-Marquette expedition – a French group led by Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette – to the Chicago Portage.
The French maintained relations with the tribes around the Chicago Portage and constructed forts and missions in the area. However, they didn't attempt to settle there.
Chicago's first non-native settler was Jean Baptiste Point du Sable – an ex-slave from Africa who married a Native American woman. In approximately 1790, Point du Sable founded a farm near the mouth of the Chicago River. It wasn't long before a thriving settlement sprang up around the farm. Chicago's history had begun.
Shortly after Point du Sable established his farm, Chicago rapidly began to expand. In 1795, the United States won the Northwest Indian War after defeating a confederation of Native American tribes. Many tribes ceded land to the US Military, including the land that would become Chicago.
To protect their new possession, the US Military constructed Fort Dearborn on the south bank of the Chicago River in 1803. However, in 1812, a group of Potawatomi warriors attacked the fort. In what became known as the Battle of Fort Dearborn, the US garrison was forced to evacuate and the Potawatomi burned down the fort. After the land was reacquired in 1816, Fort Dearborn was rebuilt and remained in service until 1837.
In 1830, the surveyor James Thompson was commissioned to create a plan for the town of Chicago. This marks the official start of Chicago's history as an urban center. When Thompson drafted his plan, Chicago had 100 inhabitants. By the time the town was granted a city charter in 1837, the population had skyrocketed to nearly 4000 people.
Even before Chicago officially became a city, entrepreneurs saw its potential as a huge transport and trade hub. The Illinois and Michigan Canal was opened in 1848, placing Chicago at the center of a shipping route connecting the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
After receiving its first railway in 1848, Chicago became a hub for over 30 railway routes by the 1850s. Even at this time, Chicago was seen as the main transport hub of the United States. The major railway routes from the East Coast terminated in Chicago, while new routes to the West Coast started out from the city.
It wasn't long before factories and warehouses were founded to take advantage of Chicago's national transport links. Natural resources uncovered by the colonization of the West flooded back through Chicago to the East Coast. By 1854, Chicago's population had ballooned to 30,000 people.
But the site wasn't without its problems. Due to its proximity to the Chicago Portage, the city was built on low-lying ground that frequently flooded. The lack of drainage also meant that the city suffered from terrible living conditions and frequent disease outbreaks. One of the worst was a massive cholera outbreak in 1854.
In 1856, the city government hatched a plan to (quite literally) raise Chicago out of the mud. Engineers used jackscrews to raise Chicago's buildings and streets by up to five feet, hauling the city out of the boggy mud it had originally sat on. An extensive sewer system was also built to improve sanitation.
One of the most impressive achievements was the raising of the Brigg's Hotel. Despite the brick building weighing over 22,000 tons, engineers lifted the hotel while guests continued to go in and out! The plan worked, and by 1870 Chicago's population had eclipsed 300,000 people.
On October 8th, 1871, a huge fire erupted in Chicago. The blaze caused immense devastation, destroying 17,000 buildings in a 3-mile radius. Approximately 300 citizens died, and 100,000 people – a third of the city's population – were left homeless. The tragedy attracted donations and financial support from around the world, and Chicago quickly began to rebuild.
More disarray followed in 1877. As part of the Great Railroad Strike, railway workers in Chicago went on strike to protest wage cuts and working conditions. For four days, protesters from various industries joined the railway workers and took to the streets. Although many protests were peaceful, some devolved into riots as protesters clashed with and police. As many as 30 rioters died, while up to 100 citizens and 13 policemen were injured.
As the 1800s progressed, Chicago continued to grow and thrive. Danish architect Jens Jensen helped transform several of the city's parks, including Columbus Park and Garfield Park. In 1893, Chicago hosted one of the most influential world fairs in history – the World's Columbian Exposition – which attracted 27.5 million visitors. Some of the temporary buildings were so striking that the area was called the “White City”.
This was a golden age for Chicago's architecture. Famous landmarks like the Art Institute of Chicago (1879), the Field Museum (1893), and the Navy Pier (1916) were all built in this period. Wrigley Field, one of the oldest baseball stadiums in America, was built in 1914.
One of the most infamous periods in Chicago's history was the Prohibition era. In January 1920, a blanket ban on the production, selling, and consumption of alcohol was voted into law by Congress. However, crime lords and organized gangs began smuggling alcohol into the US from Canada and Mexico.
In cities like Chicago, secret bars sprang up where citizens could drink alcohol in secret. These clandestine bars were known as speakeasies. Chicago had thousands of speakeasies hidden across the city, and various organized crime gangs battled to control the alcohol supply.
One of the most famous gangsters of Prohibition-era Chicago was Al Capone. After coming to Chicago in 1919 from New York, Capone rose from a bouncer to become the crime boss of the Chicago Outfit. Capone seized control of large parts of Chicago's bootlegging operations and cultivated relationships with corrupt politicians to protect himself from persecution.
However, on Valentine's Day in 1929, seven members of the North Side Gang – one of Capone's biggest rivals – were lined up and gunned down by four men. The attack became known as the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. It's likely that Capone was involved, making law enforcement even more eager to bring him down.
After being called “Public Enemy No. 1” by several prominent citizens, Capone was arrested on 22 counts of tax evasion. Capone was sent to prison in 1932, and a year later, Prohibition was repealed across the United States.
Another infamous gangster was John Dillinger, whose gang raided nearly 30 banks and police stations across the Midwest, including around Chicago. Dillinger was romanticized by the media and narrowly escaped conviction after murdering a police officer in Indiana. Dillinger was killed by law enforcement in Chicago in 1934.
The Adler Planetarium was built in 1930, while the Museum of Science & Industry opened its doors in 1933.
During World War Two, Chicago was the location of a crucial development for the Allied victory. On December 2nd, 1942, the Manhattan Project carried out the world's first controlled atomic reaction on the campus of the University of Chicago. This experiment paved the way for the creation of the atomic bombs that forced Japan to surrender in 1945.
Chicago's population growth continued until the 1950s and 1960s when it finally began to drop as families spread to the suburbs. In 1950, Chicago had over 3.5 million residents. The population wouldn't increase again until 2000.
Nowadays, Chicago attracts millions of tourists a year – with approximately 30.7 million visitors in 2021. Famous landmarks old and new are some of Chicago's main attractions, including Willis Tower (1973) and Millennium Park (2004) The famous Cloud Gate sculpture, also known as “the Bean” was added to Millennium Park in 2006.