Chicago Water Works Visitor Information Center

Plan to visit this information center in the Historic Water Tower building and receive brochures featuring attractions and special events. Friendly information representatives will answer your questions and assist in planning an itinerary.

CITY: Chicago

Victorian Cottage Museum

DuPage County, Chicago’s Western Suburbs - This Victorian home features rooms furnished with artifacts exemplifying the lifestyle of the emerging middle-class during the 1870s. Group tours welcome seven days a week with advanced reservations. Walk-in hours Wednesdays & Sundays. Free admission.

CITY: Lombard

Roselle Historical Museum

The Sumner home, along with two others, features historical displays and replicas. One of the houses is restored as a 1920's working-class home.

CITY: Roselle

Loyola University Museum of Art

The Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) is located on the Magnificent Mile in Lewis Towers, a historic 1926 Gothic Revival building. The museum, with 25,000 square feet contains eight main exhibition galleries, the William G. and Marilyn M. Simpson Lecture Hall, the Solomon Cordwell Buenz Library of Sacred Art and Architecture, the Museum Shop, the Push Pin Gallery, and the Harlan J. Berk Ltd. Works on Paper Gallery. The mission of the museum is illustrated in the first floor lobby by the Windows of Faith, representing the five major faiths of Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.

CITY: Chicago

National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame

The NIASHF is a museum and educational institution whose mission is to preserving honorable values through sports by honoring and promoting the history and heritage of Italian Americans who have made significant contributions to sports and society.

CITY: Chicago

Pritzker Military Library

"The Pritzker Military Library offers books, audiovisuals, prints, regalia, magazines, speakers and online resources concentrating on military history, specifically the role of the Citizen Soldier.

CITY: Chicago

Sensing Chicago at the Chicago History Museum

Make the new Chicago History Museum your family's number-one destination for fun. There's always something new at the Museum to inspire imagination and satisfy young curiosities. Our exhibition Sensing Chicago invites children of all ages to explore the sights, sounds, and smells of the city. Visit the gallery to: Ride a high-wheel bicycle down a wood-paved street Hear the Great Chicago Fire. Catch a fly ball at Comiskey Park. Discover history through your nose with our Smell Map. Be a Chicago-style hot dog. Create an oversized postcard of your favorite sights to post on the gallery wall or e-mail to a friend. Let your senses guide you to other exciting galleries in the Museum! The Museum makes it fun for families to explore our exhibitions. In addition to our highly acclaimed children’s gallery, families are invited to participate in our History a la Cart interactive gallery stations.

CITY: Chicago

Grayslake Heritage Center

A state-of-the-art history museum dedicated to collecting and sharing the history of the greater Grayslake area. The Grayslake Heritage Center offers programs, exhibitions and special events all year round and includes two galleries, a community room, and a classroom.

CITY: Grayslake

Historic Pleasant Home - Oak Park

Explore the opulent 30-room mansion designed by prominent Prairie School architect Geroge H. Maher

CITY: Oak Park

Barrington Area Library

This full-service library presents a variety of arts events throughout the year.

CITY: Barrington

Jane Addams Hull House Museum

Visit two restored original buildings from Chicago's first settlement house. Exhibits and educational programs depict the life and work of courageous social worker and Illinois native Jane Addams.

CITY: Chicago

DuSable Museum of African American History

The nation's first independent museum dedicated to the history of African Americans.

CITY: Chicago

International Museum of Surgical Science

Housed in a historic landmark mansion on the Gold Coast, the collections and exhibits portray the mysteries and milestones that have shaped modern surgical science. Of special interest to those in the medical field, our collection appeals to anyone interested in the history of surgery by means of art, surgical instruments, architecture, and books.

CITY: Chicago

Notebaert Nature Museum

Located in Lincoln Park, the Nature Museum engages visitors in new ways to connect with and preserve the natural world through a unique indoor/outdoor experience.

CITY: Chicago

Tribune Tower

Home of the Chicago Tribune newspaper offices, this Gothic-Revival landmark features flying buttresses and gargoyles This is a result of New York architects John Mead Howells and Raymond M. Hood's design that was chosen as a winner out of 263 entries from twenty-three countries during an international architectural competition to immodestly "erect the most beautiful building in the world" in 1922.

CITY: Chicago

National Hellenic Museum

The National Hellenic Museum is the only major museum in the United States dedicated to telling the story of Greek history, culture and arts from ancient times to today. It's mission is to preserve and explore Hellenism and to chronicle the Greek American journey through exhibitions, oral histories, archival collections and education programs. It's purpose is to inspire in people of all backgrounds a curiosity for their own story through a greater connection to Greek history, culture and the arts.

CITY: Chicago

Elk Grove Farmhouse Museum

The oldest farmhouse in Elk Grove Village. Restored to reflect life during the civil war. The home of Heinrich and Maria Schuette. School and scout programs available. Open year-round.

CITY: Elk Grove Village

Lombard Historical Society Museum

This Victorian home features rooms furnished with artifacts exemplifying the lifestyle of the emerging middle-class during the 1870s. Group tours welcome seven days a week with reservations, based on availability. Admission free.

CITY: Lombard

D'Arcy Museum, Loyola University Chicago

Medieval, renaissance and baroque art, including paintings, sculpture, and rare decorative art.

CITY: Chicago

Charles Gates Dawes House Museum

The Dawes House, a magnificent Chateauesque Mansion overlooking Lake Michigan, was the home of the former United States vice president under Calvin Coolidge and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Charles Gates Dawes.

CITY: Evanston

Yesterday's Farm Museum

A historic 1800s family farm that is maintained in its original location. Programs depict settlers' lives with period accuracy.

CITY: Wood Dale

Arlington Heights Historical Museum

The Coach House, a replica Log Cabin, the 1882 home of F.W. Muller and the 1908 Banta House tell the story of Arlington Heights over the last 150 years. Tour guides introduce you to the life of early residents. Tours: Sat. & Sun. 2pm & 3pm Heritage Gallery & Gift Shop: Fri.-Sun. 1:30pm-4:30pm

CITY: Arlington Heights

Czechoslovak Heritage Museum

DuPage County, Chicago’s Western Suburbs - Highlights the history and culture of the Czech Republic and Slovakia through authentic folk costumes, lead crystal, chain, ceramics, embroidery, and historical displays. Donations welcome.

CITY: Oak Brook

Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

Located on the second floor of the historic Pleasant Home, the museum includes a period bedroom, children's activity room, and changing exhibits on fashion and area history.

CITY: Oak Park

Hoosier Grove Schoolhouse Museum

Originally built as a one-room schoolhouse in 1904 on the corner of Old Church and Barrington Roads, the museum was moved to its present site in 1991.

CITY: Streamwood

Chicago Mercantile Exchange

This international marketplace enables institutions and businesses to manage their financial risk and allocate their assets. Futures and options contracts are traded on the Mercantile's two state-of-the-art trading floors.

CITY: Chicago

Ukrainian National Museum

A collection of Ukrainian history and folk art is gathered under one roof and includes everything from festive costumes to colored eggs.

CITY: Chicago

Evanston Arts Depot

This cultural center is a restored train station in the heart of Evanston. Home of the Piccolo Theatre and Custer’s Last Stand Festival which takes place each June.

CITY: Evanston

Block Museum of Art

Northwestern University's Mary & Leigh Block Museum of Art is one of the largest fine art museums in the Chicagoland area.

CITY: Evanston

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

The Federal Reserve Bank Visitors Center features interactive displays that explain the Federal Reserve's functions, the U.S. economy, banking history, money and consumer interests.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Historic Water Tower

One of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire, the Historic Water Tower is an icon on North Michigan Avenue and houses the City Gallery, which showcases Chicago photography.

CITY: Chicago

Lake County Discovery Museum

Hands-on interactive exhibits introduce the history of Lake County in a fun learning environment. The Museum also displays the nation's largest permanent exhibition on the history and significance of postcards. Changing exhibits throughout the year.

CITY: Wauconda

Chicago Stock Exchange

Founded in 1882, the Chicago Stock Exchange boasts more than 3,000 stocks traded, with an average trading volume of 13 million daily. View the second-largest stock exchange in the country from the fifth-floor Visitors Gallery.

CITY: Chicago

Chicago Portage National Historic Site

One of only three National Historic Sites in Illinois, the Chicago Portage site is a major remnant of the discovery and settlement of Chicago.

CITY: Lyons

Waukegan Main Street

Representing a variety of downtown restaurants, an array of shops and services and entertainment. Stroll downtown and enjoy shopping the unique stores, visiting the art galleries, eating at one of the many restaurants and end the day with a show at the famous Genesee Theatre, the new Clockwise Theatre or enjoy live entertainment at one of the downtown eateries. Join the fun at one of the many events throughout the year, including the monthly ArtWauk. Waukegan has something for everyone.

CITY: Waukegan

Winnetka Historical Museum

The growth and history of Winnetka since 1830 is chronicled in this museum, which includes the Carlton Washburne Library.

CITY: Winnetka

Shiloh House

The residence of the founder of the City of Zion, Dr. John Alexander Dowie, is a stately 23-room mansion that was built in 1901-02 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

CITY: Zion

Highland Park Historical Society

This museum is a 12 room, two story Italianate Victorian house donated to the Society in 1969. The Society’s mission is to discover, preserve, provide access to and disseminate the history of the general area and of Highland Park, in particular.

CITY: Highland Park

Evanston Historical Center

Housed in the gracious historic mansion of former U.S Vice President Charles Gates Dawes, this stunning chateau overlooks Lake Michigan. Visitors and history buffs explore this National Historic Landmark appreciating its original furnishings and artwork. The home features exhibits focusing on the history of Evanston.

CITY: Evanston

Chicago Public Library - Harold Washington Library Center

The Chicago Public Library's Harold Washington Library Center, the world's largest municipal library building, offers books, periodicals, newspapers, and information in over 100 languages, programs for children and adults, and free access to the internet.

CITY: Chicago

Northwestern University

Founded in 1851, Northwestern University is a renowned educational institution rich in history and architecture. More than 150 historically significant and interesting sites on campus are featured in various walking tours, each taking approximately 30 minutes to complete. University highlights include The Arch, University Hall, The Arts Circle, and the University Library. Northwestern is one of the leading university's in the U.S. Its Evanston campus is on the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan.

CITY: Chicago

Historic Volo Country Village

Come visit our 30-acre antique theme park. Anchored by the nationally recognized Volo Auto Museum, the site also boasts great shopping in five separate malls selling antiques, unique gifts and collectibles. Over 400 dealers.

CITY: Volo

Loyola University Chicago

Loyola University Chicago’s Lake Shore and Water Tower Campuses offer multiple conference and event facilities with full service amenities to ease the planning of your next event. Each campus offers elegant year-round venues, affordable housing, electronic classrooms and auditoriums, on-premise catering options, and a full range of audio/visual equipment to make your next event a success. Loyola’s Water Tower Campus is centrally located in Chicago’s eloquent Gold Coast neighborhood and right off of the Magnificent Mile. Experience all the best Chicago has to offer including world famous steak houses, great shopping, theaters, art museums, and many other exciting tourist attractions. On Chicago’s north side, Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus is just steps from the lake and offers a serene setting for conferences and special events alike. From city to lake, Loyola’s two Chicago campuses are surrounded by all the best this city has to offer.

CITY: Chicago

Grayslake Heritage Center

A state of the art history museum dedicated to collecting and sharing the history of the greater Grayslake area. The Grayslake Heritage Center offers programs, exhibitions and special events all year round and includes two galleries, a community room and classroom.

CITY: Grayslake

Cuneo Mansion and Gardens

The opulent Cuneo Museum and Gardens, located on 75 acres and dotted with formal gardens and statuary was the perfect setting for the wedding scenes in "My Best Friend's Wedding." The gazebo where the best friends were caught kissing was built specifically for the film, but Cuneo's owners liked it so much they decided to keep it permanently. Take a guided tour through the historic Mediterranean-style Cuneo mansion to see Renaissance artworks and lavish European furnishings.

CITY: Vernon Hills