Advice for ';inside fun'; in Chicago anyone?

Hi, I%26#39;ll be staying around Chicago for about three weeks

from mid June to early July. I read thru several posts

and saw many recs to museums, pier, tower, etc., but

I was wondering if any local expert could give tips in

other local fun that travelers miss out on. For example,

I live in Atlanta and I see travelers go to Coke Museum, CNN

and such but real fun isn%26#39;t really in visiting such places.

You know what I mean? This is my first time visiting Chicago

If you could help me out, that would be awesome!

Advice for ';inside fun'; in Chicago anyone?

Grab a good book. Walk slowly down Astor Street between Division and North. Take detours if you want, but above all, admire the mansions (the last one at North and Astor is where the Cardinal lives). When you get to North, cross the street, and meander around Lincoln Park until you find a nice place to sit. Read the book you%26#39;ve been schlepping around all this time.

Advice for ';inside fun'; in Chicago anyone?

While the museums here are quite wonderful, good for you for wanting to see some the off-the-beaten track fun that Chicago holds. You%26#39;re bound to have a good time with that attitude!

Here%26#39;s a few ideas:

Make time to walk along the lake with the runners, bikers, and sun worshipers. It%26#39;s a whole different side of Chicago (which is very neat to see). Start in the south, and finish by turning off at North Ave. Continue your walk just a couple blocks through the entrance of the free - and very cool - Lincoln Park Zoo. Take a break to sit in the flower gardens lining the other exit on th park%26#39;s west side.

One of the best views of Chicago can be found for free on the north steps of the Planetarium, which drop into Lake Michigan. Meter parking is available (though you might have to circle a few times). Grab some take-out (or a Chicago pizza), and have one of your meals there. Ideally at night where you can see the lights - and sometimes fireworks over the lake. Mid June to early July is perfect for this, as the weather makes this much less possible most other times of the year.

Take the El (the train system - called the El because it is elevated over downtown). It%26#39;s easy to understand, though nice people around are often willing to help you if you have questions. Really beats sitting in Chicago traffic. Best deals come with the passes.

Check out local festivals, concerts, and events that will be going on while you are in town in the Chicago Reader: http://www.chicagoreader.com/

Great book stores, zine shops, record stores, restaurants all around.

If you give more of an idea of the kind of ';inside fun'; you are looking for, I bet many on this board will have ideas.

I would suggest looking at metromix.com. And finding summer festivals that will be going on while your here. Each weekend there should be at least 3 festivals.

In addition I would suggest hanging out at the lake front. you can bike, run, etc... There is also Castaways Bar %26amp; Grill along the lake. You can hang out at.

I would also suggest hanging out at the bars in Lincoln park, wrigleyville, wicker park, that have outside dining.

I am guessing nice weather is not a big thing in Atlanta. However in Chicago its a rare thing. So we have to take advantage of the summer.

Pickup a local newspaper when you are here, they have listings for all the festivals and special things that are going on that week. The Tribune has listings in both Thursday and Friday%26#39;s paper, not sure about the Sun Times. Also the Reader which is free at bookstores and record stores (if any of those still exist!)

Summer is festival season in Chicago, there%26#39;s the big ones like Taste of Chicago and Blues Fest but also lots of fun neighborhood festivals.

yee0890, I%26#39;d suggest that you do some of these items first, because they are pretty special. Even though they can be considered ';touristy';, the locals do these as well.

Go on the Chicago Architecture Foundation%26#39;s River Cruise;

Have a (pricey) drink in the Signature Lounge (try to go at sunset, if you can);

Visit the Art Institute (and any of the other museums you wish);

Visit Millennium Park - go to a free concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion - good time for a picnic;

When you go to the above, do go to Buckingham Fountain in the evening for the light show (on the hour, every hour)

Walk along the Lakefront Path;

Explore Lincoln Park - the Lincoln Park Zoo and Lincoln Park Conservatory are free every day.

See the City%26#39;s Independence Day fireworks on the evening of July 3rd. (There is a HUGE, HUGE crowd of people who will be there, though, so I%26#39;m forewarning you.)

Now for the ';off the beaten path'; places:

There are free concerts all around town: Daley Plaza (';Under the Picasso'; at noon weekdays); the Chicago Cultural Center; Navy Pier at the Beer Garden. Also concerts at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Art Institute, where you pay a charge. The neighborhood festivals usually charge some gate fee or ';donation'; - the entertainment on the stages are free. On the latter, if you have the chance to see these local entertainers, do so: The Jesse White Tumblers, the Chicago Gay Men%26#39;s Chorus, the Midnight Circus, and, especially, Redmoon Theatre troupe.

Try to take in a performance at the Theatre on the Lake in Lincoln Park. The tickets are very inexpensive and, naturally, they go fast - but these are performances by some of the city%26#39;s best troupes. Great opportunity to see them at a reasonable cost.

The Chicago History Museum has a nice traditional 4th of July celebration, usually followed by a short time when the entrance fee is waived to the museum. Make sure you stay for the musket firing at the end of the ceremony, if you go.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is an easy day trip - take Metra. If you go on the weekend, they have a special $5 fare (covers travel to and from).

Wrigley Field has tours on certain days on/around the weekend, when the Cubs are away. And the Police will be having concerts at Wrigley Field around the 4th.

If you go to the Museum of Science and Industry, you could always explore Hyde Park and the University of Chicago. When you are there, look into visiting the Oriental Institute as well as the Smart Museum of Art. Also, if you wanted to take a scenic little side trip if you are at the MSI, go visit the Osaka Japanese Garden (only a couple of blocks away, over the Clarence Darrow Bridge).

The Old Town School of Folk Music (in Lincoln Square) has some very nice concerts. Take a look at their schedule.

Maybe you%26#39;d like to take a cooking class? The Chopping Block has a couple of locations (at the Merchandise Mart and in Lincoln Square). Also, about cooking - we have a little thing going on when you are here called the Taste of Chicago. In addition to eating food and hearing world-class and local entertainment, there are many cooking demonstrations by local chefs (and nationally known ones as well) in the tent down by Buckingham Fountain. By the way, they give out free little cookbooks (while supplies last) of the recipes demonstrated.

Graceland Cemetery is located at the intersection of Clark and Irving Park in Uptown. It is the final resting place of many of Chicago%26#39;s famous, including Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan (who designed the Getty Tomb also located there), Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the Palmers (of the Palmer House fame), Marshall Field...the list goes on. This is a lovely, park-like cemetery with beautiful statuary, masoleums (some with stained glass windows) and it%26#39;s own man-made lake in the middle. The Chicago Architecture Foundation does have scheduled tours of it but you can pick up a map (for a small fee) at the cemetery%26#39;s office. See their website for details as well as photos.

If you decide to go to the above, or even if you don%26#39;t, I recommend that sometime during your stay, head over to N. Southport for shopping, dining and seeing a movie at the Music Box Theatre (about 3.5 blocks SW of Graceland Cemetery). The Music Box is a mini-movie palace built in 1929 which plays art films, foreign, docs, classics - and also where the sing-a-long movies are held (such as The Sound of Music, Grease, etc.). It has matinees as well as midnight showings.

Speaking of movies, the Outdoor Film Festival is held in Grant Park (when the Taste of Chicago isn%26#39;t there). Take a look at their schedule.

Visit one or more of the neighborhoods with a Chicago Greeter.

SummerDance is held on S. Michigan Avenue. Lovely way to spend some time in the evening.

But, the BEST thing you can do is simply relax and take it easy when you are here. So many visitors come to Chicago for a long weekend-type of visit and try to pack too many things in a short period of time. They miss the essence of being in Chicago. You, on the other hand, have the luxury of time. Enjoy!

ittwit