Location: North Side
Top Things to do in North Side
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The 10 Best Things to do in North Side, Illinois (IL)
The windy city is a cornucopia of modern art, fine dining, cutting edge comedy, and die-hard sports fans. Snap a photo of your reflection in the silver Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park before heading to Grant Park to get hit with the refreshing spray of Buckingham Fountain. There are dozens of museums and theater companies in Chicago, so a cultural experience is never hard to find. You’re sure to laugh your head off at the Second City Theater, the professional launch pad of many famous comedians.
Restaurants in Chicago
1. Victory Gardens Theater
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 28 reviews
Under the leadership of Artistic Director Chay Yew, Victory Gardens is dedicated to artistic excellence while creating a vital, contemporary American Theater that is accessible and relevant to all people through quality productions of challenging new plays and musicals. Victory Gardens Theater is a leader in developing and producing new theatre work and cultivating an inclusive theater community. Victory Gardens’ core strengths are nurturing and producing dynamic and inspiring new plays, reflecting the diversity of our city’s and nation’s culture through engaging diverse communities, and in partnership with Chicago Public Schools, bringing art and culture to our city’s active student population.
Reviewed By 567katherineq - Summit, United States
What masterful story telling! Victory Gardens never shies away from the gut wrenching, to the taboo, to the scary, to the intense. If you want to be challenged by theatre yous should give their seaons a look over. Their lobby events for certain shows allow for fantastic theatre networking and their post show talk backs are always lively and interesting.
2. Chicago Distilling Company
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 35 reviews
Chicago Distilling Company is a family owned and operated Craft Distillery in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. We offer tours, tastings, cocktails and bottles for sale of each of our spirits hand crafted and aged on site. We are open Thursday - Saturday at 5pm and select Sundays.
Reviewed By Qlippoth - Chicago, United States
Got there early for a tour on Valentine's Day, tour was booked solid so the place was lively. Got two cocktails while chatting with the helpful and informative bartenders, both were excellent. Very focused on their amazing spirits and really showcasing what they are doing at Chicago Distilling Company! Had a draft cocktail just before the tour began, also great, a really neat idea born of marketing but wonderfully executed. Next the tour, Master Brewer Johnathon gave us all the information one could want on distilling in this amazing space and even though the tour was packed with folks he managed it well. Super informative and educational, I had an amazing time. Tastings during the tour sealed the deal for me on whether I'd be taking some of their wares home (3 bottles and I'll be back) and really highlighted the amazing products they are making. If you like gin, bourbon or rye then you'd be doing yourself a disservice walking past this place and not getting a drink. Straight up their rye may be the best I have ever had. In a cocktail it was alao wonderful (had it in the rye focused sazerac and it as a winner). A true gem of the city and the neighborhood, I look forward to returning some time soon and will make it a regular stop if I have guests or visitors even slightly interested in distilling!
3. Wrightwood 659
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 9 reviews
Wrightwood 659 is a new exhibition space conceived for the presentation of exhibitions of architecture and of socially engaged art. It is designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando, who has transformed a 1920s building with his signature concrete forms and poetic treatment of natural light. In a city rich with art institutions and internationally known for its architecture, Wrightwood 659 is designed as a site for contemplative experiences of art and architecture, and as a place to engage with the pressing social issues of our time. Located at 659 W. Wrightwood Avenue, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, it is a private, non-commercial initiative envisioned as an integral part of the cultural and civic fabric of Chicago, as well as a new kind of arts space and cultural resource.
Reviewed By Forkfull - New York City, United States
Wrightwood 659 has four floors of beautifully designed exhibition spaces. Contemporary art shines in the warm, spacious galleries. I used the handsome staircases, which offered birds eye views of the next art I was about to see. Not too big and not too small, Wrightwood 659 is perfect for an afternoon of art appreciation.
4. Wrigley Field
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9,799 reviews
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the legendary home of the Chicago Cubs with Wrigley Field Tours. Built in 1914, this must-see Chicago attraction houses more than 100 years of history. New this year, fans can join us on a non-gameday Ivy Tour which includes the opportunity to take a photo in front of Wrigley Field’s historic ivy wall.
Reviewed By MarkT4358 - Houston, United States
This is an old stadium.But everything was clean.The restrooms and seats were new.The stadium was huge.When I was in Fenway, Boston, I thought Fenway was small.But Wrigley was big.It was a Tuesday night after Labor day.I could see a lot of people.Windy City really love Cubs.If you are a baseball fan, Wrigley is a must-visit.
5. Chicago History Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,146 reviews
From Chicago's sports to politics, the Union Stockyards to the Great Chicago Fire - there's so much to explore at the Chicago History Museum. Dive right in with the Museum's exhibitions and programs or get out and explore the city through guided tours and events. Founded in 1856, the Chicago History Museum shares Chicago's stories, serving as a hub of scholarship and learning, inspiration and civic engagement. If you live in Chicago or visit here and are curious about the city's past, present and future, the museum should be your first stop.
Reviewed By ellenbR4096MW - Hortonville, United States
I just spent the afternoon at the museum. What a great collection! The exhibits are many and varied. I really enjoyed the Silver Screen to Mainstream American Fashion exhibit. The Modern by Design exhibit illustrates well how industrial design was influenced by Art Deco. It was incorporated into so many everyday products! The little dioramas of the city are very well crafted, especially the Chicago Fire exhibit. I also enjoyed viewing the many Chicago made products in the City on the Make exhibit. The American Medina exhibit opened my eyes to the prejudices faced by Muslims here. I definitely recommend this museum. If you have time, stop for a meal in the cafe. The food is delicious! I recommend the Chicago Dog & French Onion Soup.
6. The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 199 reviews
There's always something new to explore at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Bask in the warmth of our Judy Istock Butterfly Haven, home to more than 1,000 butterflies. Touch a live snake. Meet gorgeous exotic birds. See scientists engaged in real conservation and more. With over 15 exhibits to discover, the Nature Museum is the ideal family getaway, right in Chicago!
Reviewed By bfindysz - Jerusalem District, Israel
Went with a couple of small children and their parents. Midweek on a cold, snowy but sunny day,the museum was almost empty. All the better to appreciate its offerings: a new, temporary exhibit on birds of paradise which even preschoolers can enjoy as well as the permanent exhibits which are hands-on for all ages, especially a room full of models with running water to dam up, send rubber boats through locks, etc. The most wonderful exhibit is the museum's pride as well: a butterfly haven with butterflies from Australia and other faraway places which arrive at the museum while still in cocoons, hatch in a special place and are freed into the haven. In the haven, there are also some small birds for pest control and a turtle which climbs out of her pool to seek winter sunshine.
7. Lincoln Park Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5,859 reviews
Established in 1868, this 35-acre, beautifully landscaped zoo is one of America's last free-admission zoos. The Great Ape House has one of the best assemblages of gorillas and chimpanzees in the world.
Reviewed By Susantoot62 - Munster, United States
The Lincoln Park zoo lights for Christmas are extremely beautiful. My family and I stroll through this magnificent park and saw the incredible display of beautiful Christmas lights. Some of the lights are actually in the shape of animals of course! There is ice carving also. You can stroll enjoying hot chocolate hot coffee and other refreshments. It is great for all ages! And guess what, it is free
8. Lincoln Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 855 reviews
Home to the Lincoln Park Zoo, this popular park is also located in a neighborhood called Lincoln Park.
Reviewed By BonnieT159 - Chicago, United States
Lincoln Park is both a neighborhood in Chicago and a real park. The park houses a wonderful nature walk surrounding a lagoon, the fantastic Cafe Brauer, the only free zoo left in the US, and much open public space that is used by visitors for everything from sports to bar-b-ques and more, A great place to visit. Be sure to stop on the bridge going over the lagoon. The view of Downtown Chicago is great from here, and many movies are shot here.
9. Lincoln Park Conservatory
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 761 reviews
A Chicago institution for more than a century, the Conservatory's Main Garden blooms with more than 40,000 annuals.
Reviewed By design007 - Granger, United States
Wow. Amazing little gem and with a history. Free admission which was a nice surprise. Lincoln Park Zoo around the corner when you are done. Blooming flowers, plants and bushes like I was at the Masters. Hard to believe these hardy plants, trees , and orchids can thrive in the winter. In the summer this conservatory is open air. The smell and peacefulness is what amazes you too. A young man was on a bench reading. Relaxing, while the cold of Chicago was a few steps away. Good for all ages.
10. Theatre on the Lake
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