The events included below feature a lot of cheap and free activities as well as regular priced adventures! I hope that this listing provides you with some fun things to do in Chicago or at least serves as a helpful resource.
When you click Read More, you will find: Super Useful Sites as well as information on: Bands, Music, Shows, and Dancing; Movies, Theater, Comedy; Beer and Breweries; Museums and Gardens; Architecture: Volunteering; Traveling Around and Commuting; and a Bucket List of things to do in Chicago.
When you click Read More, you will find: Super Useful Sites as well as information on: Bands, Music, Shows, and Dancing; Movies, Theater, Comedy; Beer and Breweries; Museums and Gardens; Architecture: Volunteering; Traveling Around and Commuting; and a Bucket List of things to do in Chicago.
- 2016 Chicago Festivals, neighborhood and street fests.
- 2016 Neighborhood Parades
- DNAinfo, has great information pertaining to neighborhood news
- Smalltabs (GREAT for bar deals)
- Thrillist
- Movies in the Parks (FREE movies shown in the Chicago Parks)
- Millennium Park Film Series (Free Movies On Tuesdays)
Bands, Music, Shows, Dancing:
- Do 312 usually has a good idea of upcoming shows.
- For those who want to see a show and don't necessarily care which one, Hot Tix is great.
- Oh My Rockness also is a good source of upcoming concerts.
- Also check out the sites for The Metro, The Hideout, The Vic, Schubas/Lincoln Hall, Subterranean, Elbo Room, Riviera Theatre, House of Blues, Cobra Lounge, and other concert venues' pages.
- Like House Music? Check out The Summer Of House free music series in the parks!
- Summer Dancing in the Parks
- Listen to some true Chicago Blues at Kingston Mines
- Dance at Danny’s (hipster fun dance club), The Slippery Slope, InnJoy, The Hideout, the Hangge Uppe, or Beauty Bar. These are not "clubs," but fun bars to dance at.
- Great bars with live music
Movies, Theater, Comedy:
- Go to comedy shows. Second City and IO Comedy Club always have great shows. IO will have shows for free on certain weekdays.
- Sketchfest is always a fun time.
- Go to Brew and View. For $5, Lincoln Hall will show double or triple features and you can drink at the same time.
- HotTix has a lot of great ticket deals for Chicago shows.
- See a show at Steppenwolf
- Catch a play in Chicago
- Discounted tickets can also be found here.
For those who like to try some awesome beer:
- Lagunitas Brewing Company
- Also, they constantly have beer conventions or craft beer fests.
Museums and Gardens:
- Field Museum: if you don't like reading about history of objects, this museum can be boring
- Alder Planetarium: Woohoo Space!
- The Museum of Science and Industry is WAY south and you need to go first thing in the morning
- Museum of Contemporary Photography is always free too
- The Art Institute Free admission for IL residents on Thursday evenings.
- The Museum of Contemporary Art is free on Tuesday to IL residents.
- Navy Pier is ok. I mean it's cool to see but not a ton to do.
- Chicago Cultural Center is also free.
- For those History buffs who want to bone up on social reform, equal opportunities and women's rights, they can visit Jane Adams Hull-House!
- Go to the Chicago Bontanic Gardens
- Here's a list of cheap or free museums and galleries
If someone likes architecture:
- Frank Lloyd Wright has some houses and a walking tour that are pretty cool.
- The Chicago Water Tower is also an interesting museum and the only building that survived the great fire of 1871. It's right in the middle of all the shopping on Mag Mile!
- Google "Chicago Architecture Tours" or "Chicago Architecture Boat Tours." I've been on a few and still enjoy them.
- And there is an Open House week/weekend in Chicago that let’s you check out REALLY cool places you’d normally never see.
Volunteering:
- A lot of places want you to commit to a year of service. If you are looking for one-time opportunities, check out Chicago Cares or One Brick Chicago.
Traveling Around and Commuting:
- GET A VENTRA CARD!!! Go online and order one that you can just put money on. It's so much better than buying one out of the machines.
- Get a bike. Cycling in the city is awesome but WEAR a helmet and do NOT have headphones in. That's how people get hurt.
BUCKET LIST:
- Visit The Bean and take cool pictures in Millennium Park
- events at Millennium Park (which are free)
- Visit one of the many Farmer’s Markets
- Here is another listing of Farmer's Markets and times
- Go to a Secret Chicago Bar
- Go to North Avenue Beach and get a tan. Montrose Beach is fun and less crowded.
- Do a barcrawl like Tbox or BeadQuest
- Ride in Critical Mass (a massive bike ride that takes place the last Friday of every month). The World Naked Bike Ride is also a blast.
- Watch a Cubs, Sox, Blackhawks, or Bulls Game
- Visit Chinatown and eat real Chinese food
- Visit Greektown
- Join a MeetUp and make new friends!
- Go on a biking adventure on the Bloomingdale/606 trail!!!
- Take a kayak trip down the Chicago River with Kayak Chicago
- Watch the sun rise from a high rise
- Run/Bike the Lake Shore Trail (they have bike shares and rent-a-bikes)
- Shop on the Magnificent Mile
- Rent a Trolley for the night with friends
- Go to the bars in the different "neighborhoods":
- Wicker Park
- Bucktown/Logan Square
- River North
- West Loop
- Lincoln Park
- Sheffield Bars
- Rush Street
- Wrigleyville
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