Chicago unique sites to visit

47 Places

Chicago, Illinois

Money Museum

This museum celebrating the almighty dollar lets visitors literally stand in the shadow of a million bucks.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Chicago, Illinois

Stained Glass at Navy Pier

A display of magnificent stained glass windows is the first exhibit of its kind.

jusTodd

Added by jusTodd

Chicago, Illinois

The Fountain of Time

A hollow cement depiction of time's inexorable effect on the human body.

Added by Shibboleth

Chicago, Illinois

Rock N Roll McDonald's and Museum

The palatial McDonald's that inspired Wesley Willis.

stevox

Added by stevox

Chicago, Illinois

Aircraft Carriers of Navy Pier

Chicago's Navy Pier on Lake Michigan was a training hub for aircraft carrier pilots during WWII.

Elliot Carter

Added by Elliot Carter

Chicago, Illinois

Couch Place (The Alley of Death)

This alley in downtown Chicago held the bodies of over 600 people after the fateful Iroquois Theatre fire.

leylairoyale

Added by leylairoyale

Chicago, Illinois

Zion Evangelical Lutheran 'Ghost Church'

One-of-a-kind preserved ruins of an abandoned 1880s church in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.

Patti Swanson

Added by Patti Swanson

Chicago, Illinois

Haymarket Square

Home to a protest movement, a bombing, and a dramatic change in labor history.

Rebekah Otto

Added by Rebekah Otto

Chicago, Illinois

Oz Park

This whimsical Oz-themed park had a wonderful impact on the surrounding neighborhood.

rdb

Chicago, Illinois

The Violet Hour

A speakeasy takes on Chicago's drinking culture.

Added by lizzieboyle

Chicago, Illinois

North Avenue Baths Facade

Former bath house turns gastropub.

Added by lizzieboyle

Chicago, Illinois

Rainbo Club

Beloved bar home to musicians of all eras and reputations.

Dylan

Chicago, Illinois

Gullivers Pizza

Pizza with a side of fine art.

Added by mschaos

Chicago, Illinois

Alinea Restaurant

The subtle science of a master molecular gastronomist.

stanestane

Added by stanestane

Chicago, Illinois

Thorne Miniature Rooms

Each of these gorgeous, intricately decorated rooms is painstakingly crafted to the scale of 1 inch: 1 foot.

rachellyon

Added by rachellyon

Chicago, Illinois

Livonian Wolves at the Leaping Wall

In one Chicago park, a trio of werewolves are waiting to devour their fallen brethren.

Jeff Wagg

Added by Jeff Wagg

Chicago, Illinois

Former Location of Polish Daily Zgoda Newspaper

The faint remains of a Polish news empire still linger.

Dylan

Chicago, Illinois

Goldblatt’s Department Store Flagship Location

Landmark Chicago building narrowly avoided destruction.

Dylan

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Freight Tunnels

A century-old network of freight tunnels underneath the city's historic business district.

Elliot Carter

Added by Elliot Carter

Chicago, Illinois

The Secret Mermaid

This unauthorized stone mermaid was secretly carved out of public stone before being permanently preserved.

Paul Dailing

Added by Paul Dailing

Chicago, Illinois

Green Mill Jazz Club

A century-old hotspot for jazz, frequented by everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone.

lewblank

Added by lewblank

Chicago, Illinois

Abandoned Brach's Candy Factory

What was once one of the country's largest confectionary plants is now an abandoned ruin, but is still pretty sweet.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Chicago, Illinois

Palmer House Hilton

This historic hotel invented the chocolate brownie.

lewblank

Added by lewblank

Chicago, Illinois

Crown Fountain

The twin towers in this Chicago fountain use 50 foot tall video screens to spit on people.

whitney8251

Added by whitney8251

Chicago, Illinois

Great Train Story Diorama

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

Elliot Carter

Added by Elliot Carter

Chicago, Illinois

The DNA Discovery Center

At Chicago's revered Field Museum, visitors are invited to learn about and literally explore DNA.

Mark Casey

Added by Mark Casey

Chicago, Illinois

Division Street Russian and Turkish Baths

A European-style bath house in Chicago.

Added by lizzieboyle

Chicago, Illinois

Carroll Avenue

A little-known subterranean street runs under some of the best-known buildings in Chicago's River North.

Paul Dailing

Added by Paul Dailing

Chicago, Illinois

Pullman Historic District

First planned industrial community in the United States.

Added by oksanam

Chicago, Illinois

The 606 aka Bloomingdale Trail

The 606 is a decade in the making.

mojotexas

Added by mojotexas

Chicago, Illinois

Stan Mansion

Built to house a chapter of the Knights Templar, this grandiose building is a relic of Freemasonry in Chicago a century ago.

Amy Weber

Added by Amy Weber

Chicago, Illinois

The Empty Bottle

A beloved Chicago music venue offering cold beer and lots of “Friendly."

Dylan

Chicago, Illinois

U-505

The unluckiest U-boat in the entire German fleet is now on display in a Chicago museum.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Chicago, Illinois

Championship Vinyl in "High Fidelity"

Where Cusack's record store from the film "High Fidelity" was located.

Dylan

Chicago, Illinois

The remains of "Polish Broadway"

Where old school Polish Chicago and young hipster Chicago live side by side.

Dylan

Chicago, Illinois

Heald Square Monument's Statue of Liberty

The iconic Chicago sculpture hides a beautiful and easily overlooked plaque on the backside.

Added by rossfishman123

Chicago, Illinois

Confederate Mound

The final resting place of up to 6,000 Confederate soldiers, the largest mass grave in the Western Hemisphere.

timstafford78

Added by timstafford78

Chicago, Illinois

Shipwreck of the Silver Spray

This historic-shipwreck-cum-diving-spot can still be seen poking its boiler out of the Lake Michigan waters that claimed it.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Chicago, Illinois

Holy Trinity Cathedral

Orthodox church partially financed by Tsar Nicolas II.

Dylan

Chicago, Illinois

Wicker Park

Once called the "Polish Gold Coast" it is an icon of the neighborhood that bears its same name.

Chicago, Illinois

S.S. Eastland Memorial

This memorial plaque remembers a strangely shallow maritime disaster known as "Chicago's Titanic."

Sarah Blake

Added by Sarah Blake

Chicago, Illinois

The U.S. Pizza Museum

In Chicago, a pizza-enthusiast has opened a museum dedicated to the history of pizza.

deepdishdolly

Added by deepdishdolly

Chicago, Illinois

Chopin Theatre

Theater has had many different incarnations but has survived the ravages of time.

Dylan

Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room

Once at the center of U.S. finance, the historic Trading Room was meticulously recreated piece by piece and rebuilt in the Art Institute.

Elliot Carter

Added by Elliot Carter

Chicago, Illinois

Couch Tomb

No one knows how many bodies are in this vault in a Chicago public park.

jessicahester1

Added by jessicahester1

Chicago, Illinois

National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame

Honoring Italian greats from Joe DiMaggio to Rocky Marciano.

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Added by lewblank

Chicago, Illinois

Willis Tower Glass Platform

Four glass boxes hover over 1,000 feet in the air to give visitors an unparalleled view of Chicago.