Travel Guide to Chicago, Illinois

Planning a vacation to Chicago, Illinois? Or maybe you live nearby and are looking for fun things to do? You could spend weeks exploring the city with its vibrant history as a cultural and architectural center. This travel guide to Chicago has some of the tourist highlights of the windy city.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is a non-profit organization that advances public education about architecture. They offer fantastic tours by foot, bus, and boat. You can get an overview of the city or you can opt for more specialized tours if you're an architecture buff. They also have free exhibits at their headquarters.

A great place for the kids (or any fun-lover) is Navy Pier. Located on Lake Michigan is 50 acres of parks, shops, restaurants and attractions with a carnival atmosphere. It has the Chicago Children's Museum, a miniature golf course, Ferris wheel, carousel, and many other attractions. Many bus and boat tours of Chicago leave from here.

This is a public park between the Loop and Lake Michigan, and it connects to Grant Park. It was dedicated to celebrate the millennium. Here you'll find public art, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Cloud Gate, the Crown Fountain, and the Lurie Garden.

Located on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), Skydeck Chicago has a phenomenal view, as well as exhibits on Chicago and skyscrapers. On a clear day, you can see four states from here. If you dare, you can step out onto the Ledge. This is a cantilevered glass box that will allow you to see straight down.

With the number of theaters in Chicago, you're sure to find one playing your favorites. The Theater District spans 4 blocks within the Loop. Here you'll find the Cadillac Palace Theatre, the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre, the Chicago Theatre, the Bank of America Theatre, and the Goodman Theatre.

There are a lot of museums if you're interested in museum-hopping in Chicago. There's definitely something for everyone. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Chicago Cultural Center
• The Art Institute of Chicago
• Adler Planetarium
• Museum of Science and Industry
• Field Museum of Natural History
• Chicago History Museum
• Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
• The Shedd Aquarium
• Notebaert Nature Museum

Chicago is famous for its food. No trip is complete without eating some Chicago favorites!

Deep Dish Pizza--A butter crust piled high with cheese, sauce, and toppings. It’s best to opt for a fork on one of these. Giordano's, Gino's East, Uno, and Lou Malnati's are some of the more famous pizzerias in town, but there are a lot of good ones.

Popcorn--Chicago has delicious gourmet popcorn. The Chicago mix is a salty sweet combination of cheese and caramel corn. Check out Garrett's or Nuts on Clark.

Chicago Dog--These are topped with just about everything. Mustard, relish, onions, dill pickle, tomato, sport peppers, and celery salt make this dog unique.