Things To Do in Chicago
Chicago Blues Festival
The Chicago Blues Festival is taking place downtown the weekend of our wedding in Millennium Park. Admission is completely free and there are shows all day/night from Thursday the 6th - Sunday the 9th with Blues musicians from around the world. We have gone several years since we first moved to Chicago and always have a good time!
Old Town Art Fair
The Old Town Art Fair is an annual art fair that takes place in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago the weekend of our wedding. It is family friendly and there are hundreds of artists showing their work, live music, and food - it's one of our favorite art fairs in the city!
Chicago Riverwalk
One of our favorite things to do is hang out on the Chicago Riverwalk. We either take a walk down the riverwalk which connects to the Lake Shore trail, grab a beverage or snack at one of the several restaurants on the river walk or sit on the steps of City Winery and people watch.
Museums
Chicago is home to so many amazing museums that we love and many of them are right downtown. Our favorite is the Art Institute of Chicago (where Erik proposed!) which has an incredible collection of art spanning a variety of periods and media. Some other favorites are The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Field Museum, and The Shedd Aquarium which are all pretty close (or located in) River North neighborhood where the venue is.
Navy Pier
Navy Pier has undergone quite the transformation over the last few years and has a lot to do for all ages! There is the famous Navy Pier Ferris Wheel as well as a small amusement park, there is a Children's Museum, shops and restaurants, tour boat rides as well as beautiful views of the city and Lake Michigan. Navy Pier is also home to the world's largest outdoor rooftop bar and restaurant called Offshore and free live music on Sundays afternoons in the summer.
White Sox Game
As Erik is a White Sox season ticket holder and a huge Cubs fan, we spend A LOT of time at baseball games and the White Sox have home games against the Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field all weekend (the Cubs are unfortunately away the weekend of our wedding).
Chinatown
Chinatown is located just south of downtown and one of our most-loved spots. There are lots of things to do in Chinatown, you can take a stroll around Ping Tom Park and get an amazing view of the Chicago Skyline, take the Chicago Water Taxi up the river or eat at some amazing restaurants. Some of our favorite restaurants are Qing Xiang Yuan (QXY) Dumplings (which is also BYOB) for dumplings and Happy Lamb or Mrs. Gu's for hot pot.
Breweries
Chicago has a ton of really cool and very fun breweries that we often frequent! We made a list of a few of our favorites if you're looking for recommendations below.