Best Things To Do in Chicago 2023 // Travel Guide

So you’re going to Chicago… well, you're going to want to watch this video. I'm Romina and I make videos about travel and I LOVE Chicago. If you find yourself enjoying this video at any point, click the subscribe button so you see more travel videos from me.

First settled in the 1700s, Chicago is full of rich history and being the third most populated city in the US, you know there is a LOT to do here. Plus it’s the setting for a number of film classics like Ferris Beullers Day Off, High Fidelity, Risky Business, Home Alone, Sixteen Candles, and more.  I’ve narrowed down the list of must-do attractions to 8 to get the most out of your visit in Chicago. Well.. it’s more like 8.5… or maybe it’s 9. Anyway. You’ll see. Here are the top things to do in Chicago!

1. International Museum of Surgical Science

Chicago is pretty famous for its museums, but the one I’m going to mention now doesn’t immediately come to mind. This is the International Museum of Surgical Science. I know. It might sound a little odd but hear me out.

This museum is fascinating and surprising. It’s housed in a four story mansion built in 1917 designed to be a replica of a building at Versailles in France. So the architecture alone is pleasing to see and walk around and will offer a rewarding visit.

The museum is dedicated to the history of surgery and its role in shaping modern medicine. It houses a plethora of medical artifacts and texts. The library within the museum contains more than 5,000 rare medical texts. This is an interesting stop for anyone interested in this topic or looking for something different to do. It’s a good opportunity to expand your understanding of the history and development of health, medicine, and surgery while gaining an appreciation for the advances we’ve made in the field.

The International Museum of Surgical Science is not very popular with tourists and doesn’t see a lot of visitors a year. In an effort to get more people to visit, the museum has hosted a number of contemporary art exhibitions. so it’s worth checking their website to see if they have any happening while you’re in town. Some people might find this museum terrifying and others might be captivated. Regardless it’s a stop worth doing when in Chicago if not to brag about doing something out of the ordinary.

2. Adler Planetarium

The Adler Planetarium was the first planetarium in the United States. It was opened in 1930 and founded by Max Adler, a Chicago businessman and philanthropist and is now considered a National Historic Landmark.

I love anything that has to do with space and this museum is THE SPOT. It’s got over 26,000 artifacts and documents related to astronomy and space science. This is a must-see and it’s perfect for visitors of all ages. It’s fun and educational and one of the top attractions in Chicago.

I recommend 2 hours to really enjoy everything the museum has to offer including any planetarium shows, telescope viewings, or hands-on workshops. Be sure to also check out the special events and activities offered by the planetarium to see if they align with your visit!

Start your visit with the popular attractions, such as the state-of-the-art Space Visualization Laboratory, where visitors can explore the universe using interactive displays and simulations and the Universe Theater, which offers stunning 360-degree views of the night sky. These exhibits are very popular and can get crowded, so it's best to see them first!

After the popular exhibits, explore the rest of the planetarium at your own pace. There are many fascinating exhibits to see, including the historic Atwood Sphere, which is the oldest functioning planetarium in the world and was used to teach astronomy to Chicago students in the 1930s. There’s also the Sky Pavilion, which offers breathtaking views of the Chicago skyline. Adler planetarium is located on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan, again offering lovely views all around.

Adler Planetarium is a fascinating look at the history and development of our understanding of the universe.  It's a must-see attraction for anyone interested in astronomy and space science.

3. Tilt at the John Hancock (or Ledge)

For this 3rd one on the list, I’m actually going to mention two different places because they are pretty similar in nature. So Chicago has some rad views all over the city, but to really capture the stunning cityscape you have to get high. I mean like up high… like a thousand feet in the air high.

The John Hancock Center is a 100 story skyscrapper that’s 1,128 feet tall. It’s currently the 5th tallest building in Chicago and the 13th in the United States. At the John Hancock, they have an observation deck called 360 Chicago. Which has, you guessed it, 360 degree views of Chicago. You can see up to 4 states and over 80 miles out. 360 Chicago is also home to a fun ride called TILT where you can lean on a window which is actually a moving platform that will tilt over the edge of the building at 30 degrees. I’m slightly terrified just thinking about it, but I did it and it was super fun for me. The ride was over before I even had a chance to realize what I signed up for. If you’re kind of afraid of heights, this will be extra thrilling. And if the sound of this doesn’t instantly scare you then you’ll get to experience a unique way of taking in the view of Chicago.

The TILT ride competes with the Skydeck at Willis Tower, the skyscraper formerly known as the Sears Tower. The Willis Tower used to be the tallest building in the world when it first opened in 1973 and it held the title for almost 25 years! This skyscraper is 110 stories and 1,451 feet tall. This makes Willis Tower the tallest building in Chicago. Like the John Hancock, Willis Tower has an observation deck called Skydeck. It is the tallest observation deck in the United States. Skydeck has an entertaining way of viewing the city with the Ledge, which is an all glass cube protruding from the side of the building. This gives visitors the opportunity to “step outside” the third tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. This glass balcony will make it seem like you are floating above the city. It’s an amazing experience and I would highly recommend trying to align your visit with the sun setting. Although it is an extremely popular attraction, specially at sunset, I feel the views of the city at golden hour are worth dealing with the crowds.

Both of these locations are not meant for those sensitive to being up high, but are both once in a lifetime experiences you shouldn’t pass up if you find yourself in Chicago.

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4. Shedd Aquarium

Shedd Aquarium is a world-class aquarium that was considered the largest indoor facility in the world. Although it doesn’t hold that title anymore, it does hold about 32,000 animals and is one of the top attractions in Chicago.

There are many fun exhibits to see like the Amazon Rising exhibit, which is probably my favorite. It recreates the Amazon River and surrounding jungle and features snakes, marine life, and amphibians you might see in South America. There is also the Caribbean Reef exhibit, which houses colorful corals and a wide variety of fishes. This exhibit has a diver that interacts with the animals while talking with visitors, which is pretty cool! There are a lot more exhibits, but I won’t go into the details of each one because that could be a separate video!

The aquarium also hosts special events and shows with animals so it’s a good idea to check out the schedule before your visit to make the best of your time there. Visitors can also book behind-the-scenes tours, animal encounters, and conservation-themed activities.

Shedd Aquarium prides itself in its conservation and research efforts. The last time I visited, they had an art collection throughout the aquarium that consisted of sculptures built out of plastics found in the ocean. It was a creative way of teaching visitors about the trash that ends up in our waters.

Shedd Aquarium’s architecture is also beautiful. You’ll hear me talk a lot about architecture because I just love looking at cool buildings and Chicago is a city that’s full of cool buildings. This amazing aquarium is a must-see attraction if you love marine life.

5. Field Museum

The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. If you love learning looking at artifacts and learning about our origins, this is the place for you.

The Field Museum isn’t well known only for its size, but also the quality of exhibits. It has extensive collections of artifacts, fossils, and specimens. And its library contains over 275,000 books on a multitude of topics including biology, archeology, geology and more.

The museum is part of the Museum Campus, which includes the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium which I mentioned earlier. It’s a good idea to try to plan all three of these on the same time to take advantage of the fact that they are so close together physically. But, due to the size of the Field Museum, I also recommend allotting about 4 hours to properly enjoy the whole museum.

One of the most exciting installments of the Field Museum, I think, is Sue. Sue is the largest and most complete T. Rex skeleton ever discovered. It’s proudly displayed in the museum and towers over the guests at about 13 feet tall. I love looking up and taking in how massive this animal was.

The Field Museum also has scientists and researchers working on site. There is even a Fossil Preparator who you can watch as he works live, removing the rock surrounding fossils. His name is Tony and you can find him on Instagram. He’s pretty cool.

If you end up visiting the Field Museum, I recommend starting at the top level and working your way down because it sort of goes through the order of history that way. Anyway, I could go on and on talking about this museum. There’s so much. But I’ll move on because we have more to cover!

6. Millenium Park

If you like green design then this next one is for you. Millenium Park is a 24.5 acre park which opened to the public in 2004. Aside from gardens and trees, it consists of public art and outdoor spaces and venues for events. The park was created on top of parking garages and the Millenium train station. Because of this unique construction it is considered one of, if not, the largest rooftop gardens in the world.

Probably Millenium Park’s top attraction is Cloud Gate, which you might know as The Bean because it looks like… a bean. The bean is an art sculpture made by the world renowned artist, Anish Kapoor. The inspiration behind its unique form was liquid mercury, y’know like the liquid you see in some thermometers. This art piece is worth visiting on a clear day since it’s meant to reflect the cityscape and the distortion can offer some impressive photos and videos if that’s your jam. The bean is a super popular attraction at the park so if you want to beat the crowds, head out before the sun comes up or at night!

There’s a lot of rich history regarding this area so I suggest reading about it on your own time if that seems interesting to you. Each art piece and structure at Millenium Park has its own story, but I can’t go into each one in this video because it would make it super long. Let me know in the comments if you’d like me to make a separate video about everything there is to do in just Millenium Park! Speaking about art… let’s go to the next spot on the list.

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We're almost at the last spot on my list. For links, extra info, and the names of everything I mentioned, look in the description of this video.

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7. Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is probably most famous because of this one scene in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Just kidding, that’s definitely not the reason, but I’m sure it helps. Aside from being a backdrop in the quintessential teen movie of the 80s, the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. It was founded in the 1800s. That’s a long time ago!

This art museum contains some of the best-known works in American canon, including American Gothic and Nighthawks. The amount of paintings and sculptures is overwhelming and incredible. The Art Institute is most famous, though for its collections of impressionist and post-impressionist paintings. You probably recognize this painting: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. This is the painting featured in that scene from Ferris Bueller.

If you love staring at artwork like our beloved Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, then you might want to allot about 4 or 5 hours for the Art Institute of Chicago. I love art museums, but when a museum is so large and its collections are so vast, it can get tiresome after a while. It’s good to go for an extended period of time so you can take a break in between for some lunch, or let your brain rest from taking in all these works.

Aside from the actual art on display, the museum itself is in an impressive building, which left me in awe as I walked around. So when you visit, don’t forget to look up and all around and not just at the art pieces as the architecture is also a work of art. All this talk about walking around, we should talk about fueling up for a minute so let’s hop to the next one and discuss food!

8.  Where to get the best deep dish pizza in Chicago???

Now, for the controversial tip of the video… Chicago is famous for its history, museums, and its Chicago-style pizza, also known as deep-dish pizza. The pizza is baked in this pan which gives it a high edge crust and plenty of room to fill it up with cheese and tomato sauce. This pizza is THICK.

The original inventor of this Chicago-style pizza is a little questionable and has become somewhat of a controversial subject. As such, which deep-dish pizza place serves the best Chicago-style pizza is also controversial. People have their preference and become die-hard fans of their preferred location.

Suffice to say, while you’re visiting Chicago you should absolutely give one of these deep-dish pizza places a try. Some of the locations famous for their pizza are Pizzeria Uno, Lou Malnati’s, and Giordano’s.

I can’t say which one is my favorite because I haven’t tried them all so it wouldn’t be fair for me to give an opinion. BUT… I’ve linked a video of my full experience and review of Lou Malnati’s in the description of this video if you want to check that video out. Let me know in the comments if you think I should fly to Chicago and do a full review and comparison of all of the deep-dish pizza places in Chicago, haha.

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Alright, and that’s it for this video. Those are my top 8…ish… things to do in Chicago. Hope you enjoyed the video and get to do some of these if you're in town. That's it from me. I'll see you when I see you.