This was something my wife really wanted to do when we went to Chicago a couple weeks ago during…read moreSpring Break, and I am glad she did because I absolutely loved it. We got the home/studio tour and our guide, Marie, was phenomenal. We also paid extra for the self-guided tour of the neighborhood which comes with a map of about 10 homes or so and a device you carry to play pre-recorded information about each home. I think we paid about $40/person and I consider that a fair price.

I'm not the biggest Frank Lloyd Wright fan in terms of his style, but I can admit he was ahead of…read morehis time. It was interesting to learn about him and the creative choices he made for his house and studio. I think his style definitely had an influence on the Chicagoland area, so the history is fascinating. The tour guide was great!! We were in the area doing the Ernest Hemingway house tour, and decided why not make a day out of it and do this tour too. It was very close and we were able to walk here from Hemingway's house. This tour is also an hour long guided walking tour through his house and studio, which is attached ($20 for adults). We purchased tickets there inside the gift shop located behind the house. There were two women working behind the counter, and idk if it was just my bf and I, but one of them scoffed when my bf tried to pay cash instead of just calmly letting us know it's card only. I also don't know why it takes two people to sign customers up for a tour--just kind of an odd experience lol. Anyway, there was no space for the next tour so we had to wait an hour, which was fine. We walked around the neighborhood and looked at the various other Frank Lloyd Wright style homes.

Me and my wife recently checked out this place to see what all the buzz is about. This place was…read morereally great especially after passing it up all these years and not realizing how interesting this place was. It's a miniature version of the leaning Tower of Pisa and it looks like by seeing all the security cameras that you were able to go to the top of this place.. It's a great place to visit for about 10 minutes before getting bored and just leaving. I do think that the maintenance is lacking about this place as well.

Excellent roadside attraction. Completed in 1934, this is a water tower in disguise. Added to the…read moreNational Register of Historic places in 2019 the tower is closed for tours while the tower itself, the grounds around it and the parking area are getting a face lift. Keep an eye on their social media and/or website for updates on when tours will begin again. The tower bells ring out a song at 9am, noon, 3pm and 6pm and gives a single chime every quarter hour. The bells are lovely. At the time of this review the parking area is unavailable during renovation. The Aldi's parking lot next to the tower would be a good option until their lot opens again. The gardens around the tower are filled with beautifully scented flowers. The reflecting pool in front is very nice and there are two tiers of seating facing the tower with gardens between the tiers.

After I learned the hard way that the South Side Community Art Center and the Bronzeville Visitor…read moreInformation Center were BOTH closed on a frosty January Sunday, my botched attempt to observe the spirit of Martin Luther King Day by learning about African-American history culminated with a misguided visit to Douglas Tomb. From a few blocks away I looked up in awe at the 9' bronze statue atop a towering 46' monument. It wasn't until I entered the park gate that I realized my latest mistake: not only did this guy spell his last name with one 's', but he was also white. I.e., not Frederick Douglass. [smacks self on forehead] The man who holds a high perch on the eastern fringe of the Bronzeville neighborhood goes by the name Stephen A. Douglas. Douglas was a prominent white local landowner in the area long before Bronzeville became known as the mecca of African-American history. A lifelong politician, he played a significant role in establishing America's western territories and railroads before losing the presidential election to Abe Lincoln in 1860. Douglas' belief in popular sovereignty, i.e. the notion that new territories should be allowed to individually decide on slavery by popular vote, ultimately led to his political downfall. Here at the monument, one can stand over the sarcophagus containing Douglas' dead body and carry on the longstanding scholarly debate about whether Douglas was *personally* opposed to slavery; some argue his name and monument should be removed, while others are dedicated to preserving his legacy. Even on Yelp, if you search for either the community area Douglas or the neighborhood Bronzeville, you'll see the two names superimposed on top of each other. We all know that nice guys don't get statuized, though, and with Douglas' gaze fixed at more than 50' above ground it's impossible to look him in the eye to properly judge the nuances of his character. Only one fact was and remains as true as this monument is high: the guy was prominent.

I have visited Douglas Park many times because I'm a historian of Douglas and a board member of the…read moreStephen A. Douglas Association. It's a beautiful park, very peaceful, and for several years now it has been home to the Bronzeville Historical Society, which is headquartered there. You can learn a great deal about African-American history in Chicago by talking with the charismatic founder and CEO of the society, Sherry Williams, or by settling into the upstairs library and picking out a good book. Sherry is also very knowledgeable about Douglas, his family's slaves, and the underground railroad. As an additional bonus, the park is only a short walk from the lakeshore because it is the terminus of a pedestrian bridge that runs over the railroad tracks and the highway (the bridge is currently in the process of being replaced by a spectacular suspension bridge for both bikers and pedestrians). Moreover, since October 2014, the park features a feature-length film on Douglas that can be seen at the site if the Bronzeville Historical Society is open. I produced and directed the film, which is titled "Stephen A. Douglas and the Fate of American Democracy," and which interweaves the story of Douglas' life and that of the nation from the Revolution to the Civil War. The film was made with the cooperation of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, and received a 2015 Award of Superior Achievement from the Illinois State Historical Society. It features voice acting from leading Douglas and Lincoln reenactors, clips from five historians, and several hundred images drawn from several dozen archival collections, including the Stephen A. Douglas Papers at the University of Chicago. There is no charge to enter the park, to watch the film, or to visit the Bronzeville Historical Society. All are welcome! If possible, however, come when Sherry is on site. She's a truly engaging human being. The phone number of the society is 312-428-8033. Graham Peck

Really cool venue! Beautiful historical building. It…read morecurrently is housing the run of "Theatre of the Mind" created by David Byrne and Mala GaonkarI love the decor! Comfy furniture and waiting rooms. A locker room to store your belongs and a fun gift store to visit on your way out. Warm atmosphere. Lots of rooms for this special immersive theatre experience. I high recommend attending!

I accidentally went into the Reid Murdoch Center thinking it was the right location for my…read moreappointment, but it turned out to be the wrong building. Thankfully, the experience was still a positive one thanks to the security guard, Tyree. He was extremely helpful and provided clear directions to get me where I needed to go. Tyree had a great personality and was very friendly--not just to me, but to everyone coming through the lobby. It's always nice to see someone take pride in their job and treat people with kindness. Even though I was in the wrong place, I left with a good impression of the building and its staff.

Drove by on a Thursday afternoon. I thought it was a private home but it appears that there are…read moretours every last Saturday of the month. This is fantastic! There is only street parking so it will probably be hard to park. Best to uber or lyft if coming. The outside area seems to be well maintained. Goigle their website to plan ahead and see more info.

No tour was available. Looks well maintained. Not worth the trip unless you are in the immediate…read morevicinity.

Surprisingly large, easy to overlook gorgeous sculptured fountain - would def stop by if you're in…read morethe area, would definitely visit this area if you're from out of town - the UChicago campus is gorgeous

I never heard or seen this structure until I somehow found it during a drive through the…read moreneighborhood. My mom and I decided to park and look at it for a few minutes because we were trying to figure out what it was. We drove away after I thought the cloaked one was headless, but I realized that I was mistaken later. I regret not taking pictures of it. It was Interesting to see the structure from our car though.

Pullman is fantastic. It's one of Chicago's far south side neighborhoods, and amongst those that…read moreoften get ignored by the rest of the city. This neighborhood has one of the richest histories of any in town. Pullman was established as a company town by and named for George Pullman, who created the Pullman Company. They built elaborate sleeping cars for train travel, some of which are still in use today as private rail cars, and are really fancy digs even today. Pullman was annexed by the city of Chicago shortly after it's inception. A neighborhood tour through Pullman is a must, either guided (which I believe happen once per month) or self-guided (pick up a map for a self-guided tour at the Historic Pullman Foundation). There are lavish homes that were built for company executives, as well as more modest homes; they had dormitory-style buildings that were built for single men; and there were interesting homes that have three entrances for newlyweds. The row houses here are beautiful, and I'd honestly consider looking into it if I had the desire to own a home in a historical district and deal with the restrictions and covenants that come with all that. There's the Historic Pullman Foundation, a small museum that has exhibits related to railroad history and the Pullman company/town. There's also the Pullman headquarters; the administrative building has been restored. There's also a Pullman laborer's museum which I have not yet visited but I am hoping to get to soon. They have events throughout the year, such as the aforementioned guided neighborhood tours, Pullman Train Days (a great event!), Pullman Garden Walk, Labor Day activities, various lectures, and so on This site was made a National Monument by President Obama and is the only such site in Chicago. It's very far off the beaten track, but it's definitely worth a visit regardless of whether you're from Chicago or a visitor. There's a Pullman Metra stop, but I've never found parking in Pullman to be a problem. There's a CTA bus as well but this is far enough south that I can only imagine it would take forever to get here unless you're already on the south side.

Amazing exhibits! I love the display about jellyfish as food. And the microplastics exhibit was…read moreeye-opening.

I must say, this place really is great- you go in, you see the jellyfish, you sit down to eat, and…read moreyou actually feel like you're understood as a human, which, coming from a central-nervous-system-less gelatinous Medusozoa, is a novel experience. I can definitely say that the HoJ experience causes more introspection than 7/10 similar venues. But I can't help but feel like people hype this place up too much? Given how much my friends talk about it, you'd think it was the Northwestern Region of Unlikeness. It's good- quite good, in fact. You don't have to psych yourself up for it as much as they say. Don't walk in expecting to become someone else. Just... expect to learn something about who you already are.