WELCOME TO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
Like most great cities, this one began with a plan and the luck of geography. Landscape architect Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan for Chicago inspired public and business leaders to dedicate 90% of the lakefront to enrich quality of life ... More

RESTAURANTS and NIGHTCLUBS
As you'll see, Chicago takes a back seat to no one Blues, Jazz, Soul, Hip-Hop, Comedy, and Barbeque options ... More

SHOPS and GALLERIES
Known as a town for shoppers, distinctive art galleries in "Chi-town" range from low cost to if you have to ask ... More

CULTURAL SITES
Du Sable Museum of African American History, Harpo Studios, Little Black Pearl, Martin Luther King Drive, Blues Heaven, Harold Washington Cultural Center, Jazz Institute of Chicago and Muntu Dance Theatre anchor ... More

FAMILY ATTRACTIONS
With Navy Pier, Chicago Children's Museum, Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry, Lincoln Park Zoo, Brookfield Zoo leading the way ... More

GENERAL ATTRACTIONS
Millennium Park has quickly become like a magnet in a bucket of nails - everyone is attracted. But that does not diminish the rewards of shopping on North Michigan Avenue, taking in views at Sears Tower Skydeck and John Hancock Observatory and visiting Near North art galleries ... More

ART and HISTORY MUSEUMS
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Cultural Center, Spertus Museum, and Chicago History Museum have expanded the city's access to the arts and its rich history ... More

PERFORMING ART VENUES
A large, well-defined bustling area centered around Randolph Street in the Loop has quietly become the 2nd largest Theatre District in America and home to the most pre- and post-Broadway plays ... More



BLACK GENESIS
In the area they called “Chicakgou”, the nomadic Pottawattomie Indians who passed through the region, recorded the first non-native settler as Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, an African-French trader who came to the region in 1790 ... More

BRONZEVILLE
The jewel of the Southside known as Bronzeville, was second only to Harlem in providing a legacy of cultural gifts to America and the world. Oscar Micheaux perfected ... More

BLACK NATIONALISM and CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
A number of Black America’s most influential leaders have made their mark here. Beginning in 1930, Elijah Muhammad was sent from Detroit to Chicago to expand the Nation of Islam (NOI) ... More

CHICAGO BLUES
Though Memphis gave the Blues its commercial launching pad, Chicago ascended to the title of “Blues Capital of America.” The long line of Blues artists who made their recording mark here begins with ... More

CHICAGO GOSPEL MUSIC
Founded in 1929, the First Church of Deliverance and the great Thomas A. Dorsey put Chicago on the map for Gospel music ... More

CHICAGO SOUL MUSIC
Given Soul Music formed in the merger of Gospel, Blues and R&B traditions, Chicago makes the strongest claim as the “Birthplace of Soul Music.” Its artistic roots and commercialization began here ... More

BLACK PUBLISHERS
Segregation and racism in Chicago had its upside. Several Black entrepreneurs leveraged the systemic exclusion from opportunity and media recognition to found publishing businesses. John H. Johnson ... More

CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE
Must-see skyscrapers and grand buildings for their size, design and location. Chicago has the second largest collection of skyscrapers in America ... More

TRIVIA and FAMOUS RESIDENTS
In the 2003-2004 sports seasons, Chicago became the first city with Black managers/head coaches for Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox baseball teams, Chicago Bulls basketball team and Chicago Bears football team ... More