This winter, I was in Chicago for few days and enjoyed Chicago in a very different state with chilly winds and frozen lakes/ponds across the city. I liked doing my favourite activity while in Chicago - walking and during that I figured out that Chicago is reasonably pocket friendly place to explore because of multiple reasons. One of the prime one that lot of it's main places to visit are free, which is little unusual. Upto an extend that I first time heard a Zoo with free entry. Let's see more interesting facts with some tips to how enjoy Chicago city in a pocket friendly way.
Above photograph shows a walk I took in a day, although if you are there in summers, this same trail can be devided into 2 sections. One can easily walk and there are many free to visit places on this trail. First we will talk about the main places on the trails which can be explored for free and then we will learn about other free places to visit & explore in Chicago city of Illinois state in USA.
Related Blogpost : Pure Photo Journey to Chicago, Illinois (USA)
Things to keep in mind when you go out in Chicago, especially in winters :
1. Ensure that you have enough cloths on your body because in winters temperature is in -ve and also goes down upto -15.
2. Apart from lot of stuffing, don't forget a good cap to cover your head & ears.
3. Pair of good gloves would help.
Related Blog-post - Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago - One of the few Zoos in the world with Free Entry
Related Blog-post - Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago - One of the few Zoos in the world with Free Entry
Magnificent Mile : When you are in a new city, there are things which show real character of the place and I would say downtown & Magnificent Mile of Chicago show real character of Chicago city of Illinois. Not only that, while taking the stroll around Magnificent Mile, you would be able to relate to many facts you would have heard about Chicago City.
The Magnificent Mile is actually an upscale section of Chicago's Michigan Avenue. This place start from one side of the Chicago River to Oak Street on other side. The Mag Mile is located adjacent to downtown and serves as the main thoroughfare between Chicago's Loop business district and its Gold Coast.
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The Magnificent Mile is actually an upscale section of Chicago's Michigan Avenue. This place start from one side of the Chicago River to Oak Street on other side. The Mag Mile is located adjacent to downtown and serves as the main thoroughfare between Chicago's Loop business district and its Gold Coast.
Related Blog-post : South Asian History through Art at 'The Art Institute of California' in San Francisco city
Chicago Cultural Center During my 3 days visit, the place which I liked the most of Chicagi Cultural Center and probably because I spent the most time here during my trip. The reason can be other way round that I spent more time here because I found it interesting :). This Photo Journey takes you through Chicago Cultural Center, share it's beautiful corners, what to expect at Chicago Cultural Center, how to make best use if your visit to Chicago Cultural Center and a lot more.
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The Chicago Cultural Center is one of the Landmark buildings in Chicago city. This space is curated and maintained by Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs. The Chicago Cultural Center is also known as a place for Special Events. For example the Mayor of Chicago has welcomed Presidents and royalty, diplomats and community leaders.
Related Blog-post - Brilliant hues of Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco || California Diaries
The Chicago Cultural Center is one of the Landmark buildings in Chicago city. This space is curated and maintained by Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs. The Chicago Cultural Center is also known as a place for Special Events. For example the Mayor of Chicago has welcomed Presidents and royalty, diplomats and community leaders.
Cloud Gate If I have to guess the most most visited tourist place in Chicago, then Cloud Gate or the Chicago Bean comes to my mind and certainly this is one of the most popular places to explore in Chicago city for free. This post shares more about how to reach Cloud Gate, what to do around it and some interesting tips to make your Chicago visit special.
Related Blog-post : Chicago Cultural Center - One of the best places to explore in Chicago Downtown
This place and the post is even special because this Cloud Gate is built by an Indian artist. Cloud Gate is located in Millennium Park of Chicago city and that's Chicago downtown, just across theChicago Cultural Center.
Related Blog-post : Chicago Cultural Center - One of the best places to explore in Chicago Downtown
This place and the post is even special because this Cloud Gate is built by an Indian artist. Cloud Gate is located in Millennium Park of Chicago city and that's Chicago downtown, just across theChicago Cultural Center.
Millenium Park While we are sharing about main places to visit and explore in Chicago city, we can't miss one of the most popular park here. The park which is located close to Chicago Downtown and Magnificent Mile. Millenium Park one of the important milestone in Chicago city and can't be ignored, even if you try to :). This post shares more interesting facts about Millenium Park of Chicago & tips to make your visit special to this place.
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Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois. Apparently this park was originally intended to celebrate the third millennium and is a prominent civic center near the city's Lake Michigan shoreline.
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Millennium Park is a public park located in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois. Apparently this park was originally intended to celebrate the third millennium and is a prominent civic center near the city's Lake Michigan shoreline.
Buckingham Fountains :
Buckingham Fountain is a Chicago landmark in the center of Grant Park, which is just next of the Millenium Park and Cloud Gate. This fountain is one of the largest fountains in the world. Built in a Rocky rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, it is meant to allegorically represent Lake Michigan.
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Buckingham Fountain is a Chicago landmark in the center of Grant Park, which is just next of the Millenium Park and Cloud Gate. This fountain is one of the largest fountains in the world. Built in a Rocky rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles, it is meant to allegorically represent Lake Michigan.
Related Blogpost - Pure Photo Journey to Chicago, Illinois (USA) : Part-II
Grant Park
Grant Park is a large urban park in the Loop community area of Chicago city in Illinois state of USA. Grant Park is located around city's central business district. Some of the key areas within & around Grant Park are Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute of Chicago, Cloud Gate and the Museum Campus. Grant Park is visited by lot of local residents of Chicago city as well as tourists visiting the city. This post takes you through a photo journey of Grant Park along with relevant details & tips for explorers.
There are several gardens and flower displays throughout the Grant park in Chicago. Millennium Park houses the Lurie Garden, known for its display of tall grass flowers, particularly lavender and a decorative post-modern water stream.
Related Post - Millenium Park, Illinois - One of the most popular parks to explore in Chicago City
Lakefront Trail :
The Chicago Lakefront Trail is approximately 19 miles partial shared use path for walking jogging and cycling, located along the western shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. The trail passes through and connects Chicago's four major lakefront parks along with various beaches and recreational amenities.
Related Post - Grant Park - One of the Main Places to visit & Explore in Chicago City
Chicago Children's Museum :
The free activities at Navy Pier continue at the interactive Children’s Museum, with families admitted free on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. Kids ages 15 and under free the first Sunday of every month.
Grant Park is a large urban park in the Loop community area of Chicago city in Illinois state of USA. Grant Park is located around city's central business district. Some of the key areas within & around Grant Park are Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute of Chicago, Cloud Gate and the Museum Campus. Grant Park is visited by lot of local residents of Chicago city as well as tourists visiting the city. This post takes you through a photo journey of Grant Park along with relevant details & tips for explorers.
There are several gardens and flower displays throughout the Grant park in Chicago. Millennium Park houses the Lurie Garden, known for its display of tall grass flowers, particularly lavender and a decorative post-modern water stream.
Related Post - Millenium Park, Illinois - One of the most popular parks to explore in Chicago City
Lakefront Trail :
The Chicago Lakefront Trail is approximately 19 miles partial shared use path for walking jogging and cycling, located along the western shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. The trail passes through and connects Chicago's four major lakefront parks along with various beaches and recreational amenities.
Related Post - Grant Park - One of the Main Places to visit & Explore in Chicago City
Chicago Children's Museum :
The free activities at Navy Pier continue at the interactive Children’s Museum, with families admitted free on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. Kids ages 15 and under free the first Sunday of every month.
Navy Pier
When I started planning my walk around Chicago City, I learned that Navy Peir is one of the most visited attractions in the entire Midwest and is Chicago's number one tourist attraction. That was little unbelievable for me until I visited it myself and experienced the place. Navy Pier looks very different in winters and especially it doesn't look like a touristy place at all. This Blogpost takes you through the journey of Navy Pier and some tips to make your visit even better.
Navy Pier is around Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan and is reasonably big. I visited Navy Pier in winters and the lake was frozen at that moment. In fact, the temperature was so low that there was hardly anybody outside. The good part is that Pier has huge indoor area to enjoy different cuisines and drinks with your loved ones.
When I started planning my walk around Chicago City, I learned that Navy Peir is one of the most visited attractions in the entire Midwest and is Chicago's number one tourist attraction. That was little unbelievable for me until I visited it myself and experienced the place. Navy Pier looks very different in winters and especially it doesn't look like a touristy place at all. This Blogpost takes you through the journey of Navy Pier and some tips to make your visit even better.
Navy Pier is around Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan and is reasonably big. I visited Navy Pier in winters and the lake was frozen at that moment. In fact, the temperature was so low that there was hardly anybody outside. The good part is that Pier has huge indoor area to enjoy different cuisines and drinks with your loved ones.
Lincoln Park Zoo
Lincoln Park is one of the most visited places in Chicago city and there is a zoo located inside this park. Lincoln Park Zoo of Chicago is one of the oldest zoos in USA and amongst the few free zoos in the world. But keeping these facts aside, this is certainly a beautiful place to roam around and especially in summers because during winters many of the animals are moved to relatively warmer places - either indoor or some other locations. This Photo Journey takes you thought the Zoo located inside Lincoln Park of Chicago along with some interesting facts and tips to make best of your visit to this place.
Lincoln Park zoo opens at 10am and closes at 5pm, but most of the indoor places of Zoo are closed at 4:30 pm. For example, reptile section of Chicago Zoo is indoor and it closes at 4:30pm, so plan your visit accordingly. These timings are different on some special days which are mentioned on official website : https://www.lpzoo.org/hours
Lincoln Park is one of the most visited places in Chicago city and there is a zoo located inside this park. Lincoln Park Zoo of Chicago is one of the oldest zoos in USA and amongst the few free zoos in the world. But keeping these facts aside, this is certainly a beautiful place to roam around and especially in summers because during winters many of the animals are moved to relatively warmer places - either indoor or some other locations. This Photo Journey takes you thought the Zoo located inside Lincoln Park of Chicago along with some interesting facts and tips to make best of your visit to this place.
Lincoln Park zoo opens at 10am and closes at 5pm, but most of the indoor places of Zoo are closed at 4:30 pm. For example, reptile section of Chicago Zoo is indoor and it closes at 4:30pm, so plan your visit accordingly. These timings are different on some special days which are mentioned on official website : https://www.lpzoo.org/hours
Lincoln Park Conservatory
Lincoln Park Conservatory is a beautiful place with great collection of plants, flowers and natural resources preserved from different parts of the world. It's a relatively smaller space to walk around and appreciate natural beauty maintained so well. This Post shares more about Lincoln Park Conservatory and why do we recommend to visit this place. And especially if you planning to visit Lincoln Park Zoo, there is absolutely no reason why you should not plan a visit to conservatory which is 15 steps away from one of the zoo gates in Chicago.
Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is one of the those rare places, where you get diverse experiences and certainly then you find them more value for your time. Lincoln Park is special place in Chicago city because it has Free Zoo to interact with animals/birds (Although I am not too comfortable when I think about caged animal), Conservatory with beautifully maintained plants & flowers from different parts of the world, a farm with various kinds of experiences, few beautiful water ponds, sculptures, statues and lot of walking trails. This post would take you through some of these places along with tips to explore this place well for free. None of these places have any entry ticket.
Lincoln Park is one of the those rare places, where you get diverse experiences and certainly then you find them more value for your time. Lincoln Park is special place in Chicago city because it has Free Zoo to interact with animals/birds (Although I am not too comfortable when I think about caged animal), Conservatory with beautifully maintained plants & flowers from different parts of the world, a farm with various kinds of experiences, few beautiful water ponds, sculptures, statues and lot of walking trails. This post would take you through some of these places along with tips to explore this place well for free. None of these places have any entry ticket.
The Newberry Library is an independent research library, having variety of topics related to the history and cultural production of Western Europe and the Americas over the last six centuries. The Library is named to honor the founding bequest from the estate of philanthropist Walter Loomis Newberry. Core collection strengths support research in several subject areas, including maps, travel, and exploration.. music from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century... etc.
With options shared above, my favourite loop of main places to visit has completed. Do check out part-2 of Free things to do in Chicago and that too with free commuting options to know more places to explore in Chicago city for free and at reasonable commuting cost.
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