Self-guided Sightseeing Tour #2 in Chicago, United States

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Churches & Art
Nature
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Historical
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Tour Facts

Number of sights 13 sights
Distance 3.2 km
Ascend 345 m
Descend 164 m

Experience Chicago in United States in a whole new way with our self-guided sightseeing tour. This site not only offers you practical information and insider tips, but also a rich variety of activities and sights you shouldn't miss. Whether you love art and culture, want to explore historical sites or simply want to experience the vibrant atmosphere of a lively city - you'll find everything you need for your personal adventure here.

Activities in ChicagoIndividual Sights in Chicago

Sight 1: Chicago Avenue Pumping Station

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The Chicago Avenue Pumping Station is a historic district contributing property in the Old Chicago Water Tower District landmark district. It is located on Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile shopping district in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. It is on the east side of Michigan Avenue opposite the Chicago Water Tower.

Wikipedia: Chicago Avenue Pumping Station (EN)

293 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 2: Chicago Water Tower

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Chicago Water Tower Bernt Rostad / CC BY 2.0

The Chicago Water Tower is a contributing property and landmark in the Old Chicago Water Tower District in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built to enclose the tall machinery of a powerful water pump in 1869, it became particularly well known when it survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, although the area around it was burnt to the ground.

Wikipedia: Chicago Water Tower (EN)

124 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 3: Loyola University Museum of Art

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Loyola University Museum of Art

The Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA), which opened in the fall of 2005, is unique among Chicago's many museums for mounting exhibits that explore the spiritual in art from all cultures, faiths, and eras. LUMA is located on Loyola University Chicago's Water Tower Campus in downtown Chicago, at 820 North Michigan Ave.

Wikipedia: Loyola University Museum of Art (EN), Website

356 meters / 4 minutes

Sight 4: Holy Name Cathedral

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Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago is the seat of the Archdiocese of Chicago, one of the largest Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States. The current Archbishop of Chicago is Cardinal Blase J. Cupich. Dedicated on November 21, 1875, Holy Name Cathedral replaced the Cathedral of Saint Mary and the Church of the Holy Name, which were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. A cornerstone inscription still bears faint indications of bullet marks from the murder of North Side Gang member Hymie Weiss, who was killed in front of the church on October 11, 1926.

Wikipedia: Holy Name Cathedral (Chicago) (EN)

555 meters / 7 minutes

Sight 5: Washington Square

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Washington Square, also known as Washington Square Park, is a park in Chicago, Illinois. A registered historic landmark that is better known by its nickname Bughouse Square, it was the most celebrated open air free-speech center in the country as well as a popular Chicago tourist attraction. It is located across Walton Street from Newberry Library at 901 N. Clark Street in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is Chicago's oldest existing small park. It is one of four Chicago Park District parks named after persons surnamed Washington. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 20, 1991.

Wikipedia: Washington Square Park (Chicago) (EN), Website

486 meters / 6 minutes

Sight 6: Allow Me

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Allow Me

Allow Me is a bronze sculpture by John Seward Johnson II. Casts of Allow Me are displayed as public art in Bath, New York; Chicago; in front of the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia; on Embassy Row in Washington DC; and in Portland, Oregon. Three additional casts exist in private collections in Hamilton, Ohio, Los Angeles and Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Wikipedia: Allow Me (EN)

200 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 7: Palmolive Building

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Palmolive BuildingZol87 from Chicago, IL, USA / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Palmolive Building, formerly the Playboy Building, is a 37-story Art Deco building at 919 N. Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

Wikipedia: Palmolive Building (EN)

105 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 8: The Drake Hotel

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The Drake Hotel

The Drake, a Hilton Hotel, 140 East Walton Place, Chicago, Illinois, is a luxury, full-service hotel, located downtown on the lake side of Michigan Avenue two blocks north of the John Hancock Center and a block south of Oak Street Beach at the top of the Magnificent Mile. Overlooking Lake Michigan, it was founded in 1920, and soon became one of Chicago's landmark hotels and a longtime rival of the Palmer House.

Wikipedia: Drake Hotel (Chicago) (EN)

253 meters / 3 minutes

Sight 9: 360 Chicago

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360 ChicagoJames Willamor from Raleigh, NC, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0

The John Hancock Center is a 100-story, 1,128-foot supertall skyscraper located in Chicago, Illinois. Located in the Magnificent Mile district, the building was officially renamed 875 North Michigan Avenue in 2018.

Wikipedia: John Hancock Center (EN), Website

208 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 10: Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place

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Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place is operated by Broadway In Chicago, a Nederlander subsidiary. Located at Water Tower Place in Chicago, Illinois, it was formerly known as Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place. It was reopened in 2004 and seats 549.

Wikipedia: Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (EN)

66 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 11: Chicago Sports Museum

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The Chicago Sports Museum is a 23,000-square-foot museum located along the Magnificent Mile at the Water Tower Place mall in Chicago. The museum, which was opened on April 1, 2014—by Harry Caray's Restaurant Group and CEO Grant DePorter—features interactive skill challenges, unique sports memorabilia, and a collection of game-used artifacts well known to fans of Chicago sports.

Wikipedia: Chicago Sports Museum (EN), Website

130 meters / 2 minutes

Sight 12: Museum of Contemporary Art

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The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago is a contemporary art museum near Water Tower Place in downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The museum, which was established in 1967, is one of the world's largest contemporary art venues. The museum's collection is composed of thousands of objects of Post-World War II visual art. The museum is run gallery-style, with individually curated exhibitions throughout the year. Each exhibition may be composed of temporary loans, pieces from their permanent collection, or a combination of the two.

Wikipedia: Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (EN), Website

393 meters / 5 minutes

Sight 13: 860 Lake Shore Drive

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860–880 Lake Shore Drive is a twin pair of glass-and-steel apartment towers on N. Lake Shore Drive along Lake Michigan in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Construction began in 1949 and the project was completed in 1951. The towers were added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1980, and were designated as Chicago Landmarks on June 10, 1996. The 26-floor, 254-ft tall towers were designed by the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and dubbed the "Glass House" apartments. Construction was by the Chicago real estate developer Herbert Greenwald, and the Sumner S. Sollitt Company. The design principles were copied extensively and are now considered characteristic of the modern International Style as well as essential for the development of modern high-tech architecture.

Wikipedia: 860–880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments (EN), Heritage Website

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Disclaimer Please be aware of your surroundings and do not enter private property. We are not liable for any damages that occur during the tours.

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