Unleash your inner explorer in the Chicagoland area
Chicago, and its surrounding cities, offers something for everyone in your group. History buffs can delve into museums, nature enthusiasts can explore parks and gardens, foodies can indulge in diverse cuisines and thrill-seekers can find heart-pounding activities. Here are some lesser-known attractions that groups of all ages will love.
Chicago Attractions for Groups
The Chicago Riverwalk is a 1.25-mile path that runs alongside the famous Chicago River. The Riverwalk is filled with excellent establishments offering stunning views of the city and fabulous food and beverages. Some of the standouts include Beat Kitchen, City Winery and The Northman.
Constructed more than 100 years ago, the Chicago Cultural Center reflects the best of Chicago. Hundreds of thousands of visitors enter the center every year, making it one of the most visited attractions in the city. The stunning landmark building is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes, as well as free music, dance and theater events, films, lectures, art exhibitions and family events.
Embark on a vibrant adventure with Chicago Detours, a tour operator whose mural tours delve into the city’s diverse neighborhoods and artistic expressions.
Bahai-Temple-(credit-Chicagos-North-Shore-Convention-and-Visitors-Bureau)
Activities on Chicago’s North Shore
Bordering Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago, Chicago’s North Shore features a lakefront full of treasures and hidden gems.
The only Baha’i House of Worship in North America in Wilmette is an architectural marvel and symbol of unity. The Charles Gates Dawes House in Evanston is a National Historic Landmark and home to the 30th Vice President of the US and showcases life in a lakefront mansion at the turn of the century.
Unique to the North Shore is the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, boasting 27 display gardens situated on 385-acres. The Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie is the largest in the Midwest and features an interactive Survivor Experience. The Halim Time and Glass Museum in Skokie houses over 1,1000-time pieces and over 80 stained glass pieces of art in a one-of-a-kind collection.
While in Skokie, visit the Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park. This picturesque park runs for two miles and displays more than 60 sculptures by artists of local, national, and international reputation.
Things To Do in Joliet
Thirty-five miles southwest of Chicago, Joliet is a city steeped in history, including the Old Joliet Prison, which once housed famous criminals and now offers tours of its castle-guard towers. Groups can visit the Joliet Historical Society to learn about the prison’s history. Groups can also pay a visit to Sue Regis Glass Art, where you can get a hands-on experience of the centuries-old craft.
Kankakee Attractions
The quaint Kankakee County Museum complex features a historic schoolhouse and exhibits dedicated to local heritage. Learn about the region’s rich history, from its Native American roots to its industrial boom. Enjoy live performances, from musicals and plays to dance recitals and concerts, at the historic Kankakee Theatre.
Lotton Art Glass Gallery
Chicago Southland for Travel Groups
Just 30 minutes beyond the city limits of Chicago rests the 60 south/southwest suburbs known as the Chicago Southland. This area offers hundreds of festivals and events, 40,000 acres of luscious forestry, 600 holes of top-rated golf, iconic historic downtown shopping districts and some of the best restaurants, breweries and distilleries in the Chicagoland area.
Lotton Art Glass Gallery & Studios in Crete creates hand-blown, one-of-a-kind works of fine glass art. They create hand-blown vases, bowls, sculptures, paperweights, perfume bottles, lamps, pendant lighting and chandeliers. Meet the world famous Lotton family and tour the gallery and studio.
Homewood Bat Co. manufactures and sells professional-grade wood baseball bats made from ash, yellow birch and maple. Homewood Bat Co. welcomes visitors to witness its commitment to crafting exceptional bats with advanced technology and unsurpassed attention to detail at its state-of-the-art facility.
Established in 2015, Crozehead Cooperage in Monee is one of 26 cooperages in the United States and the only cooperage in Illinois. Crozehead offers tours of the cooperage where guests can witness traditional hand coopering demonstrations. This is followed by a whiskey tasting, charcuterie, and light fare sourced from local organic farms. For those who prefer to be more hands-on, guests can sign up for a two-day bucket-making class and learn to hand-craft their own bucket to bring home.
Stellwagen Farm showcases the agricultural heritage of Orland Park and includes a farmhouse and outbuildings. Programs, events and history tours are offered throughout the year.
Heritage Corridor Attractions
Heritage Corridor Destinations is the home of The First Hundred Miles of Route 66, the charming I&M Canal Towns and the magnificent Starved Rock Country.
There are many great stops on Route 66, from the Route 66 Welcome Center at the Joliet Area Historical Museum to the 20 Walldog murals that embrace the city of Pontiac. Don’t miss local favorites like the two-cell jail in Gardner and the Polk-a-Dot Drive-in in Braidwood.
That giant spaceman in the distance? That’s the Gemini Giant in Wilmington, one of the last remaining Muffler Men still along America’s Main Street.
A mid-1800s architectural wonder helped make Chicago the city it is today, the 96-mile Illinois & Michigan Canal (I&M Canal) connected the Great Lakes in Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. This “highway” allowed for many cities along the Canal to come to life. And today, these cities blend history with a modern sophistication that will make for a delightful trip. With restaurants like Tallgrass Restaurant in Lockport and Nick’s Tavern in Lemont, boutique shops like Betty’s in Morris and Weeta’s Boutique in Ottawa, a visit to the I&M Canal is an experience to remember.
Lake County Libations Trail
Lake County Activities
Fifty-six miles northwest of downtown Chicago lies Volo Bog State Natural Area, home to the only open water quaking bog in Illinois. Formed in an ancient glacial kettle hole lake, Volo Bog features a floating mat of sphagnum moss, cattails and sedges surrounding the open pool of water in the center of the bog. Explore the otherworldly landscape shaped by volcanic activity, marvel at diverse plant life, and keep an eye out for rare birds and amphibians.
Embark on a self-guided brewery tour along the Lake County Libations Trail. Sample beers from local breweries and enjoy the camaraderie of the craft beer scene.
Oak Park for Travel Groups
Frank Lloyd Wright’s first home and studio (1889-1909) was the birthplace of an architectural revolution. Over a century old, the National Historic Landmark is nestled on a beautiful tree-lined street in the heart of Oak Park. Wright used his home to explore design concepts that contained the seeds of his architectural philosophy. In his adjacent studio, Wright and his associates developed a new American architecture – the Prairie style. The historic district surrounding the Home and Studio has the greatest number of Wright-designed residences worldwide.
After visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, look at more of Wright-designed structures within the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District, a federally designated historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Place. The district is something of a treasure trove of modern architecture, boasting 23 buildings designed or remodeled by Wright.
Commissioned by the congregation of Oak Park Unity Church in 1905, Wright’s Unity Temple is the greatest public building of the architect’s Chicago years. The last surviving Wright-designed Prairie style public building, Unity Temple is both a National Historic Landmark and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the latter of which is a designation also held by some of the world’s greatest architectural wonders, from the Great Pyramids of Giza to the Parthenon. Unity Temple attracts visitors from all over the world but is still home to the congregation for which it was designed.
Rosemont Activities
Experience the thrill of skydiving without ever leaving the ground at iFLY Indoor Skydiving. This state-of-the-art facility uses powerful wind tunnels to simulate the feeling of freefall, perfect for both beginners and experienced skydivers.
Learn about the history of aviation at the Rosemont Aviation Museum. Explore a collection of vintage aircraft, learn about the pioneers of flight, and even climb aboard a real Boeing 727.
Willow Springs Outdoor Attraction
An excellent outdoor destination is the Little Red Schoolhouse Nature Center in Willow Springs. This interpretive center features sustainable design, a sensory garden, live native animals, exhibits about local natural history, a nature play area and an accessible trail. Over 3 1/2 miles of walking trails are available.
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