Value City Rating: $$$$
Photo property of Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau
The choice of Chicago for a reunion is certainly a good one, as there are many, many sites and activities in the Chicago area—far more than can be seen during a short reunion stay. We have chosen a few of the most popular attractions to describe for you here. Now, settle back and read about Chicago and then fill out the on line survey to let us know what you'd like to see!
ABOUT THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Nicknamed the “Windy City,” Chicago is located on Lake Michigan and is the third largest city in the United States with over 8 million people. Also called the “City with the Big Shoulders,” it has made itself known as a working-man’s city. It is the commercial, financial, industrial and cultural center for a vast region and a mid-continental shipping point. Chicago covers over 200 sq. mi. and extends more than 20 miles along the lakefront. Its downtown section is called the Loop because of the huge rectangle of elevated railways, expressways and boulevards that extend into and around the heart of the city. Come explore Chicago for your reunion!
Commissioned in 1911, Great Lakes Training Center has remained the Navy’s largest training center and home to the Navy’s only Recruit Training Command, more commonly known as “boot camp.” Since WWI, more than 2 million new sailors have passed through the Recruit Training Command and an equal number through its technical schools. There are currently more than 16,700 active duty and 2,400 civilians assigned to the base.
If we book early, we may be able to attend a recruit graduation on Friday during the reunion. This would be an early wake-up call, because we would have to be seated by 8:00 AM at Great Lakes for the ceremony. Keep in mind also, that this would be an all-day trip, leaving only one other day for other tours. This is truly an awe-inspiring ceremony and one that is always a favorite with any group that is lucky enough to be able to attend.
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The Sears Tower The view FROM the Sears Tower
The world’s tallest building until 1996, this 110-story skyscraper still has claims to that record since the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, counts its spire as part of the building. But if you were to measure the 1,454 foot-high Sears Tower in terms of the highest occupied floor, highest roof, or highest antenna, the Sears Tower would win hands down. Today the Sears Tower is no longer the headquarters of Sears, but is home to over 100 different company offices.
A thrilling ride to the 103rd-floor observatory, the Skydeck, takes only 70 seconds. Video monitors entertain you on your way to the top during the 1,353-foot ride. On a clear day you can see to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana. Experience how the building sways on a windy day. See the interactive exhibits that tell about Chicago’s famous personalities, from musicians to sports stars. The lower level has a food court, exhibits and an eight-minute movie about the city. Don’t miss the spiraling Calder mobile sculpture “The Universe” in the ground floor lobby.
First built in 1916 as a Municipal pier, Navy was constructed to accommodate package freight vessels, excursion steamers, warehouse and public entertainment. In the 1930s and during WWII, the U.S. Navy began using the pier for training and its name was changed to Navy Pier. In 1946 the pier was sold to the University of Illinois, which used the facility until 1965. In 1976, Navy Pier began being used for public exhibits and special events. Major renovations and construction in the 1990s resulted in the pier’s current layout with restaurants, shops, museums, ballrooms, concert and exhibition halls, and auditoriums. Also in the complex are an IMAX theater, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Chicago Children’s Museum, the Smith Museum of Stained Glass, an indoor botanical garden, and a 150-foot-tall Ferris wheel. The pier continues to be used as an embarkation point for tour and excursion boats. Navy Pier is the top tourist attraction in Illinois.
Located in Jackson Park this museum is the only in-place surviving building from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, the former Fine Arts Building, and is a National Historic Landmark. The museum was established in 1926 by Julius Rosenwald, chairman of Sears, Roebuck & Company. It was first opened to the public in 1933. Its major permanent exhibits include the Coal Mine, which recreates a working mine inside the museum. Another is the U-505 Submarine, the only German submarine captured by the U.S. in World War II. Also on display are silent film star Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle, The Great Train Story, a 3,500 square model railroad that explains the story of transportation from Seattle to Chicago, the Transportation Zone with exhibits on air and land transportation and the first diesel-powered streamlined stainless-steel train, the Pioneer Zephyr. Many of the exhibits are interactive, ranging from Genetics to ToyMaker 3000, a working assembly line that lets you order a toy to and watch as it is made. The Henry Crown Space Center includes the Apollo 8 capsule which was used on the first lunar orbital mission. Other exhibits include an OmniMax Theater, Scott Carpenter’s Mercury Atlas 7 capsule, a Lunar Module trainer and a life-size mock-up of a space shuttle. The museum also hosts many temporary exhibits.
This facility is a 971-seat proscenium style live theater featuring musicals, comedies, farce, mysteries and revues, including Las Vegas-style ice shows. Stars such as Steve Allen, Lou Rawls, Bobby Vinton and the McGuire Sisters have performed concerts here also. The Drury Lane Martinique restaurant adjoins the theater, allowing guests to have dinner before the show. This could be a Thursday or Friday night activity.
This museum offers an inviting, informative and inspiring experience for the general public on the story of evangelism in North America, especially the ministry of Billy Graham. Take pleasure in a unique visual overview of the history of Christian evangelism and its influence on American society. Rare artifacts and interactive displays that begin with the early history of America and climaxing with a powerful 3-D presentation of the Gospel message. The Museum offers a changing selection of temporary exhibits that depict the themes of missions, evangelism, and contemporary Christian art. The Billy Graham Museum is a division of Wheaton College.
This collection began in 1981 when a few Vietnam veterans created an artistic and historic collection that chronicled a timeless and humanistic statement of war on behalf of all veterans and for future generations. The exhibit toured the our country and then became a permanent museum with the help of Mayor Richard Daley. View the many artifacts, paintings, sculptures, memoirs donated by fellow veterans. It houses over 1,500 works of art, including paintings, photography, sculpture, poetry and music. All the works were created by 125 artists who chronicled their individual experiences from the Vietnam War. The collection is born from the sheer sentiment of those who personally experienced the immediate suffering and realities of war. Their works give insight to the trauma experienced from witnessing combat first-hand.
One of the country’s largest zoos, it houses more than 2,800 animals representing 425 different species-many living in award winning indoor immersion exhibits. Its permanent exhibits include: Habitat Africa!, a five-acre savannah exhibit that highlights Africa’s diverse wildlife; The Swamp, featuring the wonders of wetlands, and The Living Coast, featuring Humboldt penguins, green sea turtles, amall sharks, vampire bats and free flying birds.
See the world’s largest indoor aquarium, home to approximately 8,000 aquatic animals from around the globe. “Amazon Rising” takes you on a journey along the banks of the Amazon River with a up-close look at many animals including piranhas, snakes, and stingrays. “Wild Reef” takes you through an underwater kingdom rich with marine biodiversity and coral reefs in the exhibit about the Indo-Pacific waters. Oceanarium has pools that seem to blend into Lake Michigan, which is visible through the huge glass wall. Have a stare-down with one of the knobby-headed beluga whales, observe Pacific white-sided dolphins at play and explore the simulated Pacific Northwest nature trail. The Caribbean Reef exhibit has sharks, stingrays, a sea turtle and other denizens of the deep. There’s something for everyone.
No visit to Chicago is complete without an afternoon game at Wrigley Field. Chicago and baseball seem to be synonymous in sports. Wrigley Field’s ivy-covered outfield walls distinguish it from ballparks across the nation. Discover the story behind the ivy that shades this famous stadium, and find out what makes the scoreboard truly unique in baseball today. Fans of both baseball and history will enjoy this 90-minute tour, which includes stops at the players’ dugouts and clubhouse, fan bleachers, mezzanine luxury suites, scoreboard and playing field. Tours are conducted only on weekends when the Cubs are on the road.
This gigantic world-class museum explores the cultures and environments from around the world. Exhibits range from the secrets of Egyptian mummies and the people of Africa and the Pacific Northwest to the living creatures in the soil. In the Underground Adventure you can shrink to the size of a bug and burrow beneath the surface of the soil to come face to face with a wolf spider twice your size. Visit Inside Ancient Egypt and the remarkable Mastaba complex with a working canal, a living marsh, a shrine to the cat goddess Bastet, burial ceremony artifacts and 23 mummies. In Life over Time, see more than 600 fossils including gigantic posed dinosaur skeletons.
Works by Monet, Renior, Gaugin, and van Gogh and others make this museum visit a must for visitors to Chicago. A few of the museum’s best-known paintings in the permanent collection are Grant Wood’s American Gothic, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, Pablo Picasso’s The Old Guitarist, and Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte-1884. The museum also has impressive collections of medieval, Renaissance and modern art. The Thorne Miniature Rooms show interior decoration in every historical style. Other exhibits include the Rubloff paperweight collection, a splendid reconstruction of the trading floor of the old Chicago Stock Exchange, WWII-era art work, art books and calendars. The two lion statues flanking the museum’s main entrance are probably the most well-known, and photographed in the world.
Photo Credit: City of Chicago, Graphics and Reproduction Center
The Water Tower and the Chicago Avenue Pumping Station were the only public buildings in the area to survive the Chicago Fire of 1871. Constructed of limestone blocks in gothic style, it is reminiscent of medieval castles. The American Water Works Association designated the tower as the first American water landmark. The Water Tower is now the city’s official photographic gallery. The creation of this gallery enables visitors to enjoy the fine work of some of Chicago’s own artists while visiting a piece of Chicago’s history.