Your 4-Day Chicago Group Tour is designed to give each and every participant an exciting experience that combines many of the most popular attractions in Chicago along with an opportunity to explore many of the cities unique attractions. There are also many opportunities to add unique attractions to this itinerary which would enhance the tour. Below is a sample itinerary of what you might want.
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Museum of Science & Industry
Discover the amazing wonders of the universe at the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum! The Adler Planetarium and Museum is home to more than 35,000 square feet of exhibits. Visit the scale models of the Solar System, ancient astronomical instruments or interactive adventures.
The Field Museum
Spend about 3 hours at the Field Museum without one minute of boredom as you walk through scores of permanent and temporary exhibits spread over 9 acres of floor space. First see the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever unearthed named Sue for the paleontologist who found the dinosaur in 1990 in South Dakota. The real skull is so heavy that a lighter copy had to be mounted on the skeleton and the actual one is displayed nearby. Visitors can explore aspects of the day-to-day world of ancient Egypt, viewing 23 actual mummies and realistic burial scenes, a living marsh environment and canal works, the ancient royal barge, a religious shrine, and a reproduction of a typical marketplace of the period. The Underground Adventure is a “total immersion environment” populated by giant robotic earwigs, centipedes, wolf spiders, and other subterranean critters. That and much more can be seen at the Field Museum of Natural History.
Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd is a city treasure and well deserving of its title as the world’s largest indoor aquarium. The Caribbean Coral Reef entertains spectators with divers feeding nurse sharks, barracudas, stingrays, and hawksbill sea turtles. A crew of friendly trainers puts dolphins through their paces of leaping dives, breaches, and tail walking at the Oceanarium. And a visit to the Wild Reef-Sharks at Shedd brings you up close and personal to sharks and other predators as you observe them through a floor to ceiling window.
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Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute is a must see. The Impressionist collection includes one of the world’s largest collections of Monet paintings. You’ll also find Seurat’s masterpiece, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. In the gallery of American contemporary art visitors are often surprised to find both Grant Wood’s American Gothic and Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. Also the great hall of European arms and armor has more than 1,500 objects including armor, horse equipment, swords and daggers, pole arms, and maces which is very impressive. The gift shop offers many of these paintings on t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, ties, and stationery.
Museum of Science & Industry
The museum has three floors of more than 800 exhibits. Among the many exhibits are a WWII German U-505 submarine, an Apollo 8 Commando Module, a cantilevered Boeing, a WWII British Spitfire and a 1914 Ford Model T. The museum also has a large section on the human body. Among the items on display is a 20ft tall walk-through model of a heart and there’s also a permanent exhibit covering AIDS. The energy section includes a reconstruction of a 1933 Illinois coal mine which allows people to descend 50 ft into the mine. In the environmental section there is an interactive display explaining the ozone layer and pollution. Other attractions include a Fairy Castle (a dollhouse with working electricity and plumbing), a 3,000 sq ft model railroad, an Omnimax theater, flight simulators and even a baby chick hatchery.
Chicago Neighborhood Tour
Explore the vibrant cultures of Greek Town, Chinatown, and Little Italy for a variety of sights and shopping in the actual neighborhoods where Greek, Chinese, and Italian immigrants originally settled when arriving in Chicago.
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Brookfield Zoo
See some of your favorite animals in their natural habitat at Brookfield Zoo! There is plenty to do and something for everyone to see. The zoo is situated on 216 acres allowing plenty of interaction with animals from all over the world!
Grant Park
This park is Chicago’s principal downtown park. It is located between Michigan Avenue and Lake Michigan. The main attraction in Grant Park is the Clarence Buckingham Fountain. The fountain was commissioned in 1927 by Kate Buckingham to honor her late brother Clarence.
Millennium Park
This is Chicago’s most remarkable new public space. During the summer the park has free events and concerts featuring the City’s most talented performers and artists at the Pritzker Pavilion. Groups can also explore Cloud Gate. A 110-ton elliptical sculpture which reflects the city’s famous skyline and the clouds above. The Crown Fountain is a 50 ft. tall glass block tower with water cascading down the sides. Kids get their feet wet in the water or completely cool off by standing next to the fountain and let the water run over them. Watch as the side of the fountain changes from faces (of people of Chicago) to nature scenes. Or walk the BP Bridge. It is a 925 foot long winding bridge which provides incomparable views of the city’s skyline, Grant Park and Lake Michigan. Grab a bite to eat or an ice cream from one of the vendors in the park. Also there are souvenir shops which sell exclusively Millennium Park items.
Navy Pier
MARVEL * RIDE * PLAY at Navy Pier’s IMAX Theatre Chicago’s largest flat movie screen soaring six stories! RIDE the Ferris Wheel and see Chicago on this 15 story-high ride. PLAY in the Amazing Chicago’s Funhouse Maze and experience the sights and sounds of Chicago life. Spend time shopping at Barbara’s Bookstore, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Navy Pier Store, The Sports Store and many others. Navy Pier also has great places to eat such as Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. & Marketplace, Chango Loco Mexican Cantina, Billy Goat Tavern & Grill and Capi’s Italian Kitchen. And if you can, experience a dinner cruise, shoreline sightseeing or a Seadog Speedboat ride available at the Pier!
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360 Chicago (The Hancock Observatory)
This destination delivers an excellent panorama of the city and an intimate view over nearby Lake Michigan and the various shoreline residential areas. If the view isn’t enough, experience the “talking telescopes” with sound effects, history walls illustrating the growth of the city, and the Skywalk open-air viewing deck which allows you to feel the rush of the wind at 1,000 feet. The Hancock, also known as “Big John” has a high-speed elevator which carries passengers to the observatory in an impressive 40 seconds.
Magnificent Mile
Shopping The Magnificent Mile, the northern part of Michigan Avenue between the Chicago River and Lake Shore Drive, is Chicago’s version of the Champs-Elysees: a grand wide boulevard with exclusive shops, museums, restaurants and ritzy hotels.