1-Day of Culture in Chicago

Day 1 You'll See:

(If you have additional time consider Chicago Chinatown and Greektown for meal options).

There's nothing quite like the culture of Chicago, a city known for its diverse histories and even more diverse futures. Jump into this melting pot of cultural delights and learn all about what makes this city so unique!

Day 1 -

  • Illinois Holocaust Museum - An enlightening place to begin your cultural-centric visit in Chicago is the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, located in Skokie. The motto of this museum is powerful and sobering at the same time, stating the mission of ‘Remember the Past, Transform the Future’. There is a powerful spirit of dedication to both the Holocaust and its survivors here, over 300,000 guests coming here each year to visit the landmark cultural history and education centers in Chicago. The entire museum provides a very ‘successful learning experience for all’, the tragic history of this place alone a lesson worth learning. With threats of neo-nazi marches in the late 1970’s in Skokie a group of survivors put up a small storefront, turning their mission into the 65,000 square foot museum you see today.
  • National Museum of Mexican Art - Another one of the amazing cultural facets throughout Chicago will make your next stop, the National Museum of Mexican Art. Within this museum wonder, you will find an insightful and impressive bevy of Mexican, Latino, and Chicago art and culture. Within the museum, your group will find over 10,000 permanent collection pieces and 5,000 paintings, photographs, and sculptures, each representing over 3,000 years of creativity ‘from both sides of the border’. This collection is one of the most prominent first-voice institutions for Mexican art and culture in the U.S, home to one of the country's largest art collections (did we mention the 9,000 seminal works from ancient Mexico?).
  • Jane Addams Hull House - Jane Addams Hull House is a highly integral architectural and social establishment in Chicago, a Near West Side gem that sits at the University of Illinois. Open 10-4, this mansion turned museum allows your group to explore the ‘dynamic memorial to a social reformer’, the entire establishment dedicated to Jane Addams Hull (the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize) and Ellen Starr, her friend and colleague. The Hull House opened in 1889 for recently arrived European immigrants, one of the first to do such a thing at the beginning of the settlement house movement. Sometimes more commonly referred to as JAHHM, this home museum will show you exactly how Jane Addams and her colleagues helped change the lives of immigrants and of public policy in general through several different history exhibits and artifacts.

  • Navy Pier- A Chicago landmark, both culturally and historically, since its inception in 1916, the Navy Pier is a one-stop destination for excitement, exploration, and relaxation, making it the perfect nightcap for your now Chicago culturally-aware group. With 50 acres of attractions extending out over Lake Michigan, this pier has something for everyone and then some. Explore the amusement park on the pier, the many delicious eateries inside, the shopping opportunities, the Crystal Gardens, the IMAX, or just walk around and embrace the essentially Chicago culture walking around every corner.