Shedd Aquarium Archives : TRAVEL/FOOD

Inside Chicago Walking Tours, ranked #1 of 386 Tours and Activities in Chicago on TripAdvisor, will be running two public tour routes in January and February 2024:

The World Within (I) – Everyone does a boat tour when they visit Chicago. But as fun as that is, it’s a very tiny sliver of what Chicago has to offer architecturally! Let Inside Chicago Walking Tours guide you inside some of the most stunning interior spaces you’ll ever see — spaces you’d surely pass by without a second glance if you weren’t shown them by a seasoned, in-the-know tour guide. Chicago’s Loop, full of offices, courtrooms, retail spaces, and business, is truly an overlooked treasure in terms of its gorgeous interior spaces. There is so much beauty there, behind that well-known exterior: it’s a beauty that is available to you to experience. (Neighborhood: The Loop)

Open Your Eyes: Chicago’s Underground Pedway & Other Secrets of the Loop – Come experience Chicago’s famous “Pedway” – the mysterious underground tunnels downtown that keeps us all warm & dry in bad weather. Walking in the Pedway, through hidden corridors of stained glass and even underground swimming pools, we’ll access interiors that seem to come up out of nowhere as you’re exploring the tunnels. We’ll explore the hidden passages, overlooked details, rich symbolism, and quirky stories that add wonderful bits of color and texture to the overall narrative of the city. The details people walk by every day will amaze you, and you’ll feel like you’ve truly seen a hidden side of Chicago by the end of this walking tour. This is not a typical “must-see” tour for typical tourists – it’s a “must see” experience for travelers who want something BEYOND what’s typical. Ending with a fabulous “secret” interior not far from the Art Institute, you’ll be in the perfect central spot for continuing your exploration of downtown Chicago on your own after the tour. (Neighborhood: The Loop)

Chicago Electric Boat Company, the city’s premier river boat rental operator, has officially announced the launch of private Hot Tub Boats as the newest way to enjoy the river this winter season. Launching from their Marina City location at 300 N. State Street, the heated six-person boats will center cruises on the main branch of the Chicago River for iconic skyline views, taking riders as far east as Michigan Avenue and as far west as Wells Street. If hot tub cruising isn’t your speed, the team will also be unveiling 22-foot Heated Luxury Duffys— a winterized version of a favorite riverboat offering. The easy-to-operate vessels fit groups of 12 of all ages and depart from their Marina City location. (Neighborhood: River North)

One of the best ways to see Chicago is from the water. The city is home to two stunning waterfronts — the Chicago River and Lake Michigan — and each offers plenty of cruise options. Admire the skyline on a lakefront cruise, learn about the city’s iconic architecture on a Chicago River cruise, enjoy dinner and dancing aboard an all-glass vessel, sip cocktails on a tiki-themed boat, paddle your own kayak — the options are truly endless. Here’s your guide to Chicago lake and river cruises, boat tours, dinner cruises, and beyond.

ART on THE MART (April 12 – June 5, 2024) – ART on THE MART’s spring season will kick off to coincide with EXPO Chicago’s 11th edition with a commission by internationally acclaimed artist Nora Turato. On view alongside Turato’s work for the 2024 spring season will be the annual Chicago Public Schools (CPS) projection (May 1 – 12) made in conjunction with the All-City Visual Arts program and featuring artwork by CPS seniors. The 2024 lineup will also include new commissions by leading artists Yinka Ilori, Cory Arcangel, and Brendan Fernandes, as well as a new collaboration with the Poetry Foundation. (Neighborhood: The Loop)

The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture is hosting “Caribbean Indigenous Resistance / Resistencia Indígena del Caribe ¡Taíno Vive!”(Until June 16, 2024). The exhibition from the Smithsonian presents the history of the Taínos, the Indigenous peoples of the northern Caribbean islands, and how their descendants are reaffirming their culture and identity today. (Neighborhood: Humboldt Park)

Visitors arriving and departing from O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 5 (T5) will begin to see an extraordinary new public art collection as several works by more than 20 Chicago artists finish the installation. The $3.5 million public art commission, led by Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), is the City’s largest single acquisition of works by Chicago artists in the last 30 years. The exhibition Del Otro Lado / The Other Side featuring 17 original works curated by Behar X Schachman is now on view throughout the International Arrivals Corridor. The new projects at T5 join recently completed projects at the O’Hare Multi-Modal Facility (MMF):

Installed in April 2023, REACH is a large-scale sculpture by New York-based artists Hank Willis Thomas and Coby Kennedy consisting of two arms, approximately 27 and 31 feet long, suspended between nine and 34 feet off the ground in the North Escalator Hall of the MMF.
The final commission Immigrant Owned by Jonathan Michael Castillo will finish installation in 2024 in the Baggage Claim of Terminal 5.

Born in the late 1920s as a movie theater, the newly-preserved iconic Ramova Theatre has made a triumphant return. Reimagined as a 1500-capacity music venue, it is one of the largest of its kind on Chicago’s south side and notable for celebrity co-owners Chance the Rapper, Jennifer Hudson, and Quincy Jones. (Neighborhood: Bridgeport)

Shedd Aquarium recently welcomed a sea otter pup rescued in late October by the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC). The new addition, temporarily referred to as Pup EL2306, is a rescued male northern sea otter. He will remain behind the scenes in the Regenstein Sea Otter Nursery for a few months as he reaches development milestones and builds bonds with the care staff and the other otters at Shedd before being officially introduced to the otter habitat and the other rescued otters at Shedd. (Neighborhood: South Loop)

Get ready for the 10th annual #SwitchOnSummer, the official start of the Summer Season at Buckingham Fountain!

Join the Chicago Park District and ComEd on Saturday, May 11 as Chicago’s iconic Buckingham Fountain is switched on for the 2024 season.

This year conmemorates a decade of this festivities with performances by Night Out in the Parks artists as well as food, fun, FREE giveaways, and more. For more information about event details visit: https://bit.ly/SwitchOnSummer2024.

The event is FREE!

About Choose Chicago

Choose Chicago is the official sales and marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global visitor and meetings destination, leveraging the city’s unmatched assets to ensure the economic vitality of the city and its member business community. Follow @choosechicago on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and TikTok and tag #ChicaGOandKNOW. For more information, visit choosechicago.com.

Art on the MART is queuing up four new projections for 2022 that will spotlight Chicago dance and the dancers, choreographers and visual artists that bring the medium to its full potential.

The first projection Floe, created by choreographer and Chicago native Carrie Hanson with her dance company, The Seldoms, is a piece that spotlights climate change, extreme weather, vanishing ice, denialism, bodies of water and, ultimately, bodies. Hanson teamed with several long-time collaborators for this project. A stellar team of visual artists (Bob Faust, Liviu Pasare and Andrew Glatt) assembled a dynamic, emotional projection by weaving dance, word and image. Mikhail Fiksel crafted a soundscape that includes field recordings of icebergs, water and rain; Maria Pinto created architectural garments in an array of watery blues; Seth Bockley provided text that moves from irreverent to elegiac. Performers include Sarah Gonsiorowski, Damon Green and Maggie Vannucci. Floe will be on-view from May 6 to June 29, 2022.

Chicago Fine Arts Building

Chicago’s Fine Arts Building (410 S. Michigan Avenue) launched its new look and a website with centralized ticketing and rental platforms that encompass all of the landmark building’s spaces: artists’ studios, offices, rehearsal halls and two theaters—the historic Studebaker Theater and Carriage Hall, a contemporary multidisciplinary performance and event space that is being built in the former Playhouse Theater space.

Property owner Berger Realty Group began major renovations of Studebaker Theater and Carriage Hall earlier this year, to enhance the experiences of theatergoers and producing companies at both venues. Renovations to the historic Studebaker will be completed in May 2022, including all-new seating, enhancements and modernization of the theater’s AV and grid systems, a state-of-the-art technical booth, updated lobbies and a newly designed VIP lounge on the third floor. The new Carriage Hall venue will open in late 2022, with more details to be announced in the coming months.

Chicago Mahogany Tours

Chicago Mahogany Tours, led by Chicago’s rising sensation Urban Historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, are a must when visiting Chicago. He takes visitors on a bus tour of Chicago’s historic south side neighborhoods – Pullman, Bronzeville, Roseland, Bridgeport and Stockyard – while sharing unique facts about Chicago Black history.

Obama Presidential Center

The Obama Presidential Center broke ground this fall in Jackson Park; this amazing world-class museum will bring a spectacular new campus to Chicago’s South Side and provide a fabulous new gathering space for the Hyde Park community and residents. Upon completion, it will feature a museum, library, park and activity center, women’s garden and so much more.

Pepper Family Wildlife Center at the Lincoln Park Zoo

The Pepper Family Wildlife Center, a new state-of-the-art habitat for lions and big cats, recently opened at the Lincoln Park Zoo. The Center’s Lion House features a Great Hall that can host dinners for 400 guests or receptions for up to 500. The Lion House also features a conference room, which can seat 80 guests, or 100 for a standing reception. Both the Great Hall and the conference room feature windows overlooking the inside of the exciting lion exhibit.

Shedd Aquarium

In preparation for the organization’s 100th anniversary in 2030, the Shedd Aquarium has unveiled a new, comprehensive strategic vision, a multi-faceted, 8-year, $500 million dollar Centennial Commitment which will include deeper community investments and partnerships, a modernized aquarium experience through the transformation and restoration of the historic galleries and dynamic new exhibits, new educational and experiential programs created with equity and inclusion at the center, compelling digital engagements, advancement in exemplary animal care and welfare and accelerated aquatic and scientific research.

Skydeck Chicago at Willis Tower

Skydeck Chicago at Willis Tower has reopened after completing an extensive redevelopment encompassing the attraction’s lower level, delivering an interactive experience that celebrates the unique personality, history, neighborhoods and sites of Chicago. This immersive, new Chicago-themed museum features modern physical and visual displays, educating guests of all ages on Chicago history, culture, cuisine and architecture through interactive and informative experiences.

The complete transformation on the 103rd-floor observation deck includes fresh design features and interactive monitors, providing a space to inspire guest poses and allow visitors to upload and display their Ledge social media photos. Along with the stunning views, guests can indulge in informational videos about the city’s growth, travel patterns, cultural attractions and the making and history of The Ledge. Guests are invited to leave a mark on the city by creating drawings or messages on the interactive sequin wall. Screens also feature the impressive eastside views from the 103rd floor, allowing visitors to discover more about local sights, no matter the weather.