After I learned the hard way that the South Side Community Art Center and the Bronzeville Visitor…read moreInformation Center were BOTH closed on a frosty January Sunday, my botched attempt to observe the spirit of Martin Luther King Day by learning about African-American history culminated with a misguided visit to Douglas Tomb. From a few blocks away I looked up in awe at the 9' bronze statue atop a towering 46' monument. It wasn't until I entered the park gate that I realized my latest mistake: not only did this guy spell his last name with one 's', but he was also white. I.e., not Frederick Douglass. [smacks self on forehead] The man who holds a high perch on the eastern fringe of the Bronzeville neighborhood goes by the name Stephen A. Douglas. Douglas was a prominent white local landowner in the area long before Bronzeville became known as the mecca of African-American history. A lifelong politician, he played a significant role in establishing America's western territories and railroads before losing the presidential election to Abe Lincoln in 1860. Douglas' belief in popular sovereignty, i.e. the notion that new territories should be allowed to individually decide on slavery by popular vote, ultimately led to his political downfall. Here at the monument, one can stand over the sarcophagus containing Douglas' dead body and carry on the longstanding scholarly debate about whether Douglas was *personally* opposed to slavery; some argue his name and monument should be removed, while others are dedicated to preserving his legacy. Even on Yelp, if you search for either the community area Douglas or the neighborhood Bronzeville, you'll see the two names superimposed on top of each other. We all know that nice guys don't get statuized, though, and with Douglas' gaze fixed at more than 50' above ground it's impossible to look him in the eye to properly judge the nuances of his character. Only one fact was and remains as true as this monument is high: the guy was prominent.

I have visited Douglas Park many times because I'm a historian of Douglas and a board member of the…read moreStephen A. Douglas Association. It's a beautiful park, very peaceful, and for several years now it has been home to the Bronzeville Historical Society, which is headquartered there. You can learn a great deal about African-American history in Chicago by talking with the charismatic founder and CEO of the society, Sherry Williams, or by settling into the upstairs library and picking out a good book. Sherry is also very knowledgeable about Douglas, his family's slaves, and the underground railroad. As an additional bonus, the park is only a short walk from the lakeshore because it is the terminus of a pedestrian bridge that runs over the railroad tracks and the highway (the bridge is currently in the process of being replaced by a spectacular suspension bridge for both bikers and pedestrians). Moreover, since October 2014, the park features a feature-length film on Douglas that can be seen at the site if the Bronzeville Historical Society is open. I produced and directed the film, which is titled "Stephen A. Douglas and the Fate of American Democracy," and which interweaves the story of Douglas' life and that of the nation from the Revolution to the Civil War. The film was made with the cooperation of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, and received a 2015 Award of Superior Achievement from the Illinois State Historical Society. It features voice acting from leading Douglas and Lincoln reenactors, clips from five historians, and several hundred images drawn from several dozen archival collections, including the Stephen A. Douglas Papers at the University of Chicago. There is no charge to enter the park, to watch the film, or to visit the Bronzeville Historical Society. All are welcome! If possible, however, come when Sherry is on site. She's a truly engaging human being. The phone number of the society is 312-428-8033. Graham Peck

Drove by on a Thursday afternoon. I thought it was a private home but it appears that there are…read moretours every last Saturday of the month. This is fantastic! There is only street parking so it will probably be hard to park. Best to uber or lyft if coming. The outside area seems to be well maintained. Goigle their website to plan ahead and see more info.

No tour was available. Looks well maintained. Not worth the trip unless you are in the immediate…read morevicinity.

This tour is located at the house Ernest Hemingway was born in and lived until he was 6 years old…read more The house he moved to afterwards and lived in until he graduated high school is only like a 5 minute walk away, but someone currently lives there so it is not open to the public. This Victorian style house was remodeled to look almost exactly the way it did when Ernest Hemingway lived here. In the 50s it was turned into apartments and the porch was removed. I admire the amazing work they did on the house to get it to look almost exactly how it did before. Idk if I've ever read anything by Ernest Hemingway, but I know how iconic his books and stories are. I never knew he was from Oak Park! I love historical tours, even if I don't exactly know much/care about the person the tour is based around. Even to me, the tour was extremely interesting and the tour guide was amazing and knew a lot! It was $20 and lasted about an hour. We purchased our tickets in person when we got there. The Victorian era is fascinating, and much of the tour talks about life during that time. It also talks about who Ernest Hemingway grew up with and perhaps what inspired a lot of his work. Of course it mostly discusses his childhood because this is where he lived as a young child and how his parents and grandparents raised him. The tour goes through the entire house and upstairs, and there are so many interesting artifacts to see and look at.

The tour was thorough and informative: $20 for adults and $18 for students for a fifty minute tour…read moreof the house where Ernest Hemingway spent the first six years of his life. The house itself is beautiful, and is fitted with objects/decorations from the late Victorian period. Some of the items are in fact originals from the Hall/Hemingway family, and there are a number of original paintings by Hemingway's mother, Grace. The docent was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She gave an extensive account of Hemingway's immediate and extended family, which provided an insight into how a well-off family of that era lived. I had read only a couple of Hemingway's works at the time, but the tour was interesting enough that I was able to enjoy it without being a major fan. The building is about a twelve minute walk from the Green Line Oak Park CTA Station, and is close to many restaurants, cafés and shops. There is a lovely park between the station and the home, where one can sit and enjoy the weather + occasional live music. Overall, I highly recommend the tour if you are a Chicago resident or otherwise a Hemingway fan from out of town. It's a quick, cute tour and lovely area.

I'm not the biggest Frank Lloyd Wright fan in terms of his style, but I can admit he was ahead of…read morehis time. It was interesting to learn about him and the creative choices he made for his house and studio. I think his style definitely had an influence on the Chicagoland area, so the history is fascinating. The tour guide was great!! We were in the area doing the Ernest Hemingway house tour, and decided why not make a day out of it and do this tour too. It was very close and we were able to walk here from Hemingway's house. This tour is also an hour long guided walking tour through his house and studio, which is attached ($20 for adults). We purchased tickets there inside the gift shop located behind the house. There were two women working behind the counter, and idk if it was just my bf and I, but one of them scoffed when my bf tried to pay cash instead of just calmly letting us know it's card only. I also don't know why it takes two people to sign customers up for a tour--just kind of an odd experience lol. Anyway, there was no space for the next tour so we had to wait an hour, which was fine. We walked around the neighborhood and looked at the various other Frank Lloyd Wright style homes.

A friend of mine was visiting from out of town and is a huge Frank Lloyd Wright fan and when he…read moreplanned his trip, he definitely wanted to add this to the itinerary, so we took a little half day trip to Oak Park. The day before we booked 10:20am tickets as that was the first option available. Make sure you do so beforehand so that you are guaranteed a spot! We booked for a Monday so unsure how crowded or sold out it might be on a weekend. Our tour started around 10:30 and I just want to note that the tour at times felt a bit rushed inside and not organized. We had Ron as our tour guide who is very knowledgeable and you can tell is very passionate, however I felt like he was a little bit aggressive and slightly borderline rude at times with his commentary. It was subtle, but enough to raise our eyebrows a few times when looking at each other. Besides that though, we enjoyed the tour and it was great to truly see the space where Frank Lloyd Wright spent much of his time. Afterwards, we had already paid for the self-walking tour that provides you with a listening device to walk through the neighborhood and check out other homes that he designed. We really enjoyed that separate piece of the tour since it was a beautiful sunny day out and we could move at our own pace and comment amongst our friend group without feeling rushed. There's only two bathrooms in the gift shop that sometimes have a line outside when different tours come in and out, so just something to note. They have a nice little gift shop with interesting and unique things to purchase. I'd recommend this to all Frank Lloyd Wright fans for sure! I'd imagine your tour experience varies depending on who tours you, but either way it it is worth it.

One of the many Frank Lloyd Wright houses on our list, we bought tickets while in town…read more I will say apart from the house being somewhat contradictory to many attributes that make up a Wright design, the house was very nice. The tour however was probably one of the weakest I have been to. Our guide was forgetful and really didn't go over the basics with the house as we are accustomed to with Wright tours: commission of the home, Wright himself, change of hands with home, and while walking thru it- design aspects chosen inside the home. There's three levels - you only get to see two, and the second floor is currently an office so it is hard to get a real feel for the place. Easily the weakest tour we have been on

I love the work of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, so touring this house made perfect since…read moreas both were involved in its design. The mansion is located in a gorgeous corner of the Gold Coast and represents an important part of the city's architectural story. That being said, it's not the most impressive historic house I've ever been in. In fact, it wasn't the most impressive one I went in on that day. For me, the things that made this tour worth doing were the small details like the windows, doors, wood screen in the hallway, and the fireplace surround. There aren't many rooms and the furnishings are not original. The textured walls seem odd and the lighting has been altered in several places (like he sconces). The tour guide was very knowledgeable, but they don't know much about the original owners due to their private nature. The building is now used as offices, so the upstairs bedrooms contain desks and bookshelves rather than being set as they were intended. It takes some imagination when you walk though them. The house is only open two days a week - Wed and Sat. I bought tickets I advance, but you can probably get them in person most times. I'm glad I went, it the friend who accompanied me thought it wasn't as impressive as the other houses we toured that afternoon.

I would have to double-check but I know I have been to the Hollyhock House in Hollywood and…read moreTaliesin West last year with the wife. I have been a fan of FLW for decades and have collected books and attended furniture/furnishings exhibits when available. The tour with guide Chris of the exterior and interior was exceptional. He pointed out the logic behind the design and things that could be missed by those not paying attention or in the FLW mindset. He gave us a lot of other interesting details that I was unaware of or forgot tied to this house. It is located right next to the University of Chicago campus which was cool. The area is very pretty. The house has been restored and is in very good shape overall. It is a must-see for FLW fans. The wife picked up a Craftsman pin, and I bought a Craftsman metal bookmark in the gift shop so I would have something to remember the time spent here. The cost is fair for what it is.

Loved the architecture and we had an excellent tour guide…read more I was disappointed by the lack of furniture as other houses and FLW buildings I have visited have at least been partially staged. The tour is mostly just for the building. I also wish there had also been more story about FLW himself and his involvement in the Robie house design. I understand that much of the house was not preserved as the Robie family lived in the house only for a year and then it moved on to multiple other owners so I can't be too critical, but part of what I love about FLW buildings is that he doesn't just design buildings, but living (or working) spaces. We loved the Laurent house, Taliesin/West and the SE Johnson buildings for that reason. I also would love to see the outdoor areas of the Robie house in better shape, with nicer landscaping to bring it back to where FLW would have imagined it. Hopefully with the foundation's involvement and continued patronage it will be what all FLW fans would wish for soon! Worth a visit for sure!

Wrigley Square is a must every time I visited Chicago. I have visited in all four seasons of the…read moreyear. The square is definitely nicest for me in spring and fall. Description: Wrigley Square is a public square located in the northwest section of Millennium Park in the Historic Michigan Boulevard District of the Loop area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The square is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of East Randolph Street and North Michigan Avenue. It contains the Millennium Monument, a nearly full-sized replica of the semicircle of paired Roman Doric-style columns (called a peristyle) that originally sat in this area of Grant Park, near Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street, between 1917 and 1953. The square also contains a large lawn and a public fountain. You Definitely must visit!

Blink and you might miss Wrigley Square as you're rushing over to Millennium Park to take instagram…read morepictures of that bean (much like myself). Right on the corner of Michigan Ave and Randolph St. sits another fountain in the city of Chicago along with a mid size grass field with bench's onsite on the outside of said grass. It's a cool spot right at the beginning of the park where you can sit back relax, and admire the fountains or the city skyline.

Love the views from the Adams Street Bridge to see the river and so many landmarks and Chicago…read moreskyscrapers. Not worth a special visit, but a great bridge to cross when walking in Chicago.