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The Local Tourist Chicago

Experience the fascination of a tourist; Feel the comfort of the local

  • Things To Do
    • Free Things To Do
  • History of Chicago
  • Food & Drink
  • Thoughts

History of Chicago

Dig into Chicago’s past with these in-depth stories of the Windy City.

Fine Arts Building photo circa 1900

Fine Arts Building: a Vertical Arts Colony and Madhouse of Creativity

Learn the story behind Chicago’s vibrant crucible of artists, dreamers, and doers.

Fine Arts Building: a Vertical Arts Colony and Madhouse of CreativityRead More

Aerial view of Grant Park, photo courtesy Choose Chicago

Grant Park: the Making of Chicago’s Front Yard

Find out why it took over a century and several lawsuits to create this Chicago centerpiece.

Grant Park: the Making of Chicago’s Front YardRead More

LondonHouse Chicago in the London Guarantee and Accident Building

LondonHouse Chicago: It Starts Here

Experience luxury and history in this 1923 landmark building.

LondonHouse Chicago: It Starts HereRead More

Mural of Benjamin Marshall in About Last Knife, the restaurant inside Hotel Julian Chicago

Hotel Julian Chicago: From Demolition-danger to Luxurious Lodgings

How an abandoned building designed by one of Chicago’s preeminent architects found new life.

Hotel Julian Chicago: From Demolition-danger to Luxurious LodgingsRead More

Clarke House Museum is considered Chicago's oldest house. Learn the story behind this 1836 Greek Revival home.

Fortitude and Grit: the Story of Chicago’s Oldest House

The Clarke House Museum tells a remarkable story.

Fortitude and Grit: the Story of Chicago’s Oldest HouseRead More

Chicago History Museum, photo courtesy Choose Chicago

Explore Chicago’s Past at Chicago History Museum

The Chicago History Museum showcases the city’s complicated history and is itself a piece of history. Chicago has a lively past, with tragedy, innovation, and a cast of characters that could fill (and have) several novels. The museum began when Chicago didn’t have much history itself. It was founded in 1856 as the Chicago Historical …

Explore Chicago’s Past at Chicago History MuseumRead More

Exploring the Past on the Magnificent Mile

Take a step back to yesteryear with these pieces of Chicago’s history.

Start where it all began at Pioneer Court.

Exploring the Past on the Magnificent MileRead More

The Chicago Theatre: Chicago’s Comeback Kid

If there’s one theater that says Chicago, it is, quite literally, The Chicago Theatre.

The Chicago Theatre: Chicago’s Comeback KidRead More

The Curses and Legends of Billy Goat Tavern

Few restaurants or bars are as famous, or as infamous, as Chicago’s Billy Goat Tavern. It’s a tourist destination and a haven for local reporters.

The Curses and Legends of Billy Goat TavernRead More

The contract for building the Buckingham Fountain was awarded in 1925, soon after architect Edward Bennett and donor Kate Buckingham returned from a trip to Europe where they met with the artist Marcel Loyau who created sculptural elements. Chicago History Museum, DN-0081336, ca. 1925.

Buckingham Fountain: A Sister’s Love & A City’s Front Door

Buckingham Fountain, the centerpiece of Grant Park, is one of the most spectacular landmarks in Chicago and one of the largest fountains in the world.

Buckingham Fountain: A Sister’s Love & A City’s Front DoorRead More

Chicago Public Library 1920 - now the Chicago Cultural Center

Chicago Cultural Center: The People’s Palace

The Chicago Cultural Center is a downtown landmark and one of Chicago’s brightest gems. Known as The People’s Palace, it was the nation’s first free municipal cultural venue, and today its programming in the arts makes it one of the most popular attractions in the city. A Brief History of the Chicago Cultural Center The building was …

Chicago Cultural Center: The People’s PalaceRead More

John “Bathhouse” Coughlin: Masseur, Alderman and … Poet?

Chicago’s history is full of colorful characters.

John “Bathhouse” Coughlin: Masseur, Alderman and … Poet?Read More

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