These 68 activities are worth leaving the house for.
Ask me for something more specific.
Tue, May 11 · 11:30 AM
Rockefeller Memorial Chapel · Hyde Park • $0-$5
Climb 271 steps to the top of a 200-foot neo-Gothic tower and stand among one of the world's largest carillons. The views over Chicago and the Hyde Park neighborhood are worth every step.
Thu, May 13 · 1:15 PM
Chicago Cultural Center · Chicago Loop • Free
Look up: this free docent-led tour winds through a landmark of marble staircases, hand-laid mosaics, and a glowing stained-glass dome. Forty-five minutes of pure gilded-age wow.
Every day
Jack's Pumpkin Pop-up · West Town
Ten thousand pumpkins, Downtown's only corn maze (with a secret bar tucked inside), axe throwing, and enough photo ops to fill your camera roll. This sprawling fall festival goes full autumn: carnival games, gem mining, fortune tellers, and seasonal cocktails at every turn.
Sat, May 8 · 6:30 PM
Chicago Botanic Garden · Glencoe
Wander a glowing garden trail lit by 1,000 real jack-o'-lanterns carved with everything from comic book heroes to cultural icons. Live carving demos, costumed performers, and spiked cider keep the spooky-sweet vibes going.
Every day
The Parlour at The Albion · Lincoln Park
Chicago's outpost of the international Black Lagoon pop-up turns The Albion Manor's second floor into a fully decked-out Halloween haunt. Expect eerie cocktails in custom-branded glassware, a Halloween Burlesque show, and a surprisingly great bowl of Pozole.
Sat, May 8 · 12:00 PM
Writers Theatre · Glencoe
A magnetic stranger worms his way into a painter's marriage in this wickedly tense Strindberg thriller. Jen Silverman's sleek new adaptation turns up the heat on deception, desire, and who really holds the power.
May 14 at 12:30am
Lyric Opera of Chicago · Chicago Loop
The Joffrey Ballet closes its season with a fairy tale done big: Christopher Wheeldon's Sleeping Beauty pairs Tchaikovsky's lush score with cinematic storytelling and lavish design inside the gorgeous 1929 Lyric Opera House.
Browse Chicago neighborhood by neighborhood, get ideas just for you, or ask me anything.
68 activities · Page 1 / 2
Tue, May 11 · 11:00 PM
Dark Matter Coffee - The Mothership · West Town
$
Sat, May 8 · 1:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Tue, May 11 · 6:00 PM
The Whistler · Logan Square
Free
Tue, May 11 · 7:00 PM
Marz Community Brewing Company · McKinley Park
Free
Tue, May 11 · 7:00 PM
Dark Matter Coffee - The Mothership · West Town
Free
Wed, May 12 · 6:00 PM
Ed & Joe's Restaurant & Pizzeria · Tinley Park
$$
Wed, May 12 · 7:00 PM
Hillgrove Tap · Tinley Park
$$
Wed, May 12 · 6:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Free
Mon, May 10 · 4:00 PM
ROOF on theWit · Chicago Loop
Tue, May 11 · 4:00 PM
Beity - West Loop · Fulton Market District
$$$$
Sat, May 8 · 9:00 AM
Field Museum Store · Near South Side
$626
Wed, May 12 · 11:00 AM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Sat, May 8 · 11:00 AM
William Shakespeare Monument · Lincoln Park
$90-$125
Mon, May 10 · 3:30 PM
Lil' Ba-Ba-Reeba! · River North
$$
Sat, May 8 · 9:30 AM
Brookfield Zoo Chicago · Brookfield
Wed, May 12 · 7:00 PM
Dark Matter Coffee - The Mothership · West Town
$
Wed, May 12 · 5:30 PM
Miru · Chicago Loop
$165
Sat, May 8 · 10:30 AM
2189 S Wentworth Ave · Armour Square
$0-$30
Sat, May 8 · 6:00 AM
Chicago · Chicago
$425
Wed, May 12 · 9:00 AM
Field Museum · Near South Side
Free
Fri, May 14 · 5:00 PM
Jazz Showcase · Chicago Loop
Free
Thu, May 13 · 12:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Free
Thu, May 13 · 12:00 PM
Durbin's of Harmony Square Tinley Park · Tinley Park
$$
Tue, May 11 · 10:00 AM
Chicago Cultural Center · Chicago Loop
Thu, May 13 · 1:15 PM
Chicago Cultural Center · Chicago Loop
Free
Thu, May 13 · 7:00 PM
Ed & Joe's Restaurant & Pizzeria · Tinley Park
$$
Thu, May 13 · 1:15 PM
Chicago Cultural Center · Chicago Loop
Thu, May 13 · 12:00 PM
Simpson & Kimberly Querrey Biomedical Center · Streeterville
Fri, May 14 · 8:00 PM
Bizzy Bees · Forest Park
Free
Sat, May 8 · 8:00 AM
Lincoln Park Zoo · Lincoln Park
Fri, May 14 · 8:00 PM
Bizzy Bees · Forest Park
Free
Sat, May 8 · 8:00 AM
Wooded Island · Jackson Park
Free
Sat, May 8 · 9:30 AM
FFC Oak Park · Oak Park
Sun, May 9 · 4:00 PM
Cuzin's Tavern, Gaming & Pizza Tinley Park · Tinley Park
$$
Sun, May 9 · 10:00 PM
PRYSM Chicago · Goose Island
Sun, May 9 · 12:00 PM
ROOF on theWit · Chicago Loop
Sun, May 9 · 12:00 PM
The Hidden Gem · West Town
$40
Sun, May 9 · 3:00 PM
Martyrs' · North Center
Sun, May 9 · 4:00 PM
Cuzin's Tavern, Gaming & Pizza Tinley Park · Tinley Park
$$
Sun, May 9 · 12:00 PM
Fitzgerald's Sidebar · Berwyn
Free
Sun, May 9 · 3:00 PM
Martyrs' · North Center
Mon, May 10 · 7:00 PM
Marz Community Brewing Company · McKinley Park
Mon, May 10 · 7:00 PM
Dark Matter Coffee - The Mothership · West Town
$
Mon, May 10 · 11:00 AM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Mon, May 10 · 5:00 PM
Riverside Public Library · Riverside
Tue, May 11 · 3:00 PM
Roseland East 115th Street Health Hub · Roseland
Sat, May 8 · 1:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Mon, May 10 · 6:30 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Mon, May 10 · 7:00 PM
Evanston Public Library Robert Crown Branch · Evanston
Wed, May 12 · 7:30 PM
Old Town School of Folk Music - Gary & Laura Maurer Concert Hall · Lincoln Square
Free
Thu, May 13 · 3:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Fri, May 14 · 8:00 PM
Cuzin's Tavern, Gaming & Pizza Tinley Park · Tinley Park
$$
Fri, May 14 · 8:00 PM
Cuzin's Tavern, Gaming & Pizza Tinley Park · Tinley Park
$$
Check what’s playing at Steppenwolf Theatre Company for theatre, or Sleeping Village for live music. Read about the actual production or listen to the artist before choosing. You don’t need to recognise a name for it to be your kind of evening.
Choose the show first, then make plans nearby. Leave enough room between dinner and curtain time to enjoy both. Tell me where you’re staying and whether you’re taking transit, and I can help narrow the search to an evening that fits together.
Tell me when you’re free, where you’ll be, and what sounds appealing. “Live music near me, somewhere I can sit, under $30” gives me more to work with than “something fun.” You can keep narrowing it down with me.
You can browse these pages without an account. Sign in to save activities and help me learn your taste, so future suggestions have a better starting point.
Outgoing is free to use. Events have their own admission prices, including some that are free. Check the listing for prices and booking details before making plans.