These 161 activities are worth leaving the house for.
Ask me what you're after.
October 29 at 7pm
Block Museum of Art, Mary and Leigh · Evanston • Free
Rarely screened works by abstract cinema master Jordan Belson and filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman anchor this curated programme, where Professor Jacob Smith explores the visionary audiovisual culture of the 1970s and 1980s New Age movement.
October 30 at 12:30pm
Smart Museum of Art · Hyde Park • Free
Public Health Sciences professor Rebekah Israel Cross and abolitionist Anthony James Williams gather inside the exhibition How Do We Heal? at the Smart Museum of Art to discuss Cosmo Campoli’s 1950–51 sculpture Birth of Death.
October 30 at 7:30pm
The Chicago Theatre · Chicago Loop
A comedian and a journalist walk onto one stage, and the gloves come off. D.L. Hughley and Don Lemon trade sharp takes on race, politics, and pop culture in a conversation where anything goes.
October 30 at 9pm +5
Dearborn Observatory · Evanston • Free
Peer through a historic telescope and pick the brains of Northwestern astronomers at these free monthly stargazing sessions. A quick intro kicks things off, then it is all Q&A, demos, and real sky-watching.
October 30 at 8pm +21
Dearborn Observatory · Evanston • Free
Peer at Saturn's moons through a historic 18.5-inch refractor, free every Friday night all fall and winter. Passionate Northwestern guides make even cloudy nights fascinating with astrophysics tales and observatory history.
November 3 at 6pm
American Writers Museum · Chicago Loop
How does a small bookstore survive big-box chains and Amazon? Roberta Rubin spent 30 years finding out. She shares publishing gossip and bookselling tales from her memoir, with a signing after.
Browse Chicago neighborhood by neighborhood, get ideas just for you, or ask me anything.
161 activities · Page 1 / 3
Sat, Oct 31 · 11:00 AM
Kersten Physics Teaching Center · Hyde Park
Free
Sun, Nov 1 · 2:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Sun, Nov 1 · 2:00 PM
Skokie Heritage Museum · Skokie
Free
Mon, Nov 2 · 5:00 PM
Alderman Andre Vasquez · Arcadia Terrace
Mon, Nov 2 · 1:00 PM
mHUB · Near West Side
Mon, Nov 2 · 12:00 PM
Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women's Hospital · Streeterville
Mon, Nov 2 · 10:30 AM
Evanston Public Library Robert Crown Branch · Evanston
Mon, Nov 2 · 7:00 PM
Women & Children First · Andersonville
Wed, Nov 4 · 11:00 AM
Field Museum · Near South Side
Wed, Nov 4 · 6:00 PM
Chambers Hall · Evanston
Free
Wed, Nov 4 · 4:30 PM
mHUB · Near West Side
Wed, Nov 4 · 12:00 PM
Field Museum · Near South Side
Wed, Nov 4 · 1:30 PM
Evanston Public Library Robert Crown Branch · Evanston
Free
Wed, Nov 4 · 6:00 PM
Garfield Park · Garfield Park
Free
Wed, Nov 4 · 11:00 AM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Wed, Nov 4 · 5:30 PM
Chicago History Museum · Lincoln Park
Free
Wed, Nov 4 · 11:30 AM
Crowe Hall · Evanston
Free
Thu, Nov 5 · 12:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Free
Thu, Nov 5 · 6:00 PM
Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures · Hyde Park
Thu, Nov 5 · 5:00 PM
SunCloud Health Outpatient Treatment Center · Lincoln Park
Thu, Nov 5 · 5:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Thu, Nov 5 · 12:00 PM
Simpson & Kimberly Querrey Biomedical Center · Streeterville
Thu, Nov 5 · 6:00 PM
American Writers Museum · Chicago Loop
$0
Fri, Nov 6 · 12:00 PM
Robert Crown Community Center · Evanston
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 12:00 PM
DePaul University · Chicago Loop
Free
Fri, Nov 6 · 12:30 PM
Logan Center for the Arts · Woodlawn
Fri, Nov 6 · 4:30 PM
Logan Center for the Arts · Woodlawn
Sat, Nov 7 · 10:30 AM
DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center · Washington Park
$0
Sat, Nov 7 · 9:00 AM
Mary Meyer School · Lake View East
Sat, Nov 7 · 9:30 AM
Chicago History Museum · Lincoln Park
Free
Sun, Nov 8 · 10:00 AM
Catherine Cook School · Near North Side
Sun, Nov 8 · 3:00 PM
DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center · Washington Park
Sun, Nov 8 · 2:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Sun, Nov 8 · 12:00 PM
Writers Theatre · Glencoe
Mon, Nov 9 · 7:00 PM
Evanston Public Library Robert Crown Branch · Evanston
Tue, Nov 10 · 11:00 AM
mHUB · Near West Side
Tue, Nov 10 · 7:30 PM
Auditorium Theatre · Chicago Loop
Tue, Nov 10 · 10:30 AM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Tue, Nov 10 · 7:00 PM
GMan Tavern · Lake View East
Free with RSVP
Tue, Nov 10 · 5:30 PM
American Writers Museum · Chicago Loop
Tue, Nov 10 · 7:30 PM
Auditorium Theatre · Chicago Loop
Tue, Nov 10 · 4:00 PM
Frederick C. Robie House · Hyde Park
Tue, Nov 10 · 6:00 PM
Field Museum · Near South Side
Tue, Nov 10 · 7:00 PM
Writers Theatre · Glencoe
Tue, Nov 10 · 2:30 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Free
Tue, Nov 10 · 9:30 AM
The Goddess and Grocer Bucktown · West Town
$$
Wed, Nov 11 · 6:00 PM
Evanston Public Library · Evanston
Free
Wed, Nov 11 · 7:00 PM
Park West · Lincoln Park
Wed, Nov 11 · 12:00 PM
Field Museum · Near South Side
Wed, Nov 11 · 6:00 PM
Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall · Evanston
Free
Thu, Nov 12 · 2:00 PM
DePaul University - Schmitt Academic Center · Sheffield & DePaul
$0
Thu, Nov 12 · 8:30 AM
Noema · Lincoln Park
Thu, Nov 12 · 8:30 AM
Immaculate Conception - St. Joseph School North Park Campus · Near North Side
Fri, Nov 13 · 9:00 AM
St. Josaphat School · Lincoln 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.