My Friday in Chicago was just as busy as Thursday was (if you haven't read my Thursday post, you can check it out HERE). I left the hotel at about 9:30 AM with a full camera battery, a full phone battery, and a lot of excitement. I walked back into the hotel at about 10 PM with half battery on my camera, a dead phone battery, and completely exhausted - but the excitement was still there.
Itinerary Recap
Friday
Lincoln Park Zoo
Walking Tour - Lincoln Park: Gangsters & Blues
360 Chicago
Walking Tour - Haunted History
Premise of the Day
One of the big deterrents of travel for people is the cost of everything. The idea behind the planning of this day was to have a "Free/Pay-What-You-Can" day for activities. As I originally planned the day was successful with this; once in Chicago I added 360 Chicago because I was so close to it. I went so far as to plan to be able to walk the entire day so that I didn't have to pay for parking several times. I had so much fun planning and experiencing my "Free/Pay-What-You-Can" day that I fully intend to make this a regular part of vacations now as much as possible.
To start my day, I took a leisurely walk to the Lincoln Park Zoo, which is one of the oldest zoos in the country, about 1.5 miles from my hotel. I stopped several times on the way there to snap pictures and just enjoy the scenery and the quiet of walking along the lake. As I got closer to the zoo, there were gorgeous trails that are part of the Nature Boardwalk of the zoo. The Lincoln Park Zoo is set up more like a large public park, which also happens to have wild animals living there. I love visiting zoos when I travel for a few reasons: it is an easy activity to plan for a few hours, I love animals, each zoo sets itself up differently, and many zoos are active in environmental rehabilitation, which I love learning about. In Lincoln Park Zoo's long history (it opened in 1868) it has expanded; has gifted and been gifted several animals; and improved animal care, education, and community outreach opportunities. The Lincoln Park Zoo is truly a staple in Chicago history and culture.
The Good
The Lincoln Park Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which is an international accreditation for standards of animal care and welfare and for providing a fun, safe, and educational family experience. It is rare that I will visit a zoo that is not AZA-accredited because the accreditation assures that the animals, and my money, are going to support animals being well taken care of.
The zoo was peaceful to walk through even though it seemed like a fairly busy day, I never felt crowded or rushed when walking around. There was a good mixture of sun and shade from tree cover throughout the zoo, as well as indoor exhibits, to keep you comfortable throughout your entire trip. Several benches and stone walls to sit on were throughout the zoo as well. The Regenstein African Journey was by far the most immersive building/exhibit that I saw in the zoo. I spent the most time in this building and even backtracked a few times to see things again.
The Not So Good
More of a seasonal issue, and one for visitors, but while I was there some of the regular walking paths were blocked off for Halloween special events/activities and also blocked off access to entire exhibits. The special events/activities were open at the time that I was there but were behind a paid ticket.
The map of the zoo was not the best. The version online is clear and easier to read, but the printed version provided on-site is not as helpful as not all of the smaller paths are noted so it is fairly easy to get going down the wrong path and have to turn around.
Is It Worth It?
The grounds of the zoo and the surrounding area are beautiful. Walking through the zoo made me feel like I wasn't in a big city, it was peaceful. The animals were well taken care of and the zoo staff I encountered were all friendly. I spent about 2.5 hours walking around, seeing animals, people-watching, and enjoying the weather. For an entry price of $0 a trip to the Lincoln Zoo is definitely worth it for anyone in Chicago, tourist or not.
Walking Tour - Lincoln Park: Gangsters and Blues
On a previous trip to Chicago, I took a walking tour and knew I wanted to do one this trip. I found FreeToursByFoot Chicago, which is exactly what it sounds like. I booked this tour about a week and a half before my trip and there were several tour times available. As advertised, this tour is about 2 hours long and covers about 1.6 miles of walking - all of which is wheelchair accessible. The tour covers the story of John Dillinger, Al Capone, and the gang wars that held Chicago hostage from the 1920s through the end of prohibition. My tour guide for this tour was Mitch.
The Good
This tour tells one, continuous story of the Chicago gangs active in the 1920s through prohibition, the guide will take you on-site to several locations including the alley that was involved in John Dillinger's death, several old speakeasy locations, and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.
The Not So Good
There were a few times when there were several blocks between portions of the story and with the Lincoln Park traffic sometimes it was difficult to stay with the group and hear what the tour guide was saying. With the tour being a continuous story, I felt that I missed a few details/connections because I was thinking about the previous statement or taking pictures.
Is It Worth It?
For a price that you set at the end of the tour based on your enjoyment of the tour, this tour is definitely worth it, especially if you are a history lover. With a great mix of history, walking, nature, and being on-site I would recommend this tour to anyone going to Chicago.
This experience is on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building. There are a few ticket options: one to just go up and be able to see the view, one to do TILT (I didn't do this, but it is where participants stand in a window-fronted, hydraulic-powered closet and tilt 45° out to look over 1,000 feet down to Chicago's Magnificent Mile), and one that includes both of those and a drink at the Cloud Bar. I spent about 45 minutes at the top taking pictures and enjoying the view.
The Good
Before you even go up to the 94th floor, there is a small area that you walk through with some history of Chicago and exploring the city. Once you go up, the sites are amazing! Being that high up it seems that you can truly see forever. There is also an app you can download to use while there, you simply point your phone's camera at a location and pop-up information will appear about what you are looking at.
The Not So Good
There are no refunds or discounts for later-in-the-day entries, weather-related viewing issues, or anything else. The appointment times later in the day can cause the experience to feel cramped as you can stay as long as you want to once you are there.
Is It Worth It?
If you are afraid of heights, you may want to skip this one. For $35 per person, for the basic ticket, reserving a time slot is a bit pricey for what it is. Any future trips to Chicago won't include a stop here unless I'm traveling with someone that is determined to do it and even then, I may opt to stay at the bottom. Unlike normal, pictures do this tourist spot justice.
Walking Tour - Haunted History
This is another tour offered by FreeToursByFoot Chicago. This tour offers some real ghost stories (with several verified accounts), some serial killer stories, and some truly terrible accidents that have shaped Chicago through history. Several of the stories told during this tour are told on-site of the event, which adds to the experience. I had the pleasure of having the author of the tour, Andy, as the tour guide and it was clear that he had done a ton of research for the tour and still has all of the knowledge. As advertised, this tour is about 2 hours long and covers just under 2 miles of walking - which is wheelchair accessible.
The Good
This tour also went on-site to several locations, which made the ghost and tragedy stories that much more compelling. Starting at The Congress Hotel we heard 3 ghost stories with several verified incidents each. The tour also took us to Federal Plaza, a theater, and the Chicago River. There were several times when the group was standing on the site of tragedy or looking directly at where it happened. Andy the tour guide was animated and a great storyteller. My favorite story (as terrible as it is) was the story we were told in the alley way in the picture above. A quick summary of the story is the theater on the right side of the alley had a large production occurring and a fire started on stage. Due to events surrounding the show, the theater was not evacuated until the fire had grown out of control. This fire is one of the reasons that public buildings always have exit doors that push outward.
The Not So Good
My husband Kevin is going to ghost-write this for me (pun intended), because I am honestly having a difficult time coming up with negative things to say about this tour, other than I wish it were longer.
"Sami relayed the stories to me when she got home from her trip, and, honestly, the negative thing that I would say about this tour is this: If you have a very active imagination and any kind of superstitious beliefs, this may not be the tour for you. I, for example, would not have stayed in the same city as the ghosts after hearing some of those stories."
Is It Worth It?
This tour was by far my favorite part of the day. While I am not normally one for anything spooky, scary, or paranormal this was a great tour to go on and I learned a lot of fun stories from it. As with the other tour I did this day, at the end you paid what you thought it was worth, which makes just about anything worth it. However, the amount of research that went into building this tour is astonishing and is very clear in the delivery of the stories told. If you are looking for an after-dark activity to add to your Chicago trip, this is the one. Don't miss out!
Final Thoughts
Over the course of 12.5 hours, I walked 13 miles, killed my phone battery, took 150 pictures, and had an adventure that I will never forget. Between the sites seen, stories heard, and food eaten (food post coming soon) my Friday in Chicago could not have been better. Friday was my last day in Chicago, but I am already looking forward to the next time I am able to visit - and I will be sure to bring you along for the ride when I do.
Thanks for joining me on this adventure. Be sure to come back in the following weeks for more on my Chicago trip.
See you next time!
Sami
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