Attractions & Activities/Historic Sites

Charles Gates Dawes Home

225 Greenwood Evanston, IL 60201 847-475-3410

Description: EVANSTON. This home is the former residence of Charles Gates Dawes, a wealthy businessman who was Calvin Coolidge's vice president and winner of the 1925 Nobel Peace Prize. The first floor of the house is open to the public. The mansion has 25 rooms in all, including 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, and 12 fireplaces (11 original). A coach house is next to the main house and includes servant's quarters and animal stalls. The setting for the home is picturesque with 2 acres situated on the lakeshore.

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Chicago Water Tower

800 N Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60611

Description: MAGNIFICENT MILE. The Chicago Water Tower is a landmark structure built in 1869 that survived the great fire of 1871. The limestone building looks more like a palace or a folly than a water tower and features well-executed stonework and several smaller towers in addition to its centerpiece. The main tower rises 154 feet high and now stands somewhat small against the area's skyscrapers. Although the tower no longer functions, it was chosen by the American Water Works Association as the first American Water Landmark in the US.

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Frances Willard House

1730 Chicago Ave Evanston, IL 60201 847-328-7500

Description: EVANSTON. Frances Willard House is a Victorian-era, vertical board-and-batten structure of 17 rooms. Once home to the founder of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, it is now a museum with period furnishings and memorabilia from the Temperance Movement. Along with other items, visitors can see the bicycle that Willard learned to ride in her later years and lovingly dubbed "Gladys."

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Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

951 Chicago Ave Oak Park, IL 60302 708-848-1976

Description: OAK PARK. Renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright began building this house in 1889. As his style developed, so did the home, and Wright continued to make unique additions to it to suit his personal needs. Today, guided tours showcase his studio and its chain-hung balcony, along with a playroom designed for his children that offers treetop views. The architect's signature style and taste are clearly evident throughout the intricately designed home. Tours depart from Ginkgo Tree Bookshop and run from 45 minutes to an hour in length.

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Glessner House

1800 S Prairie Ave Chicago, IL 60616 312-326-1480

Description: PRAIRIE AVENUE HISTORIC DISTRICT. The Glessner House was built in 1887 and is the home of Henry Hobson Richardson Glessner, an architect whose work inspired Frank Lloyd Wright. The house has been painstakingly restored and preserved and includes an outstanding collection of 19th and 20th century furniture and decorative art. This home holds a vast assortment of pieces from the Aesthetic and English Arts and Crafts movements. The collection includes ceramic vases and tiles, silver, engravings, and Art Nouveau glass.

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Grosse Point Lighthouse

2601 Sheridan Rd Evanston, IL 60201 847-328-6961

Description: EVANSTON. Grosse Point Lighthouse is a gleaming white edifice built in 1873 to improve navigation and safety on the approach to Chicago. While its grounds are open daily, tours are a summertime event. When they're available, they allow visitors to climb the 141 steps to the top of the tower and visit the keeper's quarters museum. Wildflower and butterfly gardens are among the ground's picturesque attractions.

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Jane Addams Hull-House Museum

800 S Halsted St Chicago, IL 60607 312-413-5353

Description: LITTLE ITALY. A quest for social reform and belief in equal opportunities for all community members were driving forces behind Jane Addams' establishment in 1889 of a settlement house in one of Chicago's immigrant neighborhoods. Now owned by the surrounding university, the restored structure houses a museum that honors Addams, her work in Chicago, and her influence on civil rights and women's suffrage. Documents, furniture, and plenty of photographs tell the story of this remarkable woman.

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Robie House

5757 S Woodlawn Ave Chicago, IL 60637 773-834-1847

Description: SOUTH SIDE. One of the best examples of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie-style architecture, Robie House boasts characteristic horizontal lines, stained-glass windows, and balconies. Wright designed the rooms to be energy efficient by keeping out direct sunlight and allowing enough light in to keep rooms from growing too dark. The concept was ingenious for 1910, and it's still impressive today. The interior is quite modern in feel, and the entire structure is an integrated, beautiful whole.

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Union Station

210 S Canal St Chicago, IL 60606 312-655-2481

Description: WEST LOOP. Union Station's Great Hall has been photographed time and again by people seeking to capture the essence of America's past and the architectural beauty of a bygone era. In its heyday, the station hosted approximately 300 trains and 10,000 passengers each day. Today, long wooden benches still stand against a muted backdrop of pink Tennessee marble, Corinthian columns, and bronze accents. Few places say "Chicago" more than Union Station. A historic American landmark.

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Wrigley Building

400-410 N Michigan Ave Chicago, IL 60611 312-923-8080

Description: MAGNIFICENT MILE. The Wrigley Building is one of the city's (and the nation's) most notable corporate landmarks. Comprised of two towers connected by an open walkway, the building takes inspiration for its shape from the Seville Cathedral's Giralda Tower in Spain, and its design is an Americanized version of French Renaissance style. Prominent features include 250,000 individual glazed terra cotta tiles, a large exterior clock, and lovely interior brass accents.

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