Things to do in the Loop

5 places to start in the Loop

Art Institute of Chicago

Nighthawks, American Gothic and Seurat's Sunday afternoon on La Grande Jatte are all here on Michigan Avenue. Give it at least half a day.

Official site →Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0

Millennium Park

Take your photo at Cloud Gate, which everyone calls the Bean, then check the Pritzker Pavilion lawn for free concerts in summer.

Official site →Photo: J. Crocker, Attribution

Chicago Cultural Center

Go up to the third floor to see the huge Tiffany glass dome. The building and its exhibitions are free.

Official site →Photo: DS1953, CC BY-SA 2.5

Chicago Riverwalk

The path along the south bank of the river has bars and waterside seating, and it's where the architecture boat tours board.

Official site →Photo: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0

The Chicago Theatre

You know the vertical CHICAGO sign on State Street. Inside is a 1921 movie palace that now hosts concerts and comedy.

Official site →Photo: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0

Hotels in the Loop

Staying over? These are the picks from our guide, Best hotels in The Loop, Chicago, IL, and Dyme members see private rates on each. You can also browse every Chicago hotel guide or search hotels on Dyme.

Bluegreen Vacations Hotel Blake, an Ascend Collection Hotel 500 South Dearborn Street, Chicago 9.02,630 reviews 4 min walk to LaSalle/Van Buren (Brown/Orange/Pink/Purple)With a guest score of 9.0, Hotel Blake is the highest-rated property on this list, and its Dearborn Street address puts guests in the interior of The Loop, one block from the Harold Washington Library and four minutes from the Van Buren L station View hotel → The Blackstone, Autograph Collection 636 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago 8.8420 reviews 3 min walk to Harrison (Red/Blue)A 4-star property with a guest score of 8.8, The Blackstone earns its place as the highest-rated upscale option on this list, and its 1910 Beaux-Arts building on Michigan Avenue gives guests a historically grounded stay two blocks from the Art Institute of Chicago View hotel → Hilton Chicago 720 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago 8.02,144 reviews 4 min walk to Harrison (Red/Blue)Positioned on Michigan Avenue at the southern edge of the Loop's lakefront corridor, the Hilton Chicago gives guests direct access to Grant Park and the museum campus, and its full-service amenities, including a pool and spa, make it one of the few properties in the neighborhood that covers every major guest need under one roof View hotel → Sonder The Plymouth 417 South Dearborn Street, Chicago 8.0285 reviews 3 min walk to LaSalle/Van Buren (Brown/Orange/Pink/Purple)Sonder The Plymouth offers apartment-style rooms with kitchenettes in a 1910 building on Dearborn Street, giving guests a self-contained option inside The Loop at a price point below the full-service hotels on this list, with the Van Buren L station three minutes away on foot View hotel →

This weekend in the Loop: October 23–25

38 things on: 4 shows, 3 exhibitions, 2 gigs and 4 free. Listed by day and start time.

Friday, October 23

10:00 AMTangible Sound: Arrival to a Higher GroundImmersive jazz art installation.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →10:00 AMSoul of the StoneMonumental Zimbabwean stone sculpture.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →10:00 AMChicago Cultural Center Exhibition Exploration ToursFree tours under Tiffany domes.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →12:00 PMChicago Center for Craft Artist-in-ResidenceHands-on textile craft workshops.Class78 E Washington StView listing →1:15 PMPublic Group ToursFree landmark architecture tours.Tour78 E Washington StFreeView listing →7:00 PMOmarPulitzer-winning American opera.Show20 N Wacker DrFrom $73View listing →7:00 PMDrunk DraculaTipsy vampire comedy show.Show182 N Wabash AveView listing →7:30 PMTedeschi Trucks BandBlues-rock and soul.Music175 N State StView listing →8:00 PMLenard Simpson QuartetSoulful sax quartet.Music806 S Plymouth CtFrom $25View listing →

Saturday, October 24

9:00 AMSouth Loop Farmers Market: Printers RowFresh produce with SNAP match.Shopping632 S Dearborn StView listing →10:00 AMTangible Sound: Arrival to a Higher GroundImmersive jazz art installation.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →10:00 AMSoul of the StoneMonumental Zimbabwean stone sculpture.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →10:00 AMChicago Cultural Center Exhibition Exploration ToursFree tours under Tiffany domes.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →12:00 PMChicago Center for Craft Artist-in-ResidenceHands-on textile craft workshops.Class78 E Washington StView listing →12:30 PMHowl-O-Ween Canine CruiseDog-friendly Halloween cruise.Party112 E Wacker DrView listing →3:00 PMDrunk DraculaTipsy vampire comedy show.Show182 N Wabash AveView listing →7:30 PMTedeschi Trucks BandBlues-rock and soul.Music175 N State StView listing →7:30 PMEdward Scissorhands In ConcertGothic fairytale concert.Film50 East Ida B. Wells DriveView listing →7:30 PMDon GiovanniMozart's darkly comic opera.Show20 N Wacker DrView listing →8:00 PMLenard Simpson QuartetSoulful sax quartet.Music806 S Plymouth CtFrom $25View listing →

Sunday, October 25

10:00 AMTangible Sound: Arrival to a Higher GroundImmersive jazz art installation.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →10:00 AMSoul of the StoneMonumental Zimbabwean stone sculpture.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →10:00 AMChicago Cultural Center Exhibition Exploration ToursFree tours under Tiffany domes.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →12:30 PMHowl-O-Ween Canine CruiseDog-friendly Halloween cruise.Party112 E Wacker DrView listing →2:00 PMOmarPulitzer-winning American opera.Show20 N Wacker DrFrom $73View listing →7:00 PMSex, Death & Small Talk TourStand-up from Ted Lasso's Roy Kent.Show175 N State StView listing →8:00 PMLenard Simpson QuartetSoulful sax quartet.Music806 S Plymouth CtFrom $25View listing →

On all weekend

No set start time for these, so go when it suits you.

Haunted HuesSpirited halloween art experience.Art233 S Wacker Dr Lower Level 2View listing →Hannah HeavinRooftop DJ dance party.Party201 N State St 27th FloorView listing →It Will Happen Tonight by Nanni MorettiItalian auteur comedy.Film150 N Michigan Ave #1580View listing →The Chicago Theatre Tour ExperienceBehind-the-scenes landmark tour.Tour175 N State StFrom $27View listing →62nd Chicago International Film FestivalCompetitive international cinema showcase.Film212 W Van Buren St Ste 400View listing →To Be Remembered: Woven Matters of the HeartStitched stories of home.Art78 E Washington StView listing →Freedom FightersQuilts of Black resistance.Art78 E Washington StView listing →Chicago Made Music Showcase FinaleLocal talent showdown.Show78 E Washington StView listing →Ram BSkyline DJ dance party.Party201 N State St 27th FloorView listing →Moving Identities: 16 Voices of BelongingQueer art in many mediums.Art78 E Washington StView listing →Game Day ElevatedRooftop game day feast.Bar201 N State St 27th FloorView listing →