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 4.0Hotels 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
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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
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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
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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
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This weekend in the Loop: October 2–4
44 things on: 6 gigs, 4 tours, 3 exhibitions and 5 free. Listed by day and start time.
Friday, October 2
Soul of the StoneShona stone sculpture.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →Public Group ToursFree architecture deep-dive.Tour78 E Washington StFreeView listing →Saturday, October 3
Daley Plaza Farmers MarketDowntown produce under the Picasso.Shopping50 W Washington StView listing →
South Loop Farmers Market: Printers RowFresh produce with SNAP match.Shopping632 S Dearborn StView listing →Soul of the StoneShona stone sculpture.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →Millennium Park Outdoor Public Art Walking TourGuided public art stroll.Tour78 E Washington StView listing →
meditation on: sculptural portals, a visual lecture by ebere agwunchaWoven portals & family memory.Talk77 E Randolph StView listing →Sunday, October 4
Daley Plaza Farmers MarketDowntown produce under the Picasso.Shopping50 W Washington StView listing →Soul of the StoneShona stone sculpture.Art78 E Washington StFreeView listing →On all weekend
No set start time for these, so go when it suits you.
To Be Remembered: Woven Matters of the HeartFiber art & memory.Art78 E Washington StView listing →Freedom FightersQuilts of Black resistance.Art78 E Washington StView listing →Moving Identities: 16 Voices of BelongingQueer art collective.Art78 E Washington StView listing →Listings by Outgoing, refreshed twice a day. Times and prices can change, so check the listing before you go.