Sometimes it's fun to play tourist in your own town. So button up the tacky Hawaiian shirt, slip into some comfortable walking shoes, strap on a camera, and get going.

Tours

There are a number of organized tours that let you explore various parts of Chicago; some travel by water, some travel by land.

Boat tours
Take your pick—there are one-hour cruises, moonlight cruises, cruises with lunch or dinner, amphibious land and water trips, speedboat rides, and more. To find out the specifics of several tours, go to www.chicagotraveler.com/boat_tours.htm.

Chicago Architecture Foundation
Web: www.architecture.org
224 South Michigan Avenue
312-922-3432
Free admission to ArchiCenter; tour prices vary
CAF's ArchiCenter offers exhibits, lectures, classes, a shop, and a gallery featuring a scale model of the 16-square-mile downtown area. Check the Web site for prices, meeting places, and reservations for more than 60 tours of Chicago and the suburbs, by foot, boat, bus, or bike.

Chicago Line Cruises
Web: www.chicagoline.com
435 East Illinois Street
312-527-2002
The Sun-Times calls it the "best architectural tour available in Chicago." Find out more on the Web site.

Attractions

John Hancock Observatory
Web: www.hancock-observatory.com
875 North Michigan Avenue
312-751-3681
Admission: $10.25
This Michigan Avenue giant (1,127 feet) was built in 1970. Although it is 327 feet lower than the Sears Tower, the observation deck provides a stunning view of the lake and city.

Navy Pier
Web: www.navypier.com
600 East Grand Avenue
312-595-7437
On Chicago's lakefront, Navy Pier offers a mix of attractions, from the Crystal Gardens to the breathtaking views atop the 150-foot Ferris wheel (modeled after the Ferris wheel built for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition; see sidelight, The fair that put Chicago on the map). It is also home to the Cineplex Odeon's huge IMAX Theater and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Sears Tower Skydeck
Web: www.the-skydeck.com
233 South Wacker Drive
312-875-9696
Admission: $12.95
This soaring structure is the tallest building in the U.S. and one of the few tallest in the world. Take one of the 100 elevators to the Skydeck Observatory on the 103rd floor, 1,353 feet above ground, for a spectacular view of the city. On a clear day, you can see four states: Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana.

Festivals

Grant Park is the site of many seasonal festivals—Blues Fest, Jazz Fest, Taste of Chicago, Venetian Night, Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival, and a seemingly endless profusion of neighborhood block parties and Midwestern rituals. For a schedule of city events, as well as information about the Neighborhood Festivals Program, go to www.cityofchicago.org/ specialevents/. For summer programs in the parks, such as Movies in the Park and Theater on the Lake, visit the events calendar at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.

Grant Park Music Festival
Web: www.grantparkmusicfestival.com
The nation's only free, municipally funded, outdoor classical music series, the Grant Park Music Festival has been a Chicago tradition for more than 70 years. Performances take place in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, a unique outdoor performance venue in Millennium Park.

World Music Festival Chicago
Web: www.cityofchicago.org/WorldMusic/
312-742-1938
Held in locations around the city including Hyde Park, this festival showcases traditional and contemporary music of cultures from around the world. The festival presents concerts, master classes, workshops, live radio broadcasts, and lecture/demonstrations each fall.

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