Hyde Park was the site of the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, home to former President Barack Obama, an incubator for Nobel Prize winners — basically, history is made in Hyde Park.
Explore like a local:
· Grab breakfast at Valois Restaurant, one of Barack Obama’s favorite breakfast spots.
· Head to Jackson park to see the Osaka Garden, a pristine Japanese garden, and SKYLANDING, Yoko Ono’s first permanent U.S. public art installation.
· Walk out to scenic Promontory Point for sweeping lakefront views.
Enjoy Southern cuisine at Virtue, helmed by a James Beard Award-winning chef.
Insider tips:
Get hands-on at the science museum: This culturally rich neighborhood is bookended by two of the city’s most significant institutions — the University of Chicago to the west and the Museum of Science and Industry to the east.
The largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere, the Museum of Science and Industry boasts more than 2,000 exhibits — from U-boats and airplanes to coal mines and tornados. It’s also housed in one of the last remaining buildings from the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, which was held in neighboring Jackson Park.
Go back to school: On the University of Chicago campus, you’ll find striking Gothic architecture, the free Smart Museum of Art, The Oriental Institute, the Court Theatre, and more. The university is known for world-changing discoveries, like the world’s first artificial nuclear reactor that was built below the school’s football stadium.