Chicago Area Attractions! - Glenside Color Computer Club

General Things to Do

Arcades:

Dave & Buster’s in Lombard
Enterrium in Schaumburg
Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield
Underground Retrocade in West Dundee
Enchanted Castle, Lombard, Illinois
Funway Family Entertainment, Batavia, Illinois
Nickel City, Cook County, Illinois
For more ideas see: https://retro.directory/

Chicago cruises:

Wendella Tours and Cruises, Chicago, IL
Chicago River Tour
Navy Pier, Chicago, IL (Amusement rides, boat rides, IMAX Theater, restaurants and ship cruises)

Zoos:

Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL
Cosley Zoo, Wheaton, IL
Lincoln Park Zoo

Chicago Landmarks:

875 North Michigan Ave. (formerly known as the John Hancock Building)
Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower)
Cloudgate sculpture, Millennium Park, Chicago (known as “the Bean”)
Buckingham Fountain, Grant Park, Chicago
Chicago lakefront, Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Navy Pier, Chicago, IL (Amusement rides, boat rides, IMAX Theater, restaurants and ship cruises)

Gardens:

Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL
Lincoln Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL
Fabyan Villa Museum & Japanese Garden, Geneva, IL
Lilacia Park, Lombard, IL
Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL
Cantigny Military Park in Winfield, IL

Museums:

Adler Planetarium, Chicago, IL
Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL
DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, Chicago, IL
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL
Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, Chicago, IL (museum about ancient Middle Eastern cultures)
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Children’s Museum, at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Academy of Science/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago History Museum, Chicago, Illinois
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois
National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, Illinois
National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, Chicago, Illinois
Illinois Railway Museum, Union, IL
Fox River Trolley Museum, South Elgin, Illinois
East Troy Railroad Museum, rail museum in East Troy, Wisconsin

Religious Museums:

Billy Graham Museum, Wheaton, IL
Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL
Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, Chicago, IL
Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, Chicago, IL (A museum about ancient Middle Eastern cultures)
Holocaust Museum, Skokie, IL
Ark Encounter, Willamstown, KY
Creation Museum, Petersburg, KY
Museum of the Bible, Washington, D.C.
Precious Moments Museum, Carthage, MO

Sporting Events:

Chicago Sky
Chicago Cubs
Chicago Bulls
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Fire
Chicago White Sox
Chicago Bears
Chicago Curling Club
Chicago Park District Badminton
Chicago Boxing Events
Windy City Rollers (Roller Derby)
Roller Rink
Ice Skating
Golf
Frisbee Golf
Miniature Golf
Bowling
Shuffleboard
Carol Stream Park District Adult Pickleball
Climbing
Paddle Boat
Twin Lakes Golf Course & Recreation Area, Palatine, IL (Golf and paddleboats)

Rainy Day (and Cold Weather Day) Things to Do:

Shopping: American Science and Surplus, and such.
Walk in the mall: See List of Malls above.
Walk in IKEA, Walter E. Smithe Furniture & Design, Bob’s Furniture, La-z Boy Furniture, The Dump Furniture Store
Walk in Home Depot, Menards
Walk in Walmart, Japanese Mitsuwa Marketplace, Fish Market
Go to the Library
Go to: Half Price Books
Go to: Goodwill, Salvation Army, Resale Shop
Go to: Arcade See: Arcade above also search the internet for The Retro Directory
Go to: Indoor Garden See gardens above.

Other things to do:

Mastermind Escape Games Escape Rooms Schaumburg, IL
Disco, Night Club, Chicago, IL
Chinatown, Chicago, IL
Chicago Segway Tour, Chicago, IL
Leaning Tower YMCA, Niles, IL. Note: YMCA is closed. (half-size replica of the Tower of Pisa)
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament, Schaumburg, IL
Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, IL
Frank Lloyd Wright Tours, Oak Park, IL
The House on the Rock, Spring Green, Wisconsin
Chicago Theater, Broadway Shows, Chicago, IL
Busse Forest Elk Pasture, Elk Grove Village, IL
The Sculpture Park, Schaumburg, IL
LEGOLAND Discovery Center, Schaumburg, IL
K1Speed Indoor Go Karts, Buffalo Grove, IL
Forest Preserve/Nature Preserve, Cook County, IL
Casino/Gambling
Historic Route 66 Begin Sign, Chicago, IL

Places to Shop

Shopping:

Hobby Lobby, Bloomingdale, IL
Alien Entertainment Store, Lombard, IL
Geneva 3rd Street and State Street, Geneva, IL (Antiquing and shopping)
Long Grove, Long Grove, IL (Antiquing and shopping)
Galena, IL (Antiquing and shopping)
Ulysses S. Grant Home, Galena, IL
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (Boat tours, Antiquing and shopping)

Malls:

Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, IL
Woodfield Mall, Schaumburg, IL
Gurnee Mills, shopping mall in Gurnee, Illinois
North Riverside Park Mall, North Riverside, Illinois

Electronics, Electronics Surplus, Science, and Science Surplus:

American Science and Surplus, Geneva/West Chicago, IL
American Science and Surplus, Park Ridge, IL
Chester Electronic Supply Co., Kenosha, WI
Micro Center Computers & Electronics, Westmont, IL
Micro Center Computers & Electronics, Chicago, IL

Other Shopping:

Mitsuwa Marketplace (Japanese)

Getting Around:

Transportation:

Rental car
Taxi (American Taxi (AT))
Ride Share https://ride.guru/cities/chicago-illinois-united-states-of-america
Uber
Lyft
Limo

Parking in Chicago:

Use a smart phone app like “SpotHero”

Mass Transit Chicago:

Chicago Trolley and Double Decker Co, Chicago IL
Big Bus Tours Chicago, Chicago IL
Gangster Tour Chicago
Chicago Tour
Chicago Transit Authority – CTA Buses, elevated trains, train, subway, service for Chicago
Pace (Chicago suburbs bus)
Metra train (Trains from Chicago to the suburbs and back)
South Shore Line train (Trains from Indiana to Chicago and back)

Airports:

O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Chicago Executive Airport-PWK
Schaumburg Regional Airport
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)

Notes:

American Science and Surplus

Salvador Garcia says: Yes, you can go to the Website and browse, but it does not prepare you for when you go in person. There is a huge number of stuff, everything from a periscope (Geneva store), beakers, test tube and more for your chem lab, motors, gearmotors, LEDs, electronic components, foam human hearts, stuffed plushy brain neurons, real frogs for dissection, bearings, magnets, DaVinci machines kits… well, the list just goes on and on.

Alien Entertainment Store

Salvador Garcia says: And if there are any sci fi fans (Dr. Who, Star Wars, Star Trek) then Alien Entertainment in Lombard has enough stuff to keep you busy for about two hours.

If you are coming to the CoCoFEST! from out of town on an extended stay, you may be interested in other things to see while you are here. The ladies may enjoy a trip to the mall or antiquing and shopping in Long Grove, IL or Geneva, IL.

Chicago Chinatown

North Riverside Park Mall

Salvador Garcia says: And if there are any die-hard fans of the movie Contagion, I can point you to the mall where the mall scenes were filmed 🙂

Leaning Tower YMCA