PenCities

Top Sights

• The Art Institute of Chicago
  The Art Institute is one of the world's most famous art museums, particularly known for its collection of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings by artists like Monet, Renoir, Seurat and Corbet. Other galleries feature the art of ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Europe, decorative arts, textiles of the world, prints and drawings, architecture and photography. World-class exhibitions attract audiences from around the world. Free public lectures and tours are offered throughout the week.
  
  111 South Michigan Avenue, Downtown
  Tel: (1-312) 443 3600
• Lyric Opera of Chicago
  Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the Civic Opera House is a hybrid of Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Built in 1929 and recently restored, it offers excellent sight lines and premium acoustics. Home to the world renowned Lyric Opera of Chicago, it has played host to numerous Broadway shows including Sunset Boulevard and The Phantom of the Opera, as well as celebrated musical artists ranging from the legendary Frank Sinatra to the innovative Bjôrk.
  
  20 North Wacker Drive, The Loop
  Tel: (1-312) 410 0033
• Chicago Cultural Center
  The Chicago Cultural Center once housed the main branch of the Chicago Public Library and is one of the most famous structures downtown. The centre is a Neo-Classical masterpiece that features art-glass domes and glittering mosaic walls. Daytime concerts are often staged in Preston Bradley Hall while many galleries in the Cultural Center exhibit contemporary art from around town and around the world. Live musical performances take place every weekday.
  
  78 East Washington Street, The Loop
  Tel: (1-312) 744 6630
• Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Museum
  Tours of the home and studio designed and inhabited by architect Wright show how his family, his house and his conception of architecture grew in the 20 years that he lived here. Visitors can witness Wright's modern use of flowing space, how light is as important to his architecture as walls and doors, and the moods that he could create with space, color and materials. Located just outside of Chicago in Oak Park, tours are organized to bring visitors to the historic home.
  
  951 Chicago Avenue, Oak Park
  Tel: (1-708) 848 1976
• Museum of Contemporary Art
  One of the nation's largest modern art museums, the MCA features art created since 1945. Its permanent collection includes work by Franz Kline, Andy Warhol and Marcel Duchamp. It highlights the surrealism of the 1940s and 50s, the minimalism of the 1960s, conceptual art and photography from the 1960s to the present, installation art, and art by Chicago-based artists. The MCA backs up to a garden with panoramic views of Lake Michigan seen through the floor to ceiling windows in the first floor café.
  
  220 East Chicago Avenue, Streeterville
  Tel: (1-312) 280 2660