A lot of people go just for Christmas shopping in the fall. You can walk your feet off in Chicago. There's a variety of restaurants and attractions, including an IMAX theatre, carousel and the Ferris wheel. At the very end of the pier there's a beer garden, outdoor tables and live music in the evenings. There's miles of paved shoreline for walking, in-line skating or biking and plenty of grassy areas to relax on.
Stage shows Catch a show.
Chicago has more than 40 venues for stage productions, everything from the critically acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre Company to small neighborhood theater companies to the Civic Opera House, where theatergoers can check out big-ticket extravaganzas like Phantom of the Opera . In others, the performers begin a story, leaving blanks for the audience to fill. The crowd gets in some hilarious lines, too. Another hot tip is Hot Tix, which sells half-price theater tickets. It has two locations in downtown Chicago.