Experience great value and dis­cover some­thing new with a visit to Chicago this Fourth of July week­end. Celebrate the summer’s biggest hol­i­day by vis­it­ing lake­front beaches, enjoy­ing mag­nif­i­cent fire­works on the lake­front, expe­ri­enc­ing the Taste of Chicago or attend­ing a Major League base­ball game. Learn about Chicago’s exquis­ite cui­sine, incred­i­ble sights, and afford­able options for a fun-filled week­end get­away on a budget.

Don’t miss this chance to explore Chicago’s many vibrant com­mu­ni­ties with newly expanded neigh­bor­hood pages on www.ExploreChicago.org, the city’s offi­cial tourism web­site. From Albany Park to South Shore, dis­cover the many ways you can embrace the his­tory, cul­ture, and peo­ple of the city’s 75 diverse neigh­bor­hoods as you uncover the world in Chicago’s backyard.

Begin your adven­ture at the Visitor Information Centers at the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., and Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Ave. For more infor­ma­tion about all Fourth of July week­end events, visit www.ExploreChicago.org or call 877-CHICAGO. The fol­low­ing high­lights are free unless oth­er­wise noted.

Millennium Park Celebration, Fireworks and Taste of Chicago

Saturday, July 3

Fourth of July Celebration in Millennium Park

Get a head start on the hol­i­day fes­tiv­i­ties at the Grant Park Music Festival’s Independence Celebration on July 3, at 1:30 p.m. A free con­cert by the Grant Park Orchestra at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park cel­e­brates our country’s birth­day and musi­cal her­itage and fea­tures the Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s BAM! and the Trinity Irish Dancers. Other events on July 3 include work­outs in Tai Chi, Yoga, and Pilates, and salsa lessons on the Great Lawn, from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The Family Fun Festival, pre­sented by Target, offers inter­ac­tive activ­i­ties and musi­cal games for kids of all ages from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, July 4

Fireworks

Enjoy a spec­tac­u­lar triple play of pyrotech­nics on the Fourth of July with fire­works dis­plays occur­ring up and down Chicago’s 26 miles of lake­front. Beginning at 9 p.m., 15 minute pyrotech­nic dis­plays will light up the sky. Prime view­ing loca­tions are Downtown at Navy Pier and the sur­round­ing area; on the South Side from 63rd Street Beach to Promontory Point; and on the North Side from Foster to Montrose. The American fla­vored and themed musi­cal sound­track can be heard on 101. 9 THE MIX.

Through July 4

Taste of Chicago

Celebrating its 30th Anniversary, Taste of Chicago is the world’s largest out­door food and enter­tain­ment fes­ti­val. From June 25 –July 4, the ten-day lake­front event in Grant Park fea­tures food choices rang­ing from eth­nic to exotic to Chicago spe­cial­ties. A buf­fet of musi­cal tal­ent as var­ied as the menu includes free per­for­mances by Trey Songz on July 1, Rob Thomas on July 2, the Steve Miller Band on July 3, Passion Pit on July 4, and more. Note: Taste of Chicago closes at 7 p.m. on July 3 and at 6 p.m. on July 4.

Other Events and Activities

Chicago SummerDance Festival

Feel the beat at the 14th Annual Chicago SummerDance. The largest out­door dance fes­ti­val of its kind in the U.S. fea­tures one-hour dance lessons by pro­fes­sional instruc­tors, fol­lowed by two hours of live music and danc­ing on a 4,600 square foot open-air dance floor in the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park. On July 1, join the Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society and its Music Ensemble for Greek folk dance lessons and music. On July 2, Narcotango plays its elec­tron­ico tango music with Argentine tango dance lessons taught by the ARTango Center. Dance lessons are from 6–7 p.m. and live music is from 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Neighborhood Festivals

Discover the many diverse neigh­bor­hoods of Chicago this Independence Day week­end. On July 2 through July 5, visit Washington Park for the 17th annual African-Caribbean International Festival of Life. The fes­ti­val includes live music, includ­ing reg­gae, calypso, and gospel, plus food ven­dors, arts and crafts, games, kids’ activ­i­ties and exhibits. Admission is $15.

Hyde Park and Old Town InstaGreeter Outposts

Pay a visit to Hyde Park, President Obama’s long-time home or stroll through the his­toric Old Town neigh­bor­hood with the Instagreeter pro­gram, free one-hour walk­a­bouts guided by a knowl­edge­able local. Stop by the Hyde Park InstaGreeter Outpost at the Hyde Park Art Center or the new Old Town Neighborhood Outpost at Second City any­time on July 3 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Visits are given on a first-come, first-served basis, and no reser­va­tions are needed.

Farmers Markets

Over 70 ven­dors offer fresh fruits, veg­eta­bles, plants and flow­ers at local Farmers Markets that sell to more than 20 neigh­bor­hoods through­out the city. On July 3, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., visit the Lincoln Park Farmers Market at Lincoln Park High School and the Division Street Farmers Market in the Gold Coast. On July 4th, the Erie Street Farmers Market will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Chicago’s Lakefront Beaches

Chicago offers 15 miles of lake­front beaches for the enjoy­ment of locals and vis­i­tors. Lifeguards are on duty all week­end long. The lake­front is also home to the lake­front trail, vol­ley­ball, soc­cer, con­ces­sions, golf courses, har­bors, bird sanc­tu­ar­ies, and nat­ural areas.

Museum Exhibitions

Escape into a whole new world at Chicago’s renowned muse­ums. Feel the physics and con­sider the chem­istry of nat­ural phe­nom­ena like tor­na­dos and avalanches at the Museum of Science and Industry’s “Storm Stories” exhi­bi­tion. At The Field Museum, cel­e­brate the 10th anniver­sary of Sue, the largest, most com­plete and best pre­served Tyrannosaurus rex ever dis­cov­ered. Work your way through The Art Institute of Chicago’s 20th-and 21st cen­tury art col­lec­tion in the Modern Wing. Designed by Pulitzer Prize-winning archi­tect Renzo Piano, the 264,000-square-foot build­ing, which opened last year, makes the Art Institute the sec­ond largest art museum in the U.S. At the Museum of Contemporary Art, explore the influ­ence that mod­ern sculp­tor Alexander Calder had on an emerg­ing gen­er­a­tion of con­tem­po­rary artists in “Alexander Calder and Contemporary Art: Form, Balance, Joy”.

Chicago Neighborhood Tours

Venture out of the Loop and into some of Chicago’s most fas­ci­nat­ing neigh­bor­hoods. Take a Summertime Sampler tour on July 2 and visit Greek Town, Chinatown, & Little Italy. The tour leaves at 10 a.m. from the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph St., and lasts approx­i­mately three hours. For more infor­ma­tion, includ­ing a com­plete sched­ule of Chicago Neighborhood Tours, visit www.ChicagoNeighborhoodTours.com.

The Ledge at the Sears Tower Skydeck

Experience never-before-seen views of Chicago at “The Ledge” at the Willis (for­merly Sears) Tower. It fea­tures all glass boxes set 1,353 feet up, and extend­ing out 4.3 feet from the 103rd floor Skydeck. The famed Willis Tower Skydeck also offers addi­tional attrac­tions includ­ing new inter­ac­tive and edu­ca­tional museum-quality exhibits that cel­e­brate the City of Chicago.

Chicago Cubs Baseball

Complete your all-American week­end with a trip to Wrigley Field on Chicago’s North Side. On July 1, the Chicago Cubs kick off a four day series host­ing the Cincinnati Reds. Wrigley Field is eas­ily acces­si­ble by car or on Chicago’s rapid tran­sit sys­tem. For tick­ets, visit www.chicago.cubs.mlb.com.

Visitors and Chicagoans plan­ning to enter­tain out-of-town guests can receive Chicago brochures, reserve hotel accom­mo­da­tions and receive trip-planning assis­tance by call­ing toll-free 1.877.CHICAGO (1.877.244.2246), or vis­it­ing www.ExploreChicago.org. Brochures and infor­ma­tion on Chicago’s excit­ing events and activ­i­ties are also avail­able at the Visitor Information Centers. The cen­ters are located at Chicago Water Works, 163 East Pearson Street at Michigan Avenue and the Chicago Cultural Center, 77 East Randolph Street. The TTY toll-free num­ber for the hear­ing impaired is 1.866.710.0294.

Chicago Fireworks photo by whit­ne­yart­girl

Related posts:

1. Chicago Winter Dance Festival Features Free Ice Skating Instruction, Ice Dancing, Dance Lessons in Millennium Park
2. A Guide to Chicago’s Free Museums
3. Celebrate Summer with Chicago Botanic Garden’s Fourth Annual Wine Festival
4. Chicago’s Celtic Fest Takes Over Millennium Park This Mother’s Day
5. Chicago Greeter Opens to Locals for Two Months Only