Last month, I took a wonderful week-long trip to Chicago, Illinois, and sightseeing in this wonderful city. As a sports fan, I looked forward to taking in a game, learning about the city’s sports history and watching some games with other sports fans while I chow down on some great food. If you’re planning a trip to Chicago, here are some things the sports fan in you should do:
- See a game: Of course, that’s the first thing you probably would do as a sports fan in the Windy City. Take your pick because depending on the time of year that you visit, you can either watch the Chicago Cubs or the Chicago White Sox play ball (or both), the Chicago Bears hit the gridiron, the Chicago Blackhawks slam dunk or the Chicago Fire take the pitch. So much sports to see! Almost every stadium also offers tours so make sure you get a behind-the-scenes look at the Chicago sports teams.
- Soak in sports history: The Chicago Sports Museum is a must-see, 23,000-square foot venue filled with Chicago sports history. In addition to learning about the teams, you can also shoot free throws, score goals and see how you measure up to Michael Jordan’s leap or Scottie Pippin’s wingspan. The most interesting section is the area about Chicago’s curses and superstitions. If you want to see memorabilia from the 2016 World Series, it’s here too. Admission is an affordable $10 ($6 for seniors and children aged 4 – 11) and the museum is open seven days a week unless there’s a private event. Traveler’s tip: If you enjoy a meal and spend more than $10 at next door’s Harry Carey’s 7th Inning Stretch restaurant, you can get free admission to the museum.
- Speaking of Harry Carey: This legendary sportscaster spent 16 years of his illustrious career calling games for the Chicago Cubs. Definitely enjoy a meal at either his Harry Carey’s 7th Inning Stretch at Magnificent Mile or Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse. Save time after your meal to walk around and look close at the autographs and more sports history on the walls. Statue Alert: There is a statue dedicated to Chicago announcer Jack Brickhouse, who did play-by-play coverage of the Chicago Cubs games on WGN-TV from 1948 to 1981, located right outside the Tribune Tower.
- Still hungry? There are so many other fun, delicious sports-based eateries in Chicago, including The Globe Pub on West Irving Park Road. They are remodeling until June 5th, but will be open in plenty of time so that fans of the beautiful game of football (soccer) can stop by and watch the 2018 World Cup. Mother Hubbarb’s Sports Pub was another fun place that we enjoyed while catching the game. Mike Ditka has three of his own restaurants around Chicago as does Michael Jordan.
- Museum of Broadcast Communications: This museum is an absolute blast but isn’t completely sports oriented. It is where you can see an exhibit on Saturday Night Life and learn about the history of television and radio. The catch is that the history of television and radio wouldn’t be complete without a section dedicated to sports television history, so don’t miss it on your tour.
Where should you stay?
In case you’re wondering, I stayed at the Chicago Marriott Downtown River North and I would give it five stars if anyone cared. The staff was wonderful and the rooms were clean.
