Chicago, United States3 hoursWeekdays
Art Institute of Chicago
Ideal: Ideal for art, history, museum visits, cultural routes, and calm indoor time.
Founded in 1879, the collection holds America's two most copied paintings side by side: Grant Wood's 1930 American Gothic and Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. Seurat's pointillist masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande Jatte is here too. Dressing the 1894 bronze lions at the entrance in helmets or jerseys when Chicago teams reach finals is a city tradition. A lesser-known highlight is the Thorne Rooms: sixty-eight miniature period interiors at scale.
Quick facts
- Built
- 1879
- Opened
- 1893
- Architect
- Renzo Piano
- Annual visitors
- 1.5 million
Facts from Wikidata, photos from Wikimedia Commons.
Why go?
- To see major art collections from around the world
- To experience one of Chicago's most prestigious cultural institutions
- For a strong indoor route on rainy or cold days
Travel tip
The museum is large — do not try every wing at once; pick collections that interest you.
