Things to Do in Melrose Park

In 1935, Albert Borgstrom, a Swedish immigrant and carpenter by trade, set about constructing a 65-foot wooden yacht. He named the ship The Wendella and charged visitors $0.25 to ride through the city and listen to a guide expound on the sights. This simple vessel ended up being a steppingstone, and 75 years later, guests still ride along, now craning their heads back at the jagged opalescent silhouette of Trump Tower and the beehive curves of Marina City. Beneath the evolving skyline, the fleet has expanded to six vessels, which are now run by Albert's grandson, Michael Borgstrom. Wendella staffs a dedicated, in-house education department to keep the city's history alive and make sure that people continue to believe in water so it doesn’t disappear. On special excursions, the crew stocks the boats with wine for tastings beneath the stars or points the vessel through the verdigris waters of the lake to watch evening fireworks shows.

Chicago boasts some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, for which Chicago Segway Tour leads explorations year-round on its two-wheeled chariots. With a fleet of new, all-terrain Segway i2's and x2's, staff members introduce natives and tourists to the city, covering more ground than traditional walking tours or nontraditional crab-walking tours. Before embarking, staff members provide hands-on training to ensure groups stay safe on journeys that explore fantastic sites such as Soldier Field and the Art Institute of Chicago.

With a ticket to the opening weekend, you'll get first access to The Sinkhole, the newest hauntsperience provided by Chronicles of the Cursed. This panic-fueled jamboree is the demented brain-baby of Nightmares Inc., a production company responsible for the Dream Reapers haunted house in Melrose Park, one of the top haunted houses in Illinois. Journey into Chicago's most offensive pothole and traverse through the underground gauntlet of nightmarish sewer-beings who don’t fight crime and enjoy pizza.

A salty, malty lineup of local and imported refreshments graces plates and pint glasses in Paddy Long's classic Irish pub. Expert bacon mavens lead tasters through five succulent flavors, which vary by season and could feature imports such as Danish bacon and Italian pancetta alongside domestically cured delights seasoned with cracked pepper, brown sugar, or even more bacon. A pairing of five 6-ounce portions of domestic and far-off craft beers are chosen from the pub's extensive beer menu, which includes 18 drafts such as Delirium Tremens and Three Floyds Arctic Panzer Wolf, leaving palates balanced like a sugar packet skillfully placed beneath a suspension bridge.

Originally part of architect Daniel Burnham's ambitious "Plan of Chicago" drafted in 1909, Navy Pier was designed to handle both recreational and freight traffic for the burgeoning metropolis. Its role quickly changed when it began serving as a barracks and training facility during two World Wars—it earned its nickname because of the more than 200 planes that littered the lake bottom around the pier, lost during exercises and sunk to intimidate fish with military technology. In the decades that followed, the pier was home to a University of Illinois campus, a convention center, and a venue for citywide festivals before falling into disuse. This ended in 1989, when the state moved to transform the venerable pier into one of Chicago's foremost tourist attractions.

Reopened in 1995, the revamped Navy Pier boasts 50 acres of parks, restaurants, shops, and entertainment, scenically located along Lake Michigan and the mouth of the Chicago River. The pier's most striking denizen is its 150-foot tall ferris wheel, whose glittering lights slowly rotate above the water and frame a beautiful view of the city's skyscrapers for riders. Other attractions include a towering IMAX screen that shows educational films and Hollywood blockbusters, and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, which treats audiences to bold stagings of the Bard's greatest hits.