Open House Chicago 2022. (Anna Munzesheimer / Chicago Architecture Center)
1. Explore
Open House Chicago offers access to more than 170 of the city’s most historically, culturally and architecturally significant sites. This year’s highlights include the childhood home of Walt Disney in Hermosa and Uptown’s historic Riviera Theatre, originally built in 1917 as a movie theater.
Details: Times and locations vary Saturday and Sunday. Free
Looking for more events? The Andersonville Fall Wine Walk and Boo at the Zoo return this weekend. Check out those and more in our 2023 Chicago Festival Guide.
2. Gaze
Check out this weekend’s partial solar eclipse at one of three events. Head to Triton College for the Partial Solar Eclipse Watch, where you’ll find special eclipse glasses, the “Dark Side of the Moon” cosmic light show and a planetarium show focused on the history and cultural views of eclipses (“Eclipse: The Sun Revealed”). The Adler Planetarium, meanwhile, is offering Eclipse Encounter ’23. WGN meteorologist Tom Skilling will be on hand; activities include safe solar viewing through telescopes, solar viewer giveaways and photo ops with giant pairs of solar glasses. And on the 606 Trail, astronomer Joe Guzman and the Chicago Astronomer team were planning to host a viewing event but it has been canceled due to weather.
According to the Adler, the eclipse will be visible from 10:37 a.m.-1:22 p.m.; the peak is at 11:58 a.m., when 43% of the Sun will be covered by the Moon as seen from Chicago. Can’t see it live? Watch the Adler’s Sky Observers Hangout online.
Details for Partial Solar Eclipse Watch: 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Cernan Earth and Space Center at Triton College, 2000 5th Ave. in River Grove. Viewing glasses are $1.80 per pair; “Eclipse: The Sun Revealed” tickets cost $4 each; “Dark Side of the Moon” tickets cost $5 each / MAP
Details for Eclipse Encounter ’23: 10:30 a.m. at Adler Planetarium, 1300 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive. Free; planetarium admission can be purchased separately / MAP
Chicago Eclipse Fest 2017. (Courtesy of Adler Planetarium)
3. Screen
The Chicago International Film Festival is back for the 59th year with more than 100 films in theaters across the city, including the Music Box Theatre, Gene Siskel Film Center, the Chicago History Museum and some Chicago Park District venues.
Details: Showtimes and locations vary through Oct. 22. Tickets begin at $15
4. Go green
Reuse-a-Palooza is your chance to repair clothing and household items, safely dispose of tricky-to-recycle items and donate gently used books, furniture and more. This weekend’s event includes a Halloween costume swap with dozens of kids’ costumes at the ready.
Details: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday at The Plant, 1400 W. 46th St. / MAP
5. Discover
The Fine Arts Building’s 125th Anniversary Celebration delivers an evening of performances and demonstrations spanning the landmark building’s 10 stories. Learn a national tap dance anthem with the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, check out handmade puppets with the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and listen to a concert from pianist Dr. Yulia Lipmanovich.
Details: 5-9 p.m. Friday at the Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave. Free / MAP
The renovated Studebaker Theater in 2023. (Mikel Pickett)
Events listed are subject to change. We recommend double-checking times and locations before you head out the door. Want to share your upcoming events with us for consideration in a future roundup? Send us an email.
