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As you may have guessed, Chicago’s downtown neighborhoods make up the heart of the city. However, unlike in many other cities, downtown isn’t just where briefcase-toting suits go to pass the time between 9am and 5pm. Sure, a lot of work does go down here, but it’s also a place to study, play, shop, eat, drink, stroll, or even get some exercise. Below the skyscraping peaks of the Sears (now Willis) Tower and the John Hancock Building, you’ll find a group of neighborhoods that are home to the city’s thriving theatre district, world-class shopping, lovely public parks, several nationally-acclaimed colleges, tourist attractions, and innumerable bars and restaurants. Downtown Chicago really is urban life at its best.

Check out each of the Downtown neighborhoods. Under each guide you’ll find a neighborhood overview, maps, restaurants reviews, nightlife reviews, sights & attractions, and gyms & spas.

Magnificent Mile
The Loop
River North
River East
South Loop
Streeterville
West Loop

What’s Up in Downtown Chicago

• Au Cheval (Restaurant, West Loop)
• Slurping Turtle (Restaurant, River North)
• Publican Quality Meats (Restaurant/Market, West Loop)
• Drinking and Writing Theater
• The (Secret) Intercontinental Hotel Tour
• Required Reading: Sin in the Second City
• The Chicago Pedway
• Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Fogo de Chão (Restaurant, River North)
• The Harris Theater at Millennium Park
• City Gallery at the Historic Water Tower
• Spirit of Chicago Cruises
• The Purple Pig (Restaurant, River North)
• Encore Liquid Lounge (Bar, The Loop)
• Catalan Tapas at Mercat a la Planxa
• Redmoon Theater: Engaging Community Through Puppetry, Gadgetry, and Engineering Wonders
• Gene Siskel Film Center
• Cirque Shanghai Extreme
• The Aviary (Bar, West Loop)