Join a CHM History Buff volunteer guide and whisk away to a time when Chicago’s rich and famous caroused on the coast. “Gold Coast” refers to a stretch of expensive lakefront property occupied by the city's wealthiest residents. Before the opening of the Michigan Avenue Bridge (now DuSable Bridge) in 1920, it was isolated from the downtown business district and home to only a few wealthy families, such as the McCormicks, Palmers, and Ryersons.
The area soon became the heart of the upper crust of Chicago society. Sociologist Harvey Warren Zorbaugh, who claimed that college boys returning from the East Coast dubbed the area the “Gold Coast,” immortalized it in his book The Gold Coast and the Slum: A Sociological Study of Chicago’s Near North Side. The density of wealth in the Gold Coast buffered it against the deterioration that threatened other portions of the North Side in the 1950s.
Gaze at ornate architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan, step onto a rare wood-block alleyway, and take in Chicago’s early mansions, including the Archbishop’s Residence.
Tour runs 1.5 to 2 hours. Meet at the Chicago History Museum.
Tour also includes free admission to the Chicago History Museum, good for one week from tour date.
The Chicago History Museum is open and we look forward to welcoming you.
General Admission to the museum includes all permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Members, Remember to sign-in to your account or register for an account if you haven't already done so. After signing in at the upper right, select your desired tickets, and then click Add to cart. You will see your member discounts applied at the basket.
If you are an IL resident aged 18, you may register an account (see upper right corner). Then when logged in, you may reserve a maximum of two student tickets. Please have ID ready upon arrival.
If you are a resident of the City of Chicago and want to redeem your $2 discount, you may register an account (see upper right corner). Then when logged in, you may reserve a maximum of two discounted tickets. Please have ID ready upon arrival.
If you are an Illinois resident and you're looking for our next available Illinois resident discount admission days, please follow this link. Illinois Resident Discount Dates Calendar
Traducción al español disponible a continuación.
Admission is free for IL residents on this date. Please create an account before ticket selection to apply the Illinois resident discount. Tickets will be discounted at check out. Advance tickets are not required for General Admission. Walk-in visitors welcome. Planning a group visit? Please call us at 312-642-4600 to make group reservations.
Members, Remember to sign-in to your account, or register a new account if you haven't already done so. After logging in please select the number of desired tickets and click Add To Cart. You will then see your member discount applied at the basket.
General Admission to the museum includes all permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Español
La entrada es gratuita para los residentes de Illinois en esta fecha. Por favor, crea una cuenta antes de seleccionar las entradas para aplicar el descuento para residentes de Illinois. No es necesario comprar entradas por adelantado para la entrada general. Se admiten visitantes sin reservación previa. ¿Estás planeando una visita en grupo? Llámanos al 312-642-4600 para hacer reservaciones de grupo.
Miembros del Museo: No olviden iniciar una sesión en su cuenta en la esquina superior de la derecha o registrarse para crear una cuenta si aún no lo han hecho. Después de acceder, seleccionen el número de entradas que quieran y hagan clic en “Añadir al carrito.” A continuación, el descuento para miembros será aplicado en su orden.
La entrada general al museo incluye todas las exposiciones permanentes y temporales.
The Chicago History Museum is open and we look forward to welcoming you. General Admission to the museum includes all permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Members, Remember to sign-in to your account or register for an account if you haven't already done so. After signing in at the upper right, select your desired tickets, and then click Add to cart. You will see your member discounts applied at the basket.
If you are an IL resident aged 18, you may register an account (see upper right corner). Then when logged in, you may reserve a maximum of two student tickets. Please have ID ready upon arrival.
If you are a resident of the City of Chicago and want to redeem your $2 discount, you may register an account (see upper right corner). Then when logged in, you may reserve a maximum of four tickets. Please have ID ready upon arrival.
Educator Workshop | Threads of a Nation: Preserving Presidential Clothing
Saturday, November 7, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
See clothing and accessories associated with John Adams, the Washingtons, and the Lincolns through the lens of museum preservation and discover how staff care for collections both in storage and during exhibitions. Explore how you can incorporate objects, their stories, and the science of their care into your classroom instruction. Hear from exhibition curator Olivia Mahoney, make STEAM connections to museum work, and receive FREE classroom resources.
Recommended for elementary through high school educators.
Some stories are never left behind. They remain etched in the mountains, in the places where history was made, and in the memories passed down from one generation to the next.
Presented in partnership with William Blair & Company and Chicagoland Veterans Campus, join us at CHM for a free screening of Bob Dole: A Walk Through History, which explores the late US senator’s World War II military service, legacy, and historical impact, followed by a Q&A with Luciano La Valle, creator and producer of the documentary short and media project.
Film Synopsis
“Bob Dole – A Walk Through History” takes us back to the winter and spring of 1945, when the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division fought their way through the rugged mountains of Northern Italy during one of the most challenging campaigns of World War II. Among them was a young lieutenant from Kansas named Bob Dole. He arrived in Italy as a soldier, driven by duty and a sense of purpose. He would leave the battlefield gravely wounded, carrying scars that would shape the course of his life. But his story is also the story of thousands of young men who crossed an ocean, climbed unforgiving mountains, faced the horrors of war, and made sacrifices whose echoes would be felt long after the fighting ended. Through the very places where these events unfolded, the film retraces the footsteps of Bob Dole and the men of the 10th Mountain Division, bringing their experiences back to life. It connects the man to the soldier, the soldier to the landscape, and the landscape to the families whose histories were forever changed by the war. “Bob Dole – A Walk Through History” is more than a journey into the past. It is a tribute to courage, brotherhood, sacrifice, and the enduring bond between those who served and the generations who carry their memory forward. By retracing the paths they once walked, the film brings us closer to the men behind the history — their courage, their suffering, their sacrifices, and the lives they left forever changed. It is a journey across the landscapes of war and through the generations that followed, ensuring that the story of the 10th Mountain Division will never be forgotten, and that the memory of those who fought in the mountains of Italy will continue to live on.