Amber Gibson 2019-11-25 06:41:22
Impress your guests with these creative indoor and outdoor venues that showcase Chicago from grand, glorious, and quirky new perspectives. OUTDOOR VENUES The scenic Chicago Riverwalk is home to several restaurants and tap rooms, or you can combine a river cruise with feasting and imbibing. Odyssey Chicago has capacity for 200 guests aboard Odyssey Chicago River or 749 guests aboard Odyssey Lake Michigan. Offshore at Navy Pier is the world’s largest rooftop venue, located on the third floor of Festival Hall, with great summertime fireworks views. Shore Club Chicago hosts networking mixers for groups from 20 to 1,200 on North Avenue Beach. The Lakefront Restaurant is an upscale tavern at Theater on the Lake with a skyline patio that seats 80. The Chicago Yacht Club has several waterfront venues, including a tented patio with Monroe Harbor views, accommodating 125 for receptions. Millennium Park accommodates up to 7,000 people between several event venues, including the elegant Jay Pritzker Pavilion. The historic 63rd Street Beach House offers sweeping Lake Michigan views from its balconies, open-air galleries, and lovely landscaped courtyards. VENUES IN THE SKY Take an aerial tour of the city with Chicago Helicopter Experience, which hosts groups of up to 500 at its heliport. The South Loop’s VU Rooftop Bar in McCormick Square accommodates up to 450 guests for receptions on its 13,000-square-foot rooftop, including alfresco areas with fire pits. 360 CHICAGO on the 94th floor of 875 N. Michigan Ave. (formerly the John Hancock Center) offers flexible spaces with both lake and city views for groups of up to 550 guests, along with a breathtaking ride on TILT. At Skydeck Chicago on the 99th floor of the Willis Tower, thrill seekers can venture onto The Ledge that hovers 1,353 feet above the city. MUSEUMS The stunning Chicago Architecture Center offers three private event spaces, including exhibit galleries, a lecture hall, and a design studio. Chicago’s museums host receptions of all sizes, with the added bonus of private exhibit viewings. The interactive American Writers Museum (the only museum of its kind in the nation) accommodates 60 seated and 250 for a standing reception. View works by masters like Monet and Degas at the Art Institute of Chicago, offering a variety of spaces that can accommodate up to 4,000 guests. The Kovler Atrium and Kern Terrace Garden are popular indoor and outdoor spaces at the Museum of Contemporary Art, seating 300 indoors or 500 in a garden tent. All three world-class institutions at Chicago’s Museum Campus offer beautiful skyline and Lake Michigan views, along with a variety of private spaces and experiences. Touch stingrays at the Shedd Aquarium or see the night sky through the Doane Observatory’s research-quality telescope at Adler Planetarium. Time travel at the Field Museum and marvel at Máximo, the largest dinosaur that ever lived, or the beloved SUE the T. rex. Rent the entire Museum of Science and Industry for parties of up to 12,000 guests, or its intimate Smart Home, which seats 40 for dinner. In Lincoln Park, sip cocktails next to a historic ‘L’ car at the Chicago History Museum, the city’s oldest cultural institution. The International Museum of Surgical Science accommodates 100 seated and 200 for cocktail receptions, and offers private viewings of its exhibits that include historic medical artifacts. SPORTS VENUES Chicago loves its sports teams, and entertaining guests during a game is a special thrill. Arrange batting cage and bullpen sessions at Wrigley Field before enjoying a Cubs game from a private suite. Gallagher Way, the stadium’s adjacent open-air plaza, hosts 3,000 theatre-style with catering from restaurants like Mordecai and Big Star. At Wintrust Arena, suite rentals with a personal attendant are available for up to 16 guests to watch a Chicago Sky WNBA game. On the South Side, Guaranteed Rate Field seats 342 or fits 600 standing between the party deck and Home Plate Club during a White Sox baseball game. Both the Blackhawks and Bulls play at the United Center, and the dunking Michael Jordan statue in the United Center Atrium makes for a great photo op. The Chicago Sports Museum offers several options, catered by Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch, including a venue buyout for 600 seated or 1,200 standing. Soldier Field, home to Bears football and Chicago Fire soccer games, has many indoor and outdoor venues; rent the whole stadium for a capacity of 63,000, including 133 sky suites. For a venue close to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Impact Field is a new ballpark in the heart of Rosemont’s entertainment district, with concert seating for up to 10,000. PRIVATE EVENT SPACES The Geraghty is one of the most luxurious event spaces in the city, with 22-foot ceilings throughout, overhead LED wall-to-wall lighting, and a VIP green room. Venue SIX10 has more than 35,000 square feet of meeting space, and a theatre that seats 409 people. The West Loop’s Epiphany Center for the Arts was originally a 19th-century church, and the romantic architecture is complemented by modern amenities that include a showcase kitchen. Up to 700 guests can socialize under the world’s largest Tiffany glass dome in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center. At Lincoln Park Zoo, Prairie School-style Café Brauer is an understated venue for seated dinners and receptions for up to 800 guests between the great hall and loggias. Revel Motor Row near McCormick Place, home to the city’s first Cadillac dealership, has a total capacity of 2,600, including a charming outdoor courtyard. The Bridgeport Art Center offers one of the city’s largest loft venues, along with a sculpture garden that can accommodate up to 900 guests for a cocktail party. The Harold Washington Library Center offers several spectacular spaces, including the Winter Garden, Grand Lobby, and Cindy Pritzker Auditorium. Located along Lake Michigan, the South Shore Cultural Center features unique spaces like the sunlit Solarium. ENTERTAINMENT FOR YOUR SPECIAL EVENT Liven up your party with team building activities, live musical performances, and personalized improv comedy. These entertainers can grant any request. Nobody guarantees laughs better than The Second City, whose alumni include Tina Fey and Steve Carell. Howl 2Go is the top dueling piano act in the country, with a repertoire of hit songs from every genre. Chicago Entertainment Agency has a comprehensive rolodex of musicians and DJs on hand, from a cappella to tribute bands and Latin to hip-hop. Carmel Creative in Evanston secures high-profile national talent for events, along with script writing and coordinating AV essentials. If you’re looking for interactive fun, A-Z Entertainment, Ltd. pulls off game shows brilliantly, from Deal or No Deal to Jeopardy and even Survivor. Check out meetinchicago.com for even more ideas.
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