UNIQUELY CHICAGO SPECIAL EVENT VENUES Impress your guests with these creative indoor and outdoor venues that showcase Chicago from grand, glorious, and quirky new perspectives. By Amber Gibson 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. Offshore 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. 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. 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 24 meetinchicago.com HEIDI HARRIS
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