Northwest Chicago includes the neighborhoods of the Ukrainian Village, Wicker Park and West Town. While Chicago's well known attractions like the Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier and Millennium Park are located due north of downtown, the Northwest area of Chicago also offers a variety of activities for tourists. Outdoor and cultural activities comprise some of the things to do, and visitors can also enjoy live theater in the region.
The Ukranian Institute of Modern Art is at the corner of West Chicago Avenue and North Oakley Boulevard in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood of northwest Chicago. The museum began in a storefront in 1959 and moved to its present location in 1971. The museum features works of art created by Ukrainian artists as well as Ukrainian-Americans. The collection's focuses primarily on works from the minimalist period of modern art, created from approximately 1950 through the 1970s. Also featured are special traveling exhibits from the Ukraine that vary throughout the year. Concerts, Ukrainian films and lectures on the arts in the Ukraine are also hosted throughout the year.
The Ukranian Institute of Modern Art is open Wednesday through Sunday and closes every Monday and Tuesday. The nearest parking is along the street. The nearest public transportation is the bus stop at the corner of Chicago and Oakley, located just across from the museum.
Wicker Park is a triangle-shaped public greenspace in northwest Chicago bordered by West Schiller Street and North Wicker Park and North Damen Avenues. Two local businessmen, Charles G. and Joel H. Wicker, donated the four-acre piece of ground to the city in 1870, and the park opened in 1885. The park features a 0.34 mile walking trail, baseball fields and an basketball court. For children, the park has an outdoor playground as well as a spraypool for fun in the heat of summer. You can even bring the family dogs out for a morning or afternoon; the park has a specially-designated park area just for them.
Wicker Park is open year-round. The nearest parking is along the street. Two bus stops border the park: one at North Damen Avenue and West Le Moyne Street and one North Damen and West Schiller.
Adventure Stage is along North Noble Street between West Augusta and West Cortez in the West Town neighborhood of Northwest Chicago. Formerly known as the Vittum Theater, the facility presents dramatic and musical shows geared toward children ages 8 to 14 years and their parents. The theater can hold up to 300 people and has stadium-style seating, making it easy for even children to see the performance area.
The theater typically presents at least three shows per year with its season running from late October through late May. Showtimes are usually on Friday and Saturday evenings as well as during the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available in advance with usually some remaining seats available for purchase at the door prior to a performance. The nearest parking is along the street, and a bus stop is less than one block from the theater on Noble and Milwaukee Streets.
