Chicago Magazine recently featured a checklist  of the "20 Essential Chicago Activites."  Not surprisingly, one can experience many of the quintessential Chicago activities right here in Hyde Park alone - more than in any other single neighborhood!

Chicago Magazine's 'essentials' in Hyde Park include a visit to:

• The coal mine at the Museum of Science and Industry.
• Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House.
• The new and improved bikepath along Lake Michigan shoreline.
• Any of Hyde Park's restaurants serving deep dish pizza.
• The New Checkerboard Lounge in Harper Court.

Boasting some of the city's most popular attractions, Hyde Park is a magnet for regulars as well as newcomers who visit from nearby neighborhoods, suburbs, and distant countries wanting to spend an interesting day in the city. 

Arts and Culture is everywhere in Hyde Park. Popular Hyde Park cultural destinations include... Court Theatre, David & Alfred Smart Museum of Art, DOC Films, DuSable Museum of African American History, Hyde Park Art Center, Little Black Pearl, Muntu Dance Theatre, Oriental Institute, The Renaissance Society, Rockefeller Memorial Chapel Music Series, and The University of Chicago Presents (Chamber and Early Music Series).

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Framed by gothic edifices, modern high rises, and the largest concentration of mansions in the city, Hyde Park is a community of architectural significance.  Among its many prominent buildings are important structures by Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Wright's Robie House, located in Hyde Park, was designated by the American Institute of Architects as one of the top five buildings in the United States.  The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust offers a guided tour and explains how the Robie House is both a "Prairie style masterpiece and an icon of modern architecture." 

In additon, the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust offers guided or self guided audio tours of Hyde Park-Kenwood communities are available.

In addition the Chicago Architecture Foundation also offers walking tours of the Hyde Park and Kenwood communities. 

Stroll through the handsome Gothic campus of the University of Chicago and along the streets of Hyde Park with its diverse architectural styles. View houses and apartment buildings from the 1860s to the 1950 as well as major new additions to the University of Chicago's campus by Rafael Vignoly, Cesar Pelli and Ricardo Legorreta.

Kenwood (47th - 51st Streets, between Ellis and Blackstone) offers a remarkable collection of mansions from the 19th and 20th centuries.  This South Side landmark district features works by many architects, including Howard Van Doren Shaw, Frank Lloyd Wright, George Washington Maher and Alfred S. Alschuler. 

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Hyde Park's is home to the internationally esteemed University of Chicago.  Founded in 1892 by John D. Rockefeller, the private institution currently enrolls about 11,000 students.  The school has attained a worldwide reputation for rigorous academics.  One indicator: 69 Nobel laureates have been affiliated with the Univeristy, more than any other institution of higher learning.

Many of Chicago's best cultural attractions are located on campus including Court Theatre, David & Alfred Smart Museum of Art, Oriental Institute and The Renaissance Society.

In additon to the Divinity School at the University, Hyde Park is home to five other theological schools including the Catholic Theological Union, the Lutheran School of Theology and the McCormick Theological Seminary.

... And the University of Chicago Hospitals, the largest medical research institute in the state of Illinois, was selected as one of the best hopitals in the United States by U.S. News and World Report.  Further, it was ranked among the best in 11 specialty areas and recived more top rankings than any other hospital in the state.

Many of Hyde Park's elementary and secondary schools are similarly honored, including: Ray School, Kenwood Academy, Murray Language Academy and University of Chicago Laboratory Schools.  In addition, Hyde Park is host to the Chicago Center for Urban Life, an award winning  experiential study and internship program for college students.

Over the years, Hyde Park has been the residence-of-choice to an enviable number of notable personalities.  Among these luminaries are... Muhammad Ali, Steve Allen, Blue Balliet, Saul Bellow, Gwendolyn Brooks, Clarence Darrow, Kurt Elling, Enrico Fermi, Milton Friedman, James Heckman, Sue Miller, Barack Obama, Sara Paretsky, Carl Sandburg, and Harold Washington as well as other notable authors, celebrities, politicians, people of science and letters, and more Nobel Prize winners and entries in Who's Who than any other community in the United States.

It's easy to get around Hyde Park... On foot. By bicycle. By car or by bus. Convenient parking for Harper Court, 53rd St. and many restaurants is available in the City of Chicago metered lot at 5230 S. Lake Park. There is also additional public parking at 53rd St. & Lake Park behind Borders. The CTA operates bus routes within Hyde Park serving the University of Chicago and the Hyde Park/Kenwood communities.

Direct routes on major highways put Hyde Park just 15 minutes from downtown Chicago. From Lake Shore Drive, you can exit at 47th Street (for historic Kenwood), 51st, 53rd, or 57th Streets. In addition, both the CTA bus and Metra trains offer quick, convenient access day and night.

Visitor parking for the University of Chicago is available along the Midway and in the University of Chicago's parking lot at 55th and Ellis. Visitor parking for U. of C. Hospitals is available at the hospital at 58th and Maryland.