Chicago

Bookish bars: 10 literary watering holes in Chicago

Whatever sort of tavern you seek, chances are you'll find it in Chicago. From taprooms to cocktail lounges, corner dives to speakeasies, there’s something for every imbiber. A lesser-known category of local bar is the book-friendly establishment. Whether featuring an actual literary theme or just a killer book collection, here are 10 Chicago bars ideal for those mellower moments when you want to curl up with a good read.

Perhaps the most bookish of all Chicago bars is Lincoln Park’s Red Lion Pub (redlionchicago.com), home to an impressive collection of British literature filling shelf after shelf (be sure to take in the Great War Room). Also serving traditional English fare – ale-battered fish and chips, bangers and mash, minted peas – it’s a pub beloved by both anglophiles and bibliophiles.

Laura Pearson

Lonely Planet Writer

Out of the Loop: a tour of Chicago’s off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods

The Windy City is more than its skyscraping towers and mega-museums downtown. Hop on the El train and travel a few miles onward, and soon bohemian cafes, old curiosity shops and Louis Armstrong's favorite club reward beyond-the-norm experience seekers.

Good for: beer gardens and trendy eats

Karla Zimmerman

Lonely Planet Writer

Chicago's top 10 peculiar museums

Sure, your friends will listen politely as you describe your trip to the Art Institute to see paint on the walls. But you'll stop them mid-yawn when you let loose with stories of visiting the Red Spanking Bench and world's largest jug collection. Here are 10 beyond-the-norm museums in Chicago that give new meaning to niche. As a bonus: most are free.

The International Museum of Surgical Science verges on creepy with its amputation saws, iron lungs and other early tools of the trade strewn throughout a creaky, Gold Coast mansion. The ancient Roman vaginal speculum leaves a lasting impression, while the pointy-ended hemorrhoid surgery instruments serve as a reminder to eat lots of fiber. Medical art gets its due here, too, from a life-size, toga-clad sculpture of Hippocrates to a roomful of cadaver murals (available as postcards in the gift shop). The museum is free on Tuesdays; it costs $15 otherwise.

Karla Zimmerman

Lonely Planet Writer