Open House Chicago: Check Out the Insides of Chicago’s Coolest Buildings!

Have you ever walked or driven by a really unique, popular or just downright cool building in the city and wondered what it was like inside?

This weekend, you can find out! It’s called Open House Chicago, where 350+ sites around the city open their doors to visitors like you and me. Skyscrapers, banks, churches, theaters, residential builldings…the list of sites you can view is HUGE!

Buildings like the Chicago Board of Trade, The Givens Castle in Beverly, The First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, The Old Post Office and SOOOOO much more!

Think of it as a self-guided tour of the entire dang city!

I took some time with Eric Rogers, the GM of Open House Chicago, to run down how to make the most of the festival’s two days!

Just driving downtown and going with the flow won’t do for this festival. You NEED to do some planning! Everthing starts with a visit to their immersive website where you can learn about each site on a handy-dandy map.

Rogers recommends using the powerful filters on the website to narrow down the sites based on your interests, locations, and days they are open.

The Trib’s architecture critic Blair Kamin did a nice Top 10 list, maybe you just want to follow his advice?

InsideHook.com has their picks of the best in several categories.

Do your research. Check the official website. Make a plan and go take in some of the amazing design that Chicago has to offer!

ChicagoParent.com has a nice list of family-friendly sites to check out!