1113.chi.rb.a1001.jpg — Photograph: Martha Williams

Photograph: Martha Williams

Your perfect weekend: Hyde Park

Looking to have an amazing weekend in Chicago? Here's how you can accomplish that in a single neighborhood: Hyde Park.

Monday November 30 2015

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Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. Every corner of the city brings a new adventure. From hip new restaurants to free museums, conquering a single neighborhood in a weekend can feel impossible. Lucky for you, we're here to tell you exactly how to do that. This month's 'hood: Hyde Park.

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

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Friday

11am: Plein Air Cafe

Coffee shops
Hyde Park
price 1 of 4

Kick your weekend off with a breakfast at the University of Chicago–adjacent Plein Air Cafe. Grab a croissant sandwich or the quiche of the day, and get ready to take in one of the city’s most gorgeous neighborhoods.

1pm: Jackson Park

Things to do
Literary events
Woodlawn

Photograph: Steven Kevil/Wiki Commons

You can get a great taste of Chicago’s rich history at Jackson Park, the site of the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. It’s now home to a golf course, basketball courts and a Japanese garden that is sure to make your jaw drop.

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4pm: Medici on 57th

American
Hyde Park
price 1 of 4

Photograph: Krystal Thibault

At this point, it’s time to start drinking. Stop by Kimbark Beverage Shoppe and peruse the bounty of beer and wine. Then head to Medici on 57th Street, BYOB and have a burger and a shake. Be sure to bring a Sharpie to contribute to the rants and messages that have been left on the restaurant’s booths since the ’60s.

7pm: Court Theatre

Hyde Park
price 2 of 4

Photograph: Martha Williams

The Court Theatre was nominated for eight 2015 Equity Jeff Awards and took home one. The theater has a stacked winter lineup that includes Aeschylus’s Agamemnon (November 5 to December 6) and Satchmo at the Waldorf (January 7 to February 7), which was written by Wall Street Journal theater critic Terry Teachout.

Saturday

11am: Nile Restaurant

Mediterranean
Hyde Park
price 1 of 4

Start your day by stuffing your gut full of falafel and hummus at Nile Restaurant. Get there when it opens, because a swarm of U of C students will pack the place before noon.

1pm: Promontory Point

Things to do
Hyde Park

Photograph: Josh S. Jackson

Promontory Point (enter at E 55th St and S Shore Dr), a man-made peninsula that juts out into the lake, is a hot spot for weddings and tourists in the summer. But in the winter, you can walk along it in isolation and feel like you’re in a goddamned Carl Sandburg poem. It also has one of the best skyline views in the city.

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A10

Italian
Hyde Park
price 3 of 4
4 out of 5 stars
Recommended

A10 is the name of a road that travels through Italy and France. It’s also the name of a spectacular Hyde Park restaurant that straddles the cuisines of the two countries. Make a reservation in advance for Saturday dinner, and expect to spend a good chunk of change. But it’s worth it.

Book online

Seven Ten Lanes

Lounges
Hyde Park

Photograph: Grace Wiley

Cap off your night by kicking it back to the analog age at Seven Ten Lanes. You’ll have to keep score by hand at the eight-lane bowling alley, which can be a bit perplexing, but always fun, after a few beers.

Sunday

11am: Museum of Science and Industry

Museums
Science and technology
Hyde Park
price 2 of 4

Photograph: J.B. Spector

The Museum of Science and Industry—which you visited, what, 27 times as a kid?—still holds interest for the adult you. The historic institution is home to some of the most mind-blowing exhibits in town, from robots to a simulated coal mine.

Book online

3pm: Hyde Park Cigars and Lounge

Shopping
Lifestyle
Hyde Park
price 2 of 4

Whether or not you’re a smoker, Hyde Park Cigars can turn you into a tobacco aficionado for an afternoon. It’s BYOB, and with more than 1,500 brands of cigars and an indoor smoking lounge, it’s a great setting to float off into a hazy, whiskey-ridden oblivion.

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6pm: Woodlawn Tap

Dive bars
Hyde Park
price 1 of 4

Just off the U. of C. campus, Jimmy’s (as it’s affectionately called by those in the know, after dearly departed original owner Jimmy Wilson) is the favored spot for the scholars to rub elbows with undergrads and working-class neighborhood regulars. Grab a cheap burger and an even cheaper beer and reminisce on a perfect weekend in Hyde Park.

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

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Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

🙌
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Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!