Five Reasons To Visit Chicago In The Fall

Among the best reasons to visit Chicago is that each season has its charms. Click here to see five reasons to have visited Chicago in summer. Now, fall is a great time to visit Chicago. After Labor Day weekend's goodbye to the lazy days of summer, a re-energized city welcomes autumn with fall fests, a new theater season, blockbuster art shows and fun outdoor explorations. Here are some of Chicago's best happenings this fall.

EXPO Chicago
Navy Pier
600 E. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 595-7437
www.expochicago.com

Dates: Sept. 19-21, 2014

Instead of having to travel to 43 cities in 17 countries to browse fine art galleries, you can look for paintings and sculptures at their representative galleries at the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art in Chicago. Known as EXPO Chicago, the event takes over Navy Pier's exhibition halls Sept. 19-21, 2014. And as the TV ads say, "wait, there's more." About 20 newer galleries also have space to feature emerging artists. A Special Exhibitions program is offered as a chance to hear discussions on art and film from local institutions. Choose Chicago, the city's visitor site, and DCASE, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, have coordinated other art events for EXPO Art Week that ends Sept. 21, 2014. Visitors who need accommodations can click here for hotels that have partnered with the EXPO.

"David Bowie Is"
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
220 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 280-2660
www.mcachicago.org

Dates: Sept. 24, 2014 through Jan. 4, 2015

If in town for EXPO Chicago, stay to see "David Bowie Is" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Try to get tickets ahead of time. Even though the MCA, as the museum is popularly called, doesn't typically do date and time entries, the tickets will help control the expected crowds to this blockbuster exhibit. On view Sept. 23, 2014 through Jan. 4, 2015, "David Bowie Is" presents the first retrospective look of the multimedia artist's costumes, lyrics, artwork, photography set designs and performance materials accumulated in the David Bowie Archive over a 50-year span.

Dates: Sept. 26-28, 2014

Chicago loves food and festivals, so a good time to come is when the two unite at the Long Grove Apple Fest. But you don't really need an excuse to visit suburban Long Grove, an historic village dating back to the mid 1800s. However, if you come Sept. 26-28, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you can meander its brick paths, wander by a watermill and duck-filled pond and pose by a covered bridge while downing everything apple from fresh and dipped to cider, pies and donuts. About 35 minutes north of Chicago, the town is worth the drive if only to stop at its famed Long Grove Confectionery.

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Broadway In Chicago
"Amazing Grace"
Bank of America Theatre
18 W. Monroe St.
Chicago, IL 60603
(800) 775-2000

"Annie"
Cadillac Palace Theatre
151 W. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
(800) 775-2000
www.broadwayinchicago.com 

Fall is when Chicago's many theaters raise the curtain on a new season. There are more than enough show openings to fill a three-month visit. Among them this fall are two musicals brought to the city by Broadway in Chicago. First is "Amazing Grace," a pre-Broadway world premiere that is following the big production format of opening first in Chicago to tweak it, following audience and critics' reactions. Sting's "The Last Ship" was a recent pre-Broadway show. "Amazing Grace" is a musical that reveals the challenges faced which led to the heartfelt song. The show is followed by "Annie" with its show-stopping "It's a Hard Knock Life" and "Tomorrow."

Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, IL 60022
(847) 835-5440
www.chicagobotanic.org

From the Illinois Gourd Society Show, Fall Bulb Festival and Autumn Brews to Nature Nights: Harvest Hikes, Farmers' Markets and the Garden Chef Series, Chicago Botanic Garden events make the 385-acre park a fall destination. That doesn't even include its colorful autumn foliage. All of the events are larger than their names imply. As an example, the Fall Bulb Festival, Oct. 11-12, has jams, chocolates, cider and more goodies, music, kids activities, a maze and yes, bulbs. Click here for the September calendar and here for October.

Related: Best Places To See Autumn Leaves Near Chicago

Jodie Jacobs is a veteran journalist who loves writing about Chicago, art, theater, museums and travel. Her work can be found on Examiner.com.