LGBTQ-friendly places to visit around the Windy City

Chicago

Thrillist

We're Out Here

<p>Discover LGBTQ-welcoming hotels in top destinations, plus tips and inspiration on where to go</p>


We're Out Here: A New LGBTQ Travel Vertical

Travel

Explore adventure guides and design a custom itinerary for the destination of your choice in and around the city.

Best Travel Guides, Cool Hotels and Interesting Events - Thrillist

Take a Tour of Drag Superstar Shea Couleé's Favorite Chicago Spots

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Photo by Alice Achterhof, Photo Courtesy of Choose Chicago

Spanning 77 diverse neighborhoods, each offering its own sights, sounds, tastes, and history, Chicago offers myriad adventures and points of exploration.

The 7 Best Neighborhoods in Chicago to Spend a Weekend

Edwards Apple Orchard

This time last year, many of us weren’t too thrilled that summer was coming to a close, leaving the sweater box hidden beneath the bed well into the winter months as an act of collective resistance.

The Best Apple-Picking Trips You Can Take From Chicago

Jaclyn Novak/Shutterstock

Follow Lake Michigan’s dipping shoreline about an hour or so east of Chicago to the Michigan-Indiana border, and you’ll find gargantuan singing sand dunes (more on that later), some of the country’s most ecologically rich flora, fauna, and vegetation, and technicolor lakefront sunsets that will remind you that God does, in fact, exist.

8 Reasons to Drive to Michigan City & Indiana Dunes National Park

Photo courtesy of Visit Illinois

Look, it's going to be a hot July and August, but that doesn't mean you have to seek refuge under a patio umbrella or post up at the Humboldt Park splash pad all summer.

8 Reasons to Drive to Starved Rock State Park

Romano's Macaroni Grill

As the country opens up and travel regains momentum, we are once again returning to a place many of us just love to hate: the airport.

Where to Eat and Drink at Chicago’s O'Hare International Airport

Virtue Restaurant

Celebrated Chicago barkeep Alexis Brown is as passionate about her hometown as she is about hospitality—and that’s to say, pretty damn passionate.

Explore Chicago’s South Side With Recs From a Local Expert

Weed

Everything You Need to Know About Legal Weed, Smoking, Edibles, CBD and More

Dispensary 33

While the pandemic has clearly been an unmitigated disaster for many industries around the world, the weed business in Illinois continues to boom—in fact, the state topped $1 billion in weed sales in 2020.

Your Guide to Every Weed Dispensary in Chicago

Courtesy of Airbnb

With spring finally in bloom at the tail end of a nightmarishly dark year, there’s never been a better time to set sail for new horizons—or at least gather up your nearest and dearest and road trip it out to the perfect weekend retreat.

Cool Airbnbs Near Chicago to Rent This Spring

Courtesy of Enjoy Illinois

If 2020’s pandemic-fueled wrath destroyed your travel plans, you’re far from alone.

The Most Beautiful Places to Visit in Illinois

Courtesy of Gateway Arch National Park

Little known fact: The great city of St. Louis has much more to offer out-of-towners than Nellyville and the King of Beers.