🚪🏛️ Open Doors, Hidden Gems — Open House Chicago 2026! 🔎🍂
Details
🚪🏛️ Open Doors, Hidden Gems — Open House Chicago 2026! 🔎🍂
✨ Hyde Park & Beyond — Hidden Gems, Grand Churches & Creative Spaces ✨
📅 Saturday, October 17, 2026
🕙 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
🚶♀️ Approximately 4 miles of walking, plus exploring inside the sites
(you do not have to do the whole route & can leave early or come later)
📍 Meeting Point & Finish
🟢 Meet: Hyde Park Art Center
5020 S. Cornell Ave., Chicago
🏁 End: Oak Woods Cemetery
1035 E. 67th St., Chicago
🚗⚠️ IMPORTANT: If we visit all the stops, we’ll finish approximately 3 miles from our starting point—not back where we began! Please park accordingly and plan your return transportation, or drive your car between stops and meet us at each location.
Let’s spend a fall Saturday discovering Chicago from the inside! We did an Open House Chicago outing downtown last year with mixed results, so I’m giving it another shot—this time exploring Hyde Park, Woodlawn, and South Shore. Hopefully the weather cooperates! 🍂🏛️
Open House Chicago is a free annual architecture festival offering opportunities to step inside buildings you may have walked past and always wondered about!
For our Saturday outing, I’ve picked 10 stops—a mix of art spaces, historic churches, impressive architecture, and an end-of-day cemetery visit. We’ll begin at Hyde Park Art Center and work our way south, finishing at Oak Woods Cemetery.
The day is packed, and time is limited! Hopefully we won’t encounter long lines, but our stops may change based on wait times, site access, weather, or the group’s pace.
We’ll try to visit all 10 while keeping things moving. 😊
🗺️ Tentative Site List — Stops Subject to Change
- Hyde Park Art Center — 5020 S. Cornell Ave.
- Hyde Park Bank & Trust — 1525 E. 53rd St.
- United Church of Hyde Park — 1448 E. 53rd St.
- St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church — 5472 S. Kimbark Ave.
- Augustana Lutheran Church of Hyde Park — 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave.
- Hyde Park Union Church — 5600 S. Woodlawn Ave.
- Rockefeller Memorial Chapel — 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave.
- First Presbyterian Church of Chicago — 6400 S. Kimbark Ave.
- Stony Island Arts Bank — 6760 S. Stony Island Ave.
- Oak Woods Cemetery — 1035 E. 67th St.
Open House Chicago event information:
https://openhousechicago.org/
Full site list:
https://openhousechicago.org/sites/
👟 Walking, Short Breaks & Food (what to expect)
This will be mostly a walking outing. If you have a car, you may choose to drive between some stops and meet us at the next location.
🥞 Please eat a hearty breakfast before joining us! We will not stop for a sit-down meal until the end. Taking a lunch break in the middle would use too much of our limited Open House Chicago visiting time.
🚻 We’ll take short breaks for bathrooms, a quick snack, and a little rest as opportunities allow.
🎒 Bring water and portable snacks so you can keep your energy up throughout the day.
👟 Wear comfortable walking shoes and dress in layers—we’ll be moving between outdoor streets and indoor spaces.
⏳ Expect a busy day with plenty of walking and standing. Long lines may mean shortening or skipping a stop.
🍽️ At the end, anyone interested can join us for a meal, depending on time and energy. Everyone pays for their own food and drinks.
🚊 Getting There & Parking
Public Transit: Use the CTA Trip Planner or Google Maps to plan your trip to Hyde Park Art Center.
CTA Trip Planner:
https://www.transitchicago.com/planatrip/
🚗 Driving: Check posted parking restrictions carefully. Remember that we finish at Oak Woods Cemetery, not at our starting point. If you drive between stops, allow time to park and reconnect with the group.
Parking options:
https://spothero.com/
https://www.parkwhiz.com/
⚠️ RSVP / No-Show Policy
- Please update your RSVP before the event’s 10 AM start time.
- ❌ Three no-shows without updating your RSVP = a 3-month RSVP freeze.
- 📌 Please check in with Giovina upon arrival.
- ⏰ Message the host if you’re running late.
- ⚠️ Repeated no-shows may result in removal from the group.
🚪🍂 Open the door to a different side of Chicago—let’s explore its art, architecture, and hidden gems together! 🏛️🔎✨