A Literary Tour of Chicago

For those looking for an American city to do a little bit of sightseeing with a literary slant, Chicago, Illinois definitely ranks way up there on the must-see list. With countless authors and poets hailing from Chicago at one point or another in their lives or careers, Chicago has no lack of places to visit. A literary tour of Chicago can get overwhelming pretty easily if not done carefully. Here are some of the sights that should not be missed on a literary tour of Chicago.

Depending on personal interests, there are various different historical sites to see in Chicago during a literary tour, or buildings at which every book lover should at least take a peek. Chicago is home to the publishing house R.R. Donnelley, Encyclopedia Britannica, as well as art museums like the Art Institute of Chicago and the Fine Arts Building, both of which served as inspiration for authors like Ernest Hemingway. In the same vicinity as the Art Institute of Chicago fall quite a few other landmarks of choice, for those interested in early American literature. The Chicago Inter-Ocean newspaper, for which Theodore Dreiser worked, no longer exists, but the site still does. The Chicago Theater is another must see, as is Grant Park for Norman Mailer enthusiasts.

Going a bit further afield on your literary tour of Chicago, the city can be viewed from high in the sky from the Sears Tower, as well as view a mural in honor of several of the greatest literary characters from Chicago's history. Poetry lovers can see where Edgar Lee Masters first arrived at Dearborn Street Station. This area also houses a number of small book shops.

During a basic literary tour of Chicago, after checking out the University of Chicago, with its ties to Saul Bellow, and Regal Theatre, with ties to Gwendolyn Brooks and Richard Wright, check out the streets of some very famous authors, or see where authors imagined or used homes in the Chicago area, though many of these houses no longer stand. Gwendolyn Brooks' home at 4334 S. Champlain and the Dalton home from Wright's Native Son at 4605 S. Drexel do not exist any longer, but the streets still exist. For those interested in homes of playwrights, 5330 S. Calumet Avenue was home to Lorraine Hansberry, writer of A Raisin in the Sun.

Finally, if you're looking to get an idea of the modern literature of Chicago during your literary tour, check out the Cliff Dwellers. This is an "elite" club of 350 members, whose occupations are in the fine arts, including writers. The Bird Girl statue here was used as the cover for John Berendt's novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, as well as featured in replica form in the movie by Clint Eastwood. Art exhibits are open here weekdays from 2-5, but admission at any other time necessitates appointment.

A more comprehensive literary tour of Chicago is entirely possible, but these are just a handful of interesting places to see with a decidedly literary slant. Using this as a jumping off place, one can develop a personalized literary tour of Chicago based on one's own interests.