Photos: Secrets of Chicago: Hidden Gems to Visit That You Probably Didn’t Know About

JESSICA MLINARIC

Fulton Market Vortex: In 2002, a shaman confirmed what many creatives already knew—Fulton Market is home to some otherworldly energy. An energy vortex is located in the alley behind 1139 W. Fulton Market St. that creates creative energy that vibrates through the mind and body. The building has a new owner and the sign has been removed, but you can't stop the energy baby.

JESSICA MLINARIC

IIT Baseball Field: IIT is better known for science and engineering than sports, but their baseball field has seen some famous faces. Michael Jordan trained here before embarking on his baseball career. In 1992, Madonna, Tom Hanks, and Geena Davis brushed up on baseball here in preparation for filming A League of Their Own.

JESSICA MLINARIC

Skyspace: That's not a spaceship, it's a Skyspace! It's a chamber near UIC by artist James Turrell that invites you to enter and observe the sky. Visit at sunrise or sunset when colored lights inside turn the opening in the ceiling into art.

JESSICA MLINARIC

Read Dunning Memorial Park: Enjoying this peaceful park on the Northwest Side, you'd never know a troubled past lies beneath. The area was once home to a tuberculosis hospital and insane asylum and about 38,000 people were buried on the grounds. When the facilities were torn down, the graves were forgotten—until construction started. Now they are resting peacefully in the park dedicated to their memory.

JESSICA MLINARIC

Read Dunning Memorial Park: Enjoying this peaceful park on the Northwest Side, you'd never know a troubled past lies beneath. The area was once home to a tuberculosis hospital and insane asylum and about 38,000 people were buried on the grounds. When the facilities were torn down, the graves were forgotten—until construction started. Now they are resting peacefully in the park dedicated to their memory.

JESSICA MLINARIC

Pothole Art: Artist Jim Bachor has been filling Chicago's potholes with mosaics since 2013. From flowers, to Cheetos, to a bottle of Purell use his installation map to find pothole art around town.

JESSICA MLINARIC

Shipwreck of the Silver Spray: When the water levels are low, you can sunbathe in the middle of Lake Michigan—on a shipwreck. The Silver Spray ran aground in 1919, but the ship's boiler is known to peek above the water to this day. Stuck on a shoal near 49th Street Beach, the wreck is a favorite for divers and snorkelers when it's visible.

Chicago Today

Photos: Secrets of Chicago: Hidden Gems to Visit That You Probably Didn't Know About

Published August 6, 2020 • Updated on August 7, 2020 at 4:59 pm

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