Explore Old Town
About the event
Old Town is a quaint and charming neighborhood dating back to the late 1800’s. On our walk around the neighborhood, we will see many types of historic homes including single family, apartment buildings, row houses, garages converted to homes, catalog homes, mixed use buildings converted to homes. After walking around Old Town we will head south through Lincoln Park, to our lunch destination on Wells Street.
A LITTLE HISTORY After the devastation of the Chicago fire in 1871, the area, formerly farmland, was deemed an attractive area to live due to its proximity to downtown and was quickly developed into a residential neighborhood. Over the years, it has retained its ‘old’ character by promoting historic preservation, pushing back on urban renewal efforts entailing indiscriminate tear down of old buildings, and advocating and eventually achieving landmark status.
LUNCH AND POST WALK OPTIONS There are many great shops and restaurant on Wells - I recommend Topo Gigio, which has a nice patio, for our lunch stop. Those who still have energy after the walk can tour the shops on Wells or head to the Chicago History Museum which is open free to the public on this day. https://www.chicagohistory.org.
