What's Out There Weekend Chicago

(WOTW) Chicago will bring to light the local character of the city as reflected by its publicly accessible parks, gardens, plazas, cemeteries, neighborhoods, and historic sites. Settled in the late eighteenth century by Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a trader of African descent, the city has a rich and significant cultural landscape legacy, shaped by numerous individuals, communities, and practitioners.

Working in collaboration with myriad local partners, The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) will make visible and instill value in the places that make the region unique and engage the public to promote their sustained stewardship and interpretation. WOTW Chicago will engage a large and diverse audience (typically 1,000+), offering two days of free, expert-led tours, encouraging participants to discover the little-known design history of places they may pass every day.

All tours are free, but attendance is limited and registration is required.

Tour Schedule

Saturday – October 4

Cascade Park | 10:00 am–11:00 am | Led by Thomas Kerwin, FAIA, LEED AP (bKL Architecture)

Lathrop Homes | 10:00 am–11:00 am | Led by Adam Natenshon (Preservation Chicago) and Douglas A. Williams, Ph.D., ASALH, ASLA, NOMA

Millennium Park | 10:00 am–11:00 am | Led by Terry Guen, SITES AP, FASLA (Terry Guen Design Associates)

The 606 | 10:00 am–11:30 am | Led by Terry Warriner Ryan, FASLA, PLA (JRA Landscape Architecture) and Christopher Gent, PLA, ASLA (Urban Landscape Collaborative)

Columbus Park | 10:30 am–12:30 pm | Led by Robert Grese, FASLA, FCELA, Professor Emeritus (School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan)

Lurie Garden | 11:00 am–12:00 pm | Led by Terry Guen, SITES AP, FASLA (Terry Guen Design Associates)

Graceland Cemetery | 11:00 am–12:30 pm | Led by Shawn Weidner, PLA (Hoerr Schaudt)

Illinois Institute of Technology | 11:30 am–1:00 pm | Led by Ron Henderson, FASLA (Lirio Landscape Architecture)

Ping Tom Memorial Park | 12:00 pm–1:30 pm | Led by Site Design Group

Humboldt Park | 1:00 pm–3:00 pm | Led by Julia Bachrach (Julia Bachrach Consulting)

The Wild Mile | 1:00 pm–2:30 pm | Led by Meg Schroeder (Greenprint Partners) and Nick Wesley (Urban Rivers)

Garfield Park Conservatory | 1:30 pm–3:00 pm | Led by Robert Grese, FASLA, FCELA, Professor Emeritus (School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan)

Kenwood Gardens | 2:30 pm–3:30 pm | Led by Chris Abraham (Chicago-based Garden Designer)

Sunday – October 5

Washington Park | 10:00 am–11:30 am | Led by Brian J. McCammack (Lake Forest College, Environmental Studies) and Douglas A. Williams, Ph.D., ASALH, ASLA, NOMA

Logan Square Boulevards Historic District | 10:00 am–12:00 pm | Led by Andrew Schneider (Chicago Park District), Nilay Mistry, PLA, ASLA (Illinois Institute of Technology), Rogelio Cadena (Illinois Institute of Technology)

The Old Chicago Post Office | 10:30 am-12:00 pm | Led by Stan Szwalek, PLA and Shawn Wiedner, PLA (Hoerr Schaudt)

Chicago Riverwalk | 11:00 am–12:30 pm | Led by Gina Ford, FASLA (Agency Landscape + Planning), Terry Warriner Ryan, FASLA, PLA (JRA Landscape Architecture PLLC) and Michelle Woods (Public Sphere Projects)

Lincoln Park | 11:00 am–12:30 pm | Led by Martha Frish Okabe (SOI-Qualified Architectural Historian)

Midway Plaisance | 11:30 am–12:30 pm | Led by Diane Dillon, PhD (Newberry Library)

Chicago Women’s Park and Gardens | 12:00 pm–1:00 | Led by Mimi McKay, FASLA, PLA (McKay Landscape Architects)

University of Chicago | 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm | Led by Christopher A. Skrable and Katie Martin Peck, PLA, LEED AP (The University of Chicago)

Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool | 1:00 pm–2:00 pm | Led by Joel Baldin, ASLA (Hitchcock Design Group)

Grant Park | 1:00 pm–2:30 pm | Led by Julia Bachrach (Julia Bachrach Consulting)

Promontory Point | 1:00 pm–2:30 pm | Led by Jack Spicer (Promontory Point Conservancy) and William Swislow (William Swislow & Associates)

West Woodlawn/Emmett & Mamie Till-Mobley House Museum |1:00 pm–2:30 pm | Led by David Yocca, FASLA (Blacks in Green)

Bronzeville—Black Metropolis National Heritage Area | 2:00 pm–3:30 PM | Led by Laurie Petersen (Local Guide) and Adam De Foor-White, PLA, ASLA, LEED Green Associate (Greenprint Partners)

Jackson Park | 2:30 pm–4:00 pm | Led by Rebecca S. Graff, PhD, RPA (Lake Forest College, Sociology and Anthropology)

Art Institute of Chicago, South Garden | 2:30 pm–3:30 pm | Led by Julia Bachrach (Julia Bachrach Consulting)

Lake Point Tower, Skyline Park | 3:00 pm–4:00 pm | Led by Joe Baldin, ASLA (Hitchcock Design Group)

Jackson Park, Osaka Garden | 3:00 pm–4:30 pm | Led by Saira Chambers (Chicago Park District)

Host or Publisher The Cultural Landscape Foundation