CHICAGO — Trying to find the perfect gift for someone who’s told you they “have enough stuff”?
Well, this year you can forgo physical gifts and help your friends and family celebrate the city we love. Whether it’s a class, a tour or an event, Chicago is full of experiences that can entertain, educate — and remind us why we love it here so much.
Block Club Chicago rounded up a few of the options:
Chicago Chinatown Tour, 2126 S. Archer Ave. Website.
Did you know there’s a Chinatown Buddhist Temple and statues of all the Chinese zodiac animals on Archer Avenue? You can see these sights — and more — when you book a Chicago Chinatown Walking Tour for a friend (who will hopefully bring you along). Private tours run for three hours. Public tours are 1.5 hours and are Saturdays between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It’s also possible to book a food tour or other cultural experience, like dumpling- and kite-making.
Reserve walking tours on the website. Private tours are $15 per person, and public tours are free. 312-842-1988.
Lillstreet Art Center, 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave. Website.
If a friend or family member has been champing at the bit to start a new hobby, consider getting them a class or workshop at Lillstreet Art Center, a community and workspace for artists. Lillstreet has 20 classrooms for activities like ceramics, printmaking, metalsmithing, textile work and painting. Workshops are a few hours long, while classes run for five to 10 weeks. There are even workshops, classes and camps for kids ages 5-16.
Prices vary depending on the program. Book on the website or call 773-769-4226. The office is open 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
Machine: Engineered Dining + Drink, 1846 W. Division St. Website.
Sure, the food at Machine is delicious (hello, cacio e pepe!) and the cocktails are basically art (have you seen those bird-shaped glasses?), but there’s another reason to hit up this Wicker Park hot spot: tableside flower bouquets.
That’s right: Instead of mashing up guac at the table, Machine sends around a flower cart where you can work with a florist to create a custom bouquet. It’s a great gift for your favorite green thumb.
Gift cards are available on the restaurant’s website. The flower cart is available 4-10 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays. 773-276-7422.
Art on the Mart, Chicago Riverwalk Jetty between Wells and Franklin Street. Website.
If you’re gifting on a budget this year, Art on the Mart is a fabulous free experience — and you can offer to drive or pay for public transit so it’s more of a traditional gift, if you’d like. The event syncs music with large-scale moving artwork projected onto the side of Merchandise Mart. The current projections are by artist Yorgo Alexopoulos and a selection of students from the School of the Art Institute and run through Dec. 30, but more artwork is planned for next year beginning in April.
Art on the Mart runs every night from mid-April to the end of December. Check the website for timing. No reservations necessary.
Tyromancy with Chicago’s Kitchen Witch, various locations or virtual. Website.
For that person in your life who’s a little witchy, or just loves cheese (and vegan cheese!), book a tyromancy reading. Tyromancy is the practice of telling fortunes with cheese. Every session uses up to four pieces of cheese focusing on lessons from the past, current issues to learn from and how to move forward to the future in the best way possible. Any cheese/cheeze works, but Swiss and blue are the best.
Book a session at the Kitchen Witch website or by emailing kitchenwitchjen@gmail.com. Individual sessions start at $45.
Editor’s note: Kitchen witch Jennifer Billock is a freelancer for Block Club and wrote this gift guide.
Afternoon Tea at The Peninsula, 108 E. Superior St. Website.
Treat your friend or family member to a Chicago tradition with afternoon tea at The Peninsula. The event includes a traditional English tea menu (finger sandwiches and scones, yum!) and the option to switch things out for a vegan or gluten-free version. If you gift the experience before Jan. 7, your loved one will be able to enjoy holiday-themed tea with a 20-foot tree, lots of festive décor, live string music and visits with Santa.
Book via Tock. Prices start at $140, which includes a glass of champagne. Seatings are daily at 2:30 and 4:30 p.m.
Lightscape at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe. Website.
Gift quickly for this experience — Lightscape only runs through Jan. 7. This event at the Botanic Garden takes visitors on a 1.3-mile outdoor trail of sparkling light and music displays by artists from around the world. There’s a food and drink menu (don’t miss that boozy hot chocolate) and a world of Instagrammable moments. Kids are encouraged to come, and strollers are allowed, so your family-focused friends can enjoy the experience with the whole crew.
Check dates and book in advance on the website. Adult tickets are $34 and children ages 3-12 are $19.
Joffrey Ballet, 10 E. Randolph St. Website.
Give the gift of dance this holiday season with a subscription to the Joffrey Ballet. Each subscription includes two shows and a bevy of perks, including exclusive behind-the-scenes invitations, discounted parking and priority seating. The Joffrey is currently running its annual “Nutcracker” performance through Dec. 27, but upcoming shows include “Studies in Blue” and “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Shows run Thursday-Sunday. Check pricing and availability of subscription packages on the website. 312-386-8905.
Lost Reef Lounge, 964 W. Belmont Ave. Website.
Dining at Lost Reef is like being underwater in a tropical landscape surrounded by colorful fish. Aside from all the delicious food (try the butter plank and filet mignon carpaccio), guests are surrounded by more than 2,500 gallons of aquatic delights — fish and live coral in eight tanks. Every reservation includes a $5 donation to the Coral Restoration Foundation, which is the largest reef restoration project in the world. The best part of eating here, though, are the special glasses each diner receives so they can see the underwater world in all its natural-colored glory.
Book a gift reservation at the website. Hours are 4-11 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. Closed Monday-Tuesday. 773-360-1961.
Urban Kayaks, 435 E. Riverwalk South. Website.
For the friend who loves water sports, how about a gift certificate to Urban Kayaks? The group provides the kayaks and leads paddle tours on the Chicago River and the lakefront. You can even gift a season pass, which includes unlimited kayak free rentals, half-off tours and a discount for up to two guests.
Gift certificates are available on the website. 312-965-0035.
BYOT Productions, various locations. Website.
If you’re in with the theater crowd, be sure to treat one of them to a BYOT Productions show. The concept is unique: It’s a 24-hour play. The company meets exactly 24 hours before a performance to discuss the play, then it’s written and rehearsed before being performed the same day. BYOT is a roving theater company, with performances throughout the city.
Tickets are $10 and shows are once a month on Saturdays.
Read and Run Chicago, various locations. Website.
It’s a book club. It’s a running group. Well, actually, it’s both. Read and Run Chicago is the city’s premier literary running club. All the routes are based around books set in Chicago, and the crew reads the books before they go on the run. It’s a novel way (get it?) to experience the city in more depth. Gift this to your runner friends, your reader friends, your loved ones with a desire to learn more about the history of Chicago. Most runs include a Q&A with the author of the book that tour is based on.
Runs are done an easy pace and go throughout the year. See what’s upcoming and book on the website.
Weird Chicago Tours, various locations. Website.
For the people you know with a slant toward the darker side of things — like true crime podcasts and murder mystery books — Weird Chicago Tours has something to pique their interest. The company offers tours to places like where H.H. Holmes found his victims and a true crime tour to murder sites and former crime scenes. Tours are all via bus with some on-and-off, and they run about three hours.
Gift certificates are available on the website. Tickets are $30. 217-791-7859.
Leather Archives and Museum, 6418 N. Greenview Ave. Website.
Help your friend celebrate the saucy side of the city with a membership to the Leather Archives and Museum. The museum’s goal is to educate people about leather, kink, BDSM and fetish, as well as to keep an archive and library of the community’s history and culture. In addition, the museum hosts art classes, exhibitions, a film fes, and community parties.
Memberships start at $60 and include a newsletter, free admission to the museum and some events, and voting rights for board members. Museum hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday- Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. 773-761-9200.
The Salt Shed, 1357 N. Elston Ave. Website.
Chicago’s newest concert venue rocks in the former Morton Salt factory right alongside the river. Gift your concert-going loved one a show. Upcoming concerts include Patti Smith, Jason Isbell, Porno for Pyros, Belle and Sebastian, and more. Whenever there’s a show inside The Salt Shed, there’s a party outside in the Fairgrounds community space with fire pits, food and more.
Check upcoming shows and prices on the website.
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