A Fabulous What’s Out There Weekend Chicago
Organized by The Cultural landscape Foundation (TCLF), What’s Out There Weekend Chicago took place on October 4–5, and featured 30 free, expert-led tours, the majority of which were sold out. Some 1,000 people registered for the event, which promised to reveal the design history of places that they and others may pass every day but don’t necessarily know about. Throughout the weekend guides and attendees explored some of Chicago’s best-known and beloved landscapes—including Grant Park, Lincoln Park, and the University of Chicago—as well as exceptional recent projects. The program did not disappoint, with one attendee commenting, “The guides on both tours [I attended] were unbelievably well informed, articulate, interesting . . . thoughtful—need I say more?”
The weekend’s program kicked off with a reception generously hosted by Hoerr Schaudt in the firm’s Chicago studios, located in a former industrial building transformed in 2024. Guests, including dozens of enthusiastic and knowledgeable tour guides and volunteers, gathered in the building’s spacious event space, flanked by a verdant outdoor courtyard, where they received copies of the new, profusely illustrated, 60-page What’s Out There Chicago guidebook (available for purchase and as a free downloadable PDF). The guidebook complements the comprehensive, online What’s Out There Chicago Cultural Landscapes Guide that was recently expanded. This free, online resource features an illustrated introductory essay, nearly 80 landscape profiles, more than 60 written biographies, and hundreds of photographs.
Saturday morning, What’s Out There Weekend Chicago attendees were greeted by sunny skies and balmy temperatures. Tours included Cascade Park, Millennium Park, The 606, Graceland Cemetery, and Lathrop Homes—a public housing development designed by landscape architect Jens Jensen. There two long-term residents joined three guides and passionately shared stories about their community. Farther west attendees discovered Columbus Park (also designed by Jensen) while to the south, participants toured the Illinois Institute of Technology, designed by architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Jensen’s mentee, Alfred Caldwell.
In the afternoon attendees visited historic landscapes, including Humboldt Park and the Garfield Park Conservatory, as well as contempery projects such as Ping Tom Memorial Park, Kenwood Gardens, and The Wild Mile. At the latter—a floating, 700-foot-long park—one attendee arrived in a kayak, where she remained, drifting at the edge of the park’s continuous boardwalk, throughout the tour. Exercise and learning about cultural landscapes can go together after all!
With weather that rivaled the previous day, Sunday began with tours of Washington Park, Logan Square Boulevards Historic District, and The Old Chicago Post Office sited along the west bank of the Chicago River’s South Branch. As visitors discovered The Post Office’s three-acre rooftop garden, downstream participants learned about the Chicago Riverwalk from its designers who detailed the park’s evolution, sharing anecdotes and noting some of their favorite details of the project. Moving into late morning, visitors toured Lincoln Park and the Midway Plaisance.
The afternoon boasted a packed schedule, with eleven tours spread throughout the city. These included Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, Promontory Point, and Grant Park. Later in the afternoon participants visited West Woodlawn/Emmett & Mamie Till-Mobley House Museum, and Bronzeville—Black Metropolis National Heritage Area, where they learned about significant contributions of city’s African American residents over the centuries. The event concluded with tours of the Art Institute of Chicago, South Garden; Lake Point Tower, Skyline Park; and Jackson Park. Chicago was incorporated in 1837 with the motto “City in a Garden”: a suggested promise to future generations and residents. What’s Out There Weekend Chicago demonstrated how the city continues to uphold its commitment to this ideal.
Whether attending alone, with others, or even with young children, people raved about the event and its diverse programing. Remarks include: “What a great weekend! Some beautiful gardens and wonderful hosts” and "I love your group and look forward to learning more about it and participating more. It's fantastic! I was so impressed!" Another participant expressed gratitude for the opportunity “to connect with nature . . . public spaces and other people.” What’s Out There Weekend Chicago would not have been successful without support from lead sponsor Driehaus Foundation; presenting sponsors ALSA Illinois, Blacks in Green, Eiserman Associates, GameTime, Hoerr Schaudt, Hollander Design, Landscape Forms, Preservation Chicago, and Vermont Quarries; and all our Supporting Sponsors and Friends. A special thank you goes out to the project’s advisory committee, especially Julia Bachrach and Ron Henderon, and Dave Lawrie, Ward Miller, Bradley McCauley, and Doug Williams. The event could not have been possible without the Chicago Park District, particularly Andrew Schneider, Director of Historic Assets. The event would not have been possible without the help of all the volunteers and tour guides who generously shared their knowledge and time throughout the weekend.
TCLF was delighted to bring its popular What’s Out There Weekend program back to Chicago, fourteen years after the first event. We look forward to continuing to expand the online What’s Out There Chicago Cultural Landscapes Guide as the city continues to evolve.
