Day 1:
Chicago
Your literary-themed adventure begins at the American Writers Museum in Chicago - the only national museum dedicated to American writers and their works featuring informative, interactive exhibits honoring notable U.S. writers throughout history. Next, stroll by the nearby Art Institute of Chicago to take a picture with the iconic Lions that guard the building. The Art Institute of Chicago is where the main character, Russell Stone, works in the popular Richard Powers’ novel, Generosity: An Enchantment.
Nearby Grant Park – a sprawling open space featuring picturesque skyline views and known as “Chicago’s Front Yard” – is home to Buckingham Fountain and was featured in the popular novel, The Time Traveler’s Wife. Not far from Grant Park, just across Chicago’s famous Michigan Avenue, you can get lost for hours inside the Harold Washington Library Center, the Chicago Public Library’s main branch. Inside the building, discover the Winter Garden which features incredible natural light that makes for a great photo op. Next, head north to stop for lunch at Beatnik on the River, known for its chic, Bohemian decor along with progressive, globetrotting dishes and cocktails.
Continue north across the Chicago River and take in the city’s incredible architecture as you make your way to the Poetry Foundation in the River North area. The first space in Chicago dedicated solely to the art of poetry, the Poetry Foundation is a 30,000-volume poetry library that features an exhibition gallery and performance space for live poetry readings and public events. Head west across the Chicago River to Semicolon Bookstore in the nearby Chicago’s River West area. Semicolon is Chicago’s only Black and woman-owned bookstore and gallery that focuses on both community and literacy, with an emphasis on supporting Black book-buying and bookselling.
The day would be incomplete without a literary-themed dinner at one of Chicago’s many quaint restaurants dedicated to creating the feeling of wanting to curl up with a good book. At Wilde Bar & Restaurant in the Lakeview area, named after Oscar Wilde, you can enjoy an extensive beer list and Irish pub food under a stained glass ceiling dome, along with a charming library nook and two cozy fireplaces. If you plan to stay around the River North area, the Library at Gilt Bar is a low-lit basement bar offering red-velvet booths along shelves of vintage books, perfect for a romantic dinner for two.
Chicago offers numerous hotels to complete a literary-themed getaway, like Freehand Chicago, which boasts a gathering room decorated with one-of-a-kind Mid-century modern furnishings and decor along with a well-curated selection of books on Midwestern art, design and architecture. Stay in the hip Publishing House Bed and Breakfast - an industrial-style boutique B&B situated inside a former publishing house. Along the city’s famous Magnificent Mile, you can stay at the Four Seasons Hotel - Chicago, where a stylish “Author Suite” sits on the 46th floor offering sweeping panoramic views of Lake Michigan. The suite includes an extensive library filled with signed works by Stephen King, Margaret Thatcher, Oliver Stone and Anne Rice – all former guests of the hotel!