Erin Delahanty

Whether you have extra vacation days to burn or need some time away from your cramped studio apartment, a Chicago staycation is the perfect solution. Without spending a fortune on flights, you'll be able to disconnect and recharge while enjoying the best things to do in Chicago, as well as the city's top restaurants and iconic attractions. We've checked out Chicago's very best hotels and found something for every itch—spas, cocktail bars, free amenities and seriously amazing views. Plus we've highlighted some fun activities to do around town. So what are you waiting for? Pack a bag and check in at these staycation-worthy destinations. RECOMMENDED: The best weekend getaways from ChicagoRECOMMENDED: The best day trips from ChicagoRECOMMENDED: The best Airbnbs in Chicago

In a loud, bustling city with millions of people—nevermind in an age full of social media and extensive "friend" lists—It’s not always easy to find the most authentic experiences and connections in New York. We talked with the cast and crew of The Band's Visit—a new Broadway musical that celebrates the ways music connects us all and does so with a mantra of showcasing cultural authenticity on stage—to uncover some of their favorite spots for experiencing cultural authenticity when they aren't standing in the spotlight.

The holidays are filled with hustle and bustle, and the commitments to attend what feels like an avalanche of holiday parties and events and the desire to check out all of the great things happening in the city can feel a bit overwhelming. Thankfully, UNIQLO has everything you need for last-minute holiday merriment, gifts and even a treat or two for yourself.

Make gift-giving a little easier on yourself this holiday season. For every hard-to-shop-for person on your list, there’s an Illinois Lottery holiday instant ticket just for them. Find the one that’s right for all the people in your life and if they win big, just remind them you’ve also been extra nice this year.

We know how overwhelming it can be to find the perfect holiday gift for everyone on your list this time of year. While you're making your list and checking it twice, we thought it would be nice to fill your stocking with a few of our favorite gifts this holiday season. Enter below for your chance to win a different prize every day through December 16! 

Don't let the holidays wear you down, give yourself a little break with help from Blue Point Brewing Company. The Long Island Brewery is opening a pop-up travel agency on the Lower East Side for four days only.  Keep your eyes peeled at 156 Orchard Street for a man outside wearing a terrible brown suit and you-ve found the right place. Head into the space for an instant vacation and the chance to escape from the crowds, carolers and influx of tourists taking over the city. Take a break with special tastings of Blue Point Beers, an underwater lounge and interactive music experience, a mobile oyster shucker, live music, art and giveaways. The pop-up is open December 6–9 from 4–10pm daily, so don't sleep on your chance to check it out and escape from the holidays. 

IntroductionThis Love Thy Neighborhood Brewery Fest Flyaway Sweepstakes sponsored by Jameson gives the sweepstakes entrants the opportunity to win a trip for two to New York City for the Love Thy Neighborhood Brewery Fest, including airfare and two-night hotel stay. The details of the Prize (as defined below) and how to enter the Sweepstakes are contained in these Official Rules. To EnterYou can enter the Sweepstakes online. During the Promotion Period (as defined below), go to the Sweepstakes page and complete the online entry by entering true and correct information in all of the fields, click to submit, and you will automatically receive one entry in the Sweepstakes. Electronic entries will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. The "authorized account holder" is deemed to be the natural person who is assigned to a particular e-mail address by the applicable Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address. A potential winner may be requested to provide Sponsor (as defined below) with proof that the potential winner is the authorized account holder of the e-mail address associated with the winning entry. Limit one (1) entry per person and per e-mail address. More than one (1) entry from any person or from any e-mail address will void all entries from that person or e-mail address, as

April showers might bring May flowers, but they also bring incredibly antsy children with cabin fever. Take advantage of these spring events for the family cropping up across the city this month. 1. 90-Second Newbery Film FestivalThis free annual video contest showcases short films made by kids across the country that tell the stories of Newbery Medal-winning books in, you guessed it, 90 seconds. (Vittum Theater, 1012 N Noble St, Apr 1 at 3pm; free but reservations are recommended.) 2. JuiceboxHelp your kids burn off some pre-nap energy at this recurring event featuring musical and theatrical performances to get the creative juices flowing. (Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N Central Park Ave, Apr 1, 8, 15, 29; free. Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, Apr 7, 14, 28; free.) 3. Wild Wednesdays at Garfield Park ConservatoryLet your little ones get up close and personal with the natural world with animal encounters. For once, you can let them play in the dirt and call it an educational experience. (Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N Central Park Ave, Wednesdays at 4pm; free.) 4. Great Chicago Egg HuntIf you've ever thought that the only thing missing from your Easter egg hunt is sword fighting, then this is the right event for your family. Maggie Daley Park teamed up with Medieval Times for a Middle Ages-themed Easter celebration, complete with egg hunts in three waves (10:30am, 11:15am and noon), sword fighting demonstrations, knights and princesses, crafts, games and i

Macy's on State Street is showing off spring colors a little earlier than the rest of the city—and we're not talking about fashion choices. The annual Macy's Flower Show is on now, and boy is it stunning. This year's theme, Carnival, makes you feel like you're at the most beautiful sideshow you've ever seen. Macy's Flower Show is on display through April 9 at the State Street location, but feast your eyes on the budding beauties below until you can check it out in person.                                                                         All photos by Jaclyn Rivas Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.

It might not quite feel like it yet, but spring is just about here, Chicago! And we're looking ahead to warmer days and non-stop nights in our spring edition of Time Out Chicago. This issue is packed with the best happenings over the next three months—St. Patrick's Day celebrations, festivals, new restaurant and bar openings, must-see concerts and theater and so much more. We've also scoped out the best dance parties for everyone (no seriously, everyone is welcome at these rad celebrations), uncovered the city's finest Mexican cuisine just in time for Cinco de Mayo and mapped out scenic bike routes for first-time Divvy riders and experienced bikes alike.  Pick up your copy of Time Out Chicago today outside the following CTA and Metra stations: Addison (red)Armitage (brown) Belmont (red/brown/purple)Bryn Mawr (red)Damen (brown)Diversey (brown)Fullerton (red/brown/purple)Irving Park (brown)Montrose (brown)Paulina (brown) Sheridan (red)Van Buren (red)Washington (red)Wellington (brown)Western (brown)Wilson (red)Ogilvie Transportation CenterUnion Station Or if you can't grab a copy until tomorrow you can find us here:  Adams (red) Chicago (red)Cumberland (blue)Division (blue)Grand (red)Jefferson (blue)Lake (red)Montrose (brown)Roosevelt (red)Western (blue)Ogilvie Transportation CenterUnion Station Flip through a digital version of the entire spring issue here. Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know. 

With this weekend's chilly temps, spring might still seem far away. But we're ready for warmer days, so we're kicking things off with the release of our spring edition of Time Out Chicago. Celebrate with us tomorrow night from 7 to 10pm at Flamingo Rum Club (601 N Wells St) where your $15 ticket buys you entry to the party, plus: One Smoke Daiquiri by Stolen Spirits One Pineapple Punch by Stolen Spirits Cuban-inspired bites from Flamingo Rum Club DJ Audio Jack from Slo ’Mo spinning tunes  Two cabaret performances Plus a first look at our new magazine If the weather won't warm up, at least we'll be heating things up ourselves. Get your tickets here.  Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know. 

Thankfully we've enjoyed a mostly mild winter with equally mild amounts of cabin fever from the little ones. Make it through the home stretch to spring with plenty of activities to keep your kids occupied and entertained. And for those less-than-warm winter days there's always the city's best indoor playgrounds to help burn off some of their boundless energy. 1. Wild Wednesdays at Garfield Park Conservatory Let your little ones get up-close-and-personal with the natural world with animal encounters. For once you can let them play in the dirt and call it an educational experience. (Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N Central Park Ave. Wednesdays at 4pm; free.) 2. Juicebox  Help your kids burn off some pre-nap energy at this recurring event featuring musical and theatrical performances to get the creative juices flowing. (Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St. Mar 3, 17, 31; free. Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N Central Park Ave, Mar 4, 18; free.)  3. The Snowy Day and other stories by Ezra Jack Keats Celebrate Emerald City Theatre's 100th performance, which brings together the works of Caldecott-winning children's author and illustrator. (Apollo Theater, 2540 N Lincoln Ave. Mar 4, 11 at 10:30am, Mar 5, 12 19, 26 at 1pm; $19–$29.)  4. Chicago's 180th birthday Celebrate the founding of our beloved city with family-friendly storytelling and crafts—and, of course, birthday cake—all free for Illinois residents. (Chicago History Museum, 1601 N Clark St. Mar 4 at 10am; free.) 5

If, like us, you've dreamed about seeing the inside of the long-closed Uptown Theatre you're in luck. The newest music video from singer-songwriter Regina Spektor, directed by Daniel Ryan, pulls back the curtain on the theater that hasn't hosted a public show since the early ’80s and gives curious Chicagoans a look inside the majestic theater. Chicagoans might also recognize ballerina Victoria Jaiani of the Joffrey Ballet, who dances through the stunning space as Spektor sings from behind a piano in the theater's lobby in “Black and White.” “I certainly did enjoy dancing in the theater. It is absolutely glorious and I do hope one day it's restored to its full glory,” Jaiani told the Chicago Tribune. You can't catch Spektor at the Uptown Theatre (we wish), but she's bringing her Remember Us to Life tour to the Chicago Theatre on March 24.  Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know. 

You may recall a few months ago we unveiled findings from our global survey that showed Chicago really is the best city for having it all. We've got an amazing food and drink scene, we're friendly, the cost of living isn't so bad (for a city, at least) and we know there's plenty to do here every single day. It turns out, there's one thing we're not great at though. Partying.  While Chicago's bar scene recieved top marks—73% of respondents said there are always great bars to go to, higher than any other city surveyed—and residents go out more than 39 times per year (the highest of the U.S. cities surveyed), apparently we value a good night's sleep over staying out dancing and drinking. When it comes to staying up until sunrise we came in dead-last of the cities included in the survey, at a measly 7%. To combat this, we've come up with a list of the things to do in Chicago that are worth staying out until sunrise for.  Maybe our late-night tendencies are curbed by the fact that 52% of Chicagoans think it's OK to get the party started earlier in the day with a drink at lunch? Don't get too excited, that still puts us in the bottom half of responses with a whopping 69% of people in Barcelona thinking a mid-day drink is no problem. Only 25% of Chicagoans admit to having a hangover in the last week and annually the average Chicagoan clocks in with 17 hangovers, pretty middle-of-the-road for respondents. That seems to make us model employees, as only 4% of us got to work late or not

We're fans of thoughtful protest, meant to incite conversation and positive change, but some days we all need to take a moment to laugh. The satirical news show, S#!TSHOW is hosting Operation "Kiss Our Asses, Release Your Taxes!" through a Facebook event called Chicago Moons the Trump Tower. According to the Facebook page, "Donald Trump doesn't think the American people want to see his tax returns, so let's show him that we do in the classiest way possible!" Participants are asked to gather along the riverfront in front of Trump Tower at 3:30pm On Sunday, February 12 before dropping trough and mooning the skyscraper at 4pm. Weather forecasts are calling for a low of 28 degrees Sunday, which—by Chicago standards—isn't too bad for the brazen group of protesters baring their bottoms for 10 seconds.  If you're not brave enough to show off your naked butt in public, you can follow the protest using the hashtag #rumpsagainsttrump.  Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.  

Have you, like most of America, been feeling a personal connection to Beyoncé's announcement that she's expecting twins later this year? Sometimes it's hard to forget that Beyoncé isn't actually someone you know in real life and this joy isn't something you get to celebrate beyond just listening to Lemonade on repeat and dancing around in your sweatpants in your apartment by yourself. Just us? OK, cool.  To remedy this, Beauty Bar is throwing a baby shower for the queen and her heirs next Friday at 7pm. Guests will enjoy drink specials and a playlist of Beyoncé's music from 7–9pm, plus baby shower decorations, custom manicure decals and more. We've just really got our fingers crossed that the "and more" is a floral background we can pose in front of while draped in sheer fabrics.      We would like to share our love and happiness. We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes. - The Carters A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on Feb 1, 2017 at 10:39am PST   Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.

After 88 years in Andersonville, the Swedish Bakery will close permanently on February 28. The announcement came in the form of a Facebook post yesterday from the bakery's current owners, The Stanton family, stating, "changing times have dictated an honest evaluation of our business. Based on that review, it is time to call a close and exit the stage." The Stantons have owned the Swedish neighborhood stalwart for the last 38 years. The statement went on to say, "with our thanks and gratitude for years of patronage and support from all of our generations of customers, businesses, and neighbors, we are bidding a fond farewell." The bakery is known for its King's cake and paczkis—in addition to decadent coffee cakes, buttery cookies and intricate cake designs—so thankfully we'll be able to get one more Fat Tuesday in just before the bakery closes its doors for good.  Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know. 

We're adamant that Chicago is the best city to live in, but now we have the proof to back it up. Earlier this year we conducted a survey of nearly 20,000 people in eighteen different Time Out cities around the world—including New York, Los Angeles, Paris, London, Sydney, Tokyo and more—to learn more about residents' lives and what makes a city great. It turns out, when all was said and done Chicago scored the highest marks across the board.  Time Out's City Index explores six key characters that we asked our readers to rate their city on: Dynamism: How vibrant and exciting life there feels. Inspiration: Whether the city feels like a pleasant or difficult place to live. Food and drink: If the city is somewhere you can eat and drink well without breaking the bank. Community: Whether local neighborhoods were rated highly. Sociability: Whether the city felt welcoming or isolating. Affordability: Whether people could generally get by OK. The top cities around the world had a few things in common that residents say are most important: They're exciting, chock full of great food and drink options, have plenty of great areas to explore, strike the right work/life balance and are friendly.  We came in first for food and drink (duh!) with 88% of respondents agreeing that Chicago's restaurant scene is great, while 73 percent said the same about our bars with more Chicagoans agreeing that "wherever you go, you're pretty much guaranteed to eat well" than people from any other city. That'

You've got until noon today to take a free spin on Navy Pier's new-ish Centennial Wheel. The free rides are being offered to celebrate the new year and remind Chicagoans that the wheel is open year-round (duh, it's Chicago, you have to get used to the cold). The wheel's enclosed and heated gondolas make for a warm vantage point for scoping out the city's skyline—and the lake does look pretty cool frozen over. The free rides end at noon or after 1,700 rides, whichever comes first, so hustle down to Navy Pier if you want to take advantage.  Want more? Sign up here to stay in the know.