This family-friendly guide includes regional maps, chapters on 31 communities, and special sections on antiques, boating, gaming, golf courses, the lakeshores and dunes, shopping, theater, and more. Photos & maps.

Packed with hundreds of free, inexpensive, and unusual things to do in all corners of the city, this is the perfect resource for tourists, business travelers, and visiting suburbanites--and mostly resident Chicagoans themselves. Readers learn what's new in town as seen through the eyes of a team of native Chicagoans. 23 photos. 9 maps.

Where in the landlocked state of Indiana can you sunbathe on a beach in the shadow of hulking steel mills, surf by an oil refinery, or scuba-dive to see old shipwrecks? A blend of Indiana and neighboring Chicago, Northwest Indiana is a one-of-a-kind place filled with wonders, like Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes and a hike USA Today described as one of the country’s most scenic. And behind its unique “coastal” setting lie some equally intriguing hidden gems and untold stories. Secret Northwest Indiana: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure leads a whirlwind tour of the Calumet Region that extends from Chicago’s far South Side, through the south suburbs and Northwest Indiana, and into Southwest Michigan. Read about a submarine inventor who sailed under Lake Michigan and the free-spirited Diana of the Dunes, who inspired preservation efforts that led to the Indiana Dunes National Park. Explore hidden Nike missile silos, bygone ski jumps, secret spots to photograph the jets taking off for the Chicago Air and Water Show, and the infamous Marriage Mill, where celebrities flocked to get hitched. Prepare for singing porta-potties, tree graveyards, and other strangeness. Local author and journalist Joseph S. Pete gives you a look behind the curtain in a region you might think you already know well. With his stories and tips, you’ll find no shortage of new secret places to explore in Northwest Indiana.

This offbeat budget guide will help travelers satisfy their midday cravings according to the strict standards of the City of Chicago's "Department of Lunch." Includes $25 in coupons. 83 listings. 23 detours.

A collection of anecdotes and excerpts collected from Chicago's rich literary legacy, with profiles of the neighborhoods featured in key works and those that inspired some of the city's authors.

The first and only book to give gay and lesbian travelers the inside scoop on gay-friendly accommodations, shopping, sports, recreation, music, theater, dining, and nightlife in the Windy City. This chatty, opinionated guide to gay life and culture is written by longtime gay-neighborhood-dwelling Chicagoans for residents and visitors. Photos.

This expanded and updated edition of the local bestseller takes food lovers and serious home cooks on a tasty romp into Chicago's secret culinary corners to find everything they never knew they needed. Includes information on over 2,000 ingredients, little-known stores and grocers, helpful hints, and recipes.

Native Americans lived, hunted and farmed in east-central Indiana for two thousand years before the area became a part of the Hoosier State. Flood explores the unique yet often untold history of this Native experience. He examines the pre-European cultures that existed, and then focuses on post-European contact with indigenous cultures in the same area.

In this easy-to-use reference guide, family historian Grace DuMelle provides the means to trace Chicago connections like a pro. She shows not just what to research, but how to research. Without wading through preliminaries, readers choose any of the self-contained chapters that focus on the questions beginners most want answered. Other chapters cover the nuts and bolts of the mechanics that are the key to making a family's past come alive, with highlights summarizing important points. In finding Chicago ancestors, readers will better understand not only their family's history, but also their involvement in the history of a great American city. Midwest Independent Publishers Association Book Award - 1st Place - Hobby/How- To Illinois Woman's Press Association Book Award - 1st Place - Instructional Nonfiction National Federation of Press Women Book Award - 3rd Place - Instructional Nonfiction The Chicago Roots of Your Family Tree For almost 175 years, a great metropolis on the shores of a freshwater sea has sent a siren call to immigrants internal and external, giving most Americans some kind of link to the City of Big Shoulders. Whether your people came west from New England in the early days of settlement, or north from Mississippi in the Great Migration; whether they sailed from Sweden and Sicily, or flew from Budapest and Prague; whether they settled here permanently or temporarily, this easy-to-use reference guide will help you document them. Family historian Grace DuMelle provides the means to trace your Chicago connections like a pro. She shows you not just what to research, but how to research. Without wading through lots of preliminaries, choose any of the self-contained chapters that focus on the questions beginners most want answered and jump right in! Where do I start? When and where was my ancestor born? When did my ancestor come to America? What did my ancestor do for a living? Where did my ancestor live? Where is my ancestor buried? Other chapters cover the nuts and bolts of the mechanics that are the key to making your family's past come alive, with highlights summarizing important points: Examples of documents such as death certificates, church registers and U.S. census entries. Chicago-area research facilities: what they have and how to access it. Researching using newspapers, machines and catalogs. Sources for specific ethnic research. Sources for long-distance research. In finding your Chicago ancestors, you will not only better understand your and your family's history, but also your and your family's involvement in the history of a great American city.