This landmark 1900 building is not technically open to the public, aside from an ice-cream parlor on the ground floor. (The lovely second-floor Great Hall, flanked by two curving loggias, is one of the city's most popular wedding-reception spots; if you stop by on a weekend, chances are you can sneak a peek while the caterers are setting up.) Even if you don't make it inside, Cafe Brauer is a nice stopping-off point during a walk around the park. Sit and sip a coffee, or rent a paddleboat at the edge of the lovely South Pond ($10 per half-hour). Best of all, though, is the picture-postcard view from the adjacent bridge spanning the pond of the John Hancock Center and neighboring skyscrapers beyond Lincoln Park's treetops. Allow a quarter-hour, longer for a paddleboat ride.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Find Hotel Deals on Yahoo Travel»