The Windy City has an enormous public urban park, which rivals even Central Park in New York. Millennium Park in Chicago is renowned for its public art installations and sculptures, free concerts and festivals, and the enchanting 3.5-acre Lurie Garden, which is a peaceful sanctuary in the middle of the 24-acre park. We also love eating at the Park Grill at gateway of Millennium Park, it’s Chicago’s largest al fresco venue offering fantastic views of the city.

One of the most iconic places to eat in Chicago is undoubtedly Superdawg; a neon-lit drive-in and restaurant serving great hot dogs with crinkle-cut fries. It’s been around since the late 1940s, and it’s a favourite amongst locals who rave about the food and atmosphere. Frankly, we just love the fact that the restaurant’s founders are immortalised as two giant 12-foot hot dog sculptures on the roof.

A free zoo in the middle of Chicago? Count us in. From stingrays and giraffes to lions and beavers, there are over 200 different species of animals at Lincoln Park Zoo. We love this place not only because it’s one of the oldest and last American admission-free zoos, but also for its beautifully landscaped grounds and daily fun educational programs.

Chicago has a thing about cocktail lounges and bars – you’ll have to work hard to find the coolest ones. If you’re staying at the Old Chicago Inn, make sure you ask about Room 13, a secret prohibition-era inspired Speakeasy that is only open to guests and Room 13 members. Or try one of the best cocktail bars in the city (and possibly the country) – The Violet Hour, which you enter by finding the small door in a colourful mural.

We love a quirky museum so we can’t go past the International Museum of Surgical Science – North America’s only museum dedicated to surgery (yes, you read that right). It’s wonderfully weird, somewhat stomach-turning dedication to the art of knife skills. Surgery has a long and fascinating past and if you’re someone who likes obscure information and extraordinary artefacts, you’ll love the four floors filled with crude and modern methods of healing.