Street smarts

GATEWAY TO INDIA IN CHICAGO
“There’s no Indiantown,” says tour guide Dorothie Shah, Indo-American Heritage Museum board president. “Only one in every 12 people in the Devon area is Indian.” Surprised by that fact? Take this bus tour to learn about the accomplishments of Chicago’s widely dispersed Indo-American population and explore cultural areas around the city—including the storied Devon district (whew). Tour starts at 2:15pm and runs three hours.
Sites Pass by the “Bean,” designed by Bombay-born and London-based sculptor Anish Kapoor. Head to Navy Pier, where Chandra K. Jha, an Indian-American and Chicago designer, led the pier’s 1995 $150 million redevelopment. For shoppers, a Devon Street stop is scheduled: Visit an Indian jewelry boutique, a bookstore, a sari shop and a grocery.

FROM CIVIL WAR TO CIVIL RIGHTS AND BEYOND
Follow the trail of the Great Northern Migration, beginning downtown at the Illinois Central Rail station, the point of entry for many African-Americans who moved north from 1915 to 1930. “[The tour] is a mix of everything—including music, politics and history,” says tour guide Lisa Glass of Quad Communities Development Corporation. Tour starts at 2:15pm and runs three hours.
Sites Head to Quinn Chapel, a Baptist church that served as a spot on the underground railroad. Swing by Griffin Funeral Home, whose owner turned it into a Civil War monument after discovering the building sits on the former grounds of Camp Douglas, a Confederate POW camp. Move on to the Victory Monument, which pays homage to an African-American unit that served during World War I, and end at the spot that once housed legendary jazz venue the Sunset Cafe.

DISCOVER PILSEN
“This is not going to be a boring architecture tour where we just look at buildings,” promises guide Alejandro Morales, resource development specialist at the Resurrection Project. “This tour is about the history of the people of Pilsen, from the beginning Czech community to now—including the problems of industrial areas and the plight of immigrants.” Tour starts at 10:15am and runs three hours.
Sites Hit up the scene of the Haymarket Riot to discuss the labor movement. Then move on to the Mexican-American murals that mark “the beginning of the sentiment of Chicanismo, which was so important to Latino organizing,” according to Morales. Stops also include the historic Schoenhofen Brewery building and Lumber Street, once home to the major lumber yards of the region. The trip ends with a visit to the Olivia Medical Center, where a green, affordable housing development sends Pilsen into the future.

These tours meet at Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 S Michigan Ave. Tickets are first-come, first-served, beginning at 7:30am.

• More Museums & Culture articles