My favorite part of any trip is the preparation. I love an itinerary! Today we’re putting together a two day itinerary to the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. We will be there for the 4th of July.
Things to note before arriving:
To ensure that everything is in order, including the hotel, bag agent, and all transport needs, I will need to contact the Bureau of Public Comfort at Jackson Park. The Bureau is available on the Fair grounds and will be able to answer any questions we have about the experience while we’re there!
Hotel has been reserved near the Fair grounds for $4/day for room and board
Before we arrive from Rockford, we will need to find a baggage agent to check our bags and ensure their transport to the hotel so we can go directly to the Fair grounds on the same day that we arrive. The cost to take the bags to the hotel is ¢25/bag and an additional ¢50 for the transport to the hotel.
Transport options to the Fair grounds from Downtown Chicago:
Street cars or the “el” - ¢5
Illinois Central round trip - ¢20
Steamboat roundtrip - ¢25
Admission to the Fair ¢50 - this will cover everything except Esquimau Village, Cliff dwellers exhibit, or any special concerts.
Midway Plaisance attractions are NOT part of the fair
Meals
¢25/lunch
¢35-60/dinner
TIP ask for the bill ahead of time to make sure charges are correct
→ we can do lunch counters i.e. sandwiches/coffee etc or restaurants
→ German and French restaurants are an option at the Manufactures Building!!!
Big Tree Restaurant - west of Anthro building
French Bakery - east of Stock Pavilion
Japanese Tea House - NW of Fisheries - Japanese tea and cakes
New England Clam Bake - on N. Pond All kinds of shell fish
FUN Transport if we don’t want to walk
Electric boats
round trip through lagoons, basin and north pond takes an hour - ¢50
half trip from fisheries to agriculture - ¢25
Gondolas manned by Italian Gondoliers - ¢50
Steam launches from the south end of S. Pond out through the south Inlet into the Middle Basin ending towards the Fisheries - ¢50
July 4th 1893 ★ National flower contest begins
Day 1 - We will spend the day familiarizing ourselves with the grounds.
Out of the 13 buildings I’m most interested in the below
Horticulture
Fish and Fisheries
Mines and Mining
Electricity building (early at night)
Woman’s Building
Anthropological
Art Building
SE of the grounds between Forestry and N. Pond
Physical anthropology - we can skip this exhibit because of its racist beliefs. It centers around the idea of eugenics.
Library - might be cool since it houses almost every book that was available on the subject of Anthropology
Early America exhibit - centers around aboriginal customs v. modern civilization. Another racist exhibit that portrays indigenous populations as ‘savage’ and colonizers as ‘civilized’.
Foreign exhibit - artifacts from ancient Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, etc. Large exhibit showcasing history of almost all of central and south America.
Convent of La Rabida - structure of the convent recreated to give an idea of old Spain. This is the convent that Columbus lived in and planned his 1492 trip.
Yucatan Ruins recreated using staff! Very accurate and possibly the only time we will get to see/experience them.
Viking ships - three Viking ships have been reproduced from 1000 yr old vessels under the supervision of the Norwegian gov.
Reproductions of the most famous French chateaux at the Renaissance, the frontal Cathedral of Chartres, and the new Rathaus (Parliament) from Berlin
Sculpture, figures and groups in marble, models of monumental decorations etc.
A LOT of French art
American Exhibit 24,000 sqft
↳ 1075 paintings
Japan section
↳ look for paintings on silk
LUNCH BREAK @ Marine Cafe in the Fisheries building. Great opportunity to try new sea food that we’ve never experienced before!
Both salt and fresh water fish!!!
→ entering at the south to the right are the exhibits of the American Net and Twine Co.
⭐ LIVE FISH DISPLAY ⭐ in 60 ft. rotunda - 10 pools 7000–27,000 gallons
Fun fact fresh water came from Lake Michigan!!
Lemon and orange grove - German wine cellar w/ panoramic view of grape vines
French fruit trees
Look for the orchids display
We have to stop by Wooded Island
★ Enter at the north door and pass through the long aisles of commercial exhibits to see the states and foreign country’s contributions
Fun Fact all the plants around the Fair are the work of the Horticultural Committee. They planted a million Tulips!
First floor - look out for the model hospital and model kindergarten. South end of the first floor is a showcase of the charitable work done by women.
On the opposite end is the library which houses only books by famous female authors.
The building is also home to all the records and bureau of information.
Second floor - parlors, committee rooms and dressing rooms. Speakers and stages are also all on the second floor. We will have to look for programming on the day that we would want to attend.
DINNER - 7:00 pm
Day 2 - We will spend the day at Midway Plaisance
Attending all the exhibits cost $13.05!!!
MUST SEE FERRIS WHEEL!!
Model Working Home exhibit - free
International dress and costume exhibit - 40–50 living reps of different nationalities - ¢25
Japanese Bazaar and Village - ¢50
This not only includes a bazaar to shop but also the village has a theatre, Japanese Tea service and so much more! We need to stop by here.
Persian Palace which includes a museum and theatre - ¢50
Miniature Eiffel Tower - ¢25
Street in Cairo - after 11am free
Ferris Wheel - ¢50 for two rounds
Lunch break at Vienna Cafe
I hear there’s a special sausage that’s all beef that they will be serving in the Austria Village!
Captive Balloons - $2 to go up 1300 feet in the air
Lapland Village has reindeers and a circus ring - ¢25
Break to grab some cider @ French Cider Press
St. Peter’s Basilica Model - ¢25
Ice Railway - ¢10/trip
Hagenbeck’s Animal Show - admission ¢25-$1 depends on seats
We can get camp chairs for ¢10/day. We need to pay a deposit of ¢25 that will be refunded once we return the chair.
There’s so much to see and do that we could spend months here but since we only have a couple of days, I did my best to organize days that would allow us to see everything we’re interested in
Sources:
World’s Fair Chicago - 179 day at the World’s Columbian Exposition
The Souvenirs and Stories of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition
Official Guide to the World’s Columbian Exposition
A Night at the Exposition on the Fourth of July, 1893
Additional Reading - Digital Research Library of Illinois History
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