Chicago is one of the best tourist cities in the world. It is compact, easy to navigate on foot and by public transportation and it’s full of surprises. Here are the top ten things to see and do in Chicago.

Universities in Chicago

Chicago's institutions of higher learning are world famous. From Hyde Park on the south to suburban Evanston on the north, college campuses are great for wandering.

The University of Chicago, where more winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics have taught than anywhere else in the world, also claims renowned educator John Dewey and sociologist Robert Park. The first controlled nuclear reaction occurred there as part of World War II's Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb.

The Oriental Institute includes a newly renovated museum to display its vast collection of ancient art and artifacts from the Mesopotamia (today's Iraq). Nearby, of course, is President Barack Obama’s Chicago manse: 5046 South Greenwood Avenue.

Northwestern University has a 90-year-old Shakespeare Garden on its Evanston campus that draws fans from around the globe to see a 70-by-100-foot plot of land with flowers, shrubs, trees and herbs mentioned in the Bard's sonnets and plays.

Established by the Garden Club of Evanston in 1915, it also celebrates the historic ties between America and England. All of the garden's flowers, shrubs, trees, and herbs are mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. READ MORE