Bookstores

• 57th Street Books: 1301 E. 57th St.
• Powell’s Books Chicago: 1501 E. 57th St.
• Seminary Co-op Bookstore: 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave.
• UChicago Bookstore: 970 E. 58th St.

Hyde Park History

For neighborhood history, visit the Hyde Park Historical Society or see some of the titles in the University’s bibliography on Hyde Park and University of Chicago history.

Local Libraries

• Blackstone Public Library: 4904 S. Lake Park Blvd.  
• D'Angelo Law Library: 1121 E. 60th St.
• Eckhardt Library: 1118-32 E. 58th St.
• Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center: 1100 E. 57th St.
• Joseph Regenstein Library: 1100 E. 57th St.
• Joe and Rika Mansueto Library: 1100 E. 57th St.
• John Crerar Library: 5730 S. Ellis Ave.
• Social Service Administration Library: 969 E. 60th St.

Movie Theaters

• Doc Films: 1212 E. 59th St.
• Harper Theater: 5238 S. Harper Ave.

Museums and Galleries

• DuSable Museum of African American History: 740 E. 56th Pl.
• Frank Lloyd Wright's Frederick C. Robie House: 5757 S. Woodlawn Ave.
• Hyde Park Art Center: 5020 S. Cornell Blvd.
• Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures: 1155 E 58th St.‍
• Little Black Pearl: 1060 E. 47th St.
• ‍Logan Center for the Arts: 915 E. 60th St.‍
• Museum of Science and Industry: 5700 S. Lake Shore Dr.‍
• Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society: 5701 S. Woodlawn Ave.‍
• Obama Presidential Center (in development): Jackson Park‍
• Renaissance Society: 5811 South Ellis Ave.‍
• Smart Museum of Art: 5550 S. Greenwood Ave. ‍
• Stony Island Arts Bank: 6760 S. Stony Island Ave.‍
• Washington Park Arts Incubator: 301 E. Garfield Blvd.

Performance Spaces

• Court Theatre: 5535 S. Ellis Ave.
• Greenline Performing Arts Center: 329 E Garfield Blvd.
• Logan Center for the Arts: 915 E. 60th St.
• The Revival: 1160 E. 55th St.
• Room 43 Jazz: 1039 E. 43rd St.

Tours

• Chicago Architectural Foundation (Hyde Park walking tour)
• Rockefeller Chapel Carillon Tour
• SouthSideGO Audio Driving Tour
• University of Chicago Library Tours
• University of Chicago Self-Guided Walking Tour

Bicycle Stores and Repair

• Blackstone Bike Works: 6100 S. Blackstone Ave.
• Divvy Bikeshare Rental: Docking stations throughout Hyde Park
• Tamago: 1451 E 57th St.

Community Gardens

• 62nd and Dorchester Community Garden
• 65th and Woodlawn Community Garden

Community Organizations

• Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce: 1715 East 55th St.

Coworking Office Space

• Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation: 1452 E. 53rd St.
• Regus: 5113 S. Harper Ave.
• University Co-Work: 6127 S. University Ave.

Housecleaning Services

Please contact Dillan Siegler for a housecleaning service referral.

Religious Institutions

UChicago’s Office of Spiritual Life has an extensive list of on- and off-campus religious institutions and spiritual groups.

Home Repairs & Services

‍The neighborhood e-mail lists are a good resource for connecting with home repair and other services that work with many families in the neighborhood. Please contact Dillan Siegler if you would like a referral.

The University of Chicago is located in Hyde Park, just eight miles south of downtown along the city’s Lake Michigan shoreline. Campus is easily accessible via public transit, car, or bike from across the Chicagoland area. 

Public Transit

• Choose Chicago: General information about getting around in Chicago.
• Chicago Transit Authority (CTA): Chicago’s bus and "El" train system has multiple bus lines to campus as well as throughout Hyde Park. The green and red "El" trains stop west of campus and connect with the #55 bus line detailed here.
• Metra: Chicagoland's commuter rail system with multiple stops in Hyde Park near campus.
• UGo Shuttles: The University of Chicago provides five shuttle routes weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and four nighttime routes starting at 5 p.m., seven days a week. The University also has an agreement with the CTA to provide service on four CTA routes serving campus. University students, faculty, and staff, and University of Chicago Medicine staff ride CTA routes 171 and 172 for free upon displaying a valid UChicago ID.

Parking on Campus

The University provides a variety of transportation and parking options designed to serve and support members of the campus community and our surrounding neighbors traveling on and around campus safely and efficiently. Details on parking lots and permits are available on the University's Safety and Security website.

Biking in Chicago

Divvy is Chicago's bike share system with more than 600 stations and 6,000+ bikes across Chicagoland. Bicycles are available year-round and include electric bikes. Docking stations are located across campus and a discount is available to University employees and students. The City of Chicago and the Active Transportation Alliance also have lists of resources for bicycle commuting.

If you have questions or concerns about traffic or commuting from a specific neighborhood or suburb in Chicago, please contact our office and we can connect you with a UChicago family living in that area.

• Chicago Hyde Park Village is a membership-based organization with activities and access to services dedicated to helping members stay in their own homes as they age. 
• Montgomery Place is a senior living community located in Hyde Park.
• The Perspectives Eldercare Consultation Program provides assistance in evaluating your elder care needs and making appropriate arrangements.
• SHARE Network - South Side Healthy Aging Resource Experts brings older adults, caregivers, primary care providers, and geriatric specialists together to share knowledge and resources. 
• The Care Plan provides you with tools and resources to make informed decisions on health and aging.

Farmers Markets

The 61st Street Farmers Market is held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 61st and Dorchester from May 11 through October 26. During the winter months, the market is held inside the Experimental Station.

The Downtown Hyde Park Farmers Market is held on Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning in June through October.

Street and Music Festivals

• May and September: Hyde Park Garden Fair
• June - August: Harper Court Summer Music Series
• June - August: The Bells of Summer
• June - September: Jazz in the Courtyard
• June: 57th Street Art Fair
• June: Hyde Park Brew Fest
• July: The Silver Room Block Party
• September: Hyde Park Jazz Festival
• September: Children's Book Fair
• September: African Festival of the Arts

• Good Neighbors is an active community listserv where members discuss everything from home repair referrals, lost pets, and neighborhood politics. Go to the website and select “apply to join the group.”
• The Parent Support Network is a neighborhood membership organization that provides an indoor play space and annual children’s clothing swap. It also hosts an email message board to connect parents in the neighborhood.
• The University hosts two listservs: The Student Parent Market Listserv, where members can post children’s items they wish to buy and sell, and the Student Parent Listserv, a general list where parents can learn about upcoming events (note that this listserv is not just for student parents).
• The Academics with Children Network connects UChicago families with children. Visit the Faculty Development Program website to join.

• Bronzeville Life Magazine: Lifestyle magazine focused on community and business in Bronzeville
• Chicago Defender: Daily online newspaper covering the urban African American community
• The Chicago Maroon: Weekly student newspaper
• The Chicago Thinker: A student-led news source
• Hyde Park Herald: Weekly community newspaper
• South Side Weekly: Weekly nonprofit news magazine covering arts and politics on the South Side
• UChicago News: University news website
• WHPK 88.5: Non-profit community radio station broadcasting from the University of Chicago campus

• 57th Street Beach is easily reachable via car or by foot.
• Law School Reflecting Pool is a popular place to sit and relax.
• Chicago Parks District Harris Park Fieldhouse: 6200 S. Drexel Ave.
• Midway Plaisance Park

Activities for Children

Arts

• Logan Center for the Arts Family Saturdays are free thematic art workshops led by local artists, art organizations, and UChicago students. Families can sample a range of activities for children ages two to 12 through hour-long sessions led by local artists. 
• The Hyde Park Art Center offers a wide variety of art classes and camps for children of all ages.
• Arts Incubator offers arts education and community-based arts projects, as well as exhibitions, performances, and talks, many of which are open to children.

Play Areas

• The University’s Family Resource Center has an indoor play area featuring a jungle gym, an outdoor playground, a variety of toys, an arts and crafts area, and a large play area to hold music, dance, and other classes for young children during the academic year.
• Idea Factory at the Museum of Science and Industry is an indoor play space frequented by many Hyde Park families.

Reading and Story Time

• The Blackstone Public Library has a large children section and holds story time sessions for toddlers several times a week.
• 57th Street Books has a children’s book/reading area.
• The Harold Washington Children’s Library in the South Loop offers a weekly story time.

Sports and Fitness

• Kids Jamm Yoga is a family yoga course held at the Arts Incubator.
• L’il Kickers Soccer for Kids offers summer classes in the Midway Plaisance for children ages 18 months and up.
• Hyde Park-Kenwood Legends is a little league baseball club for children ages ages four and up.

Swimming

• The British Swim School at LA Fitness on 53rd Street offers a variety of swim lessons for children.
• The Chicago Parks District offers many affordable classes for toddlers and children. Many Hyde Park families take their children to swimming lessons at the nearby Ellis Park indoor pool and Harris Park indoor pool. During the summer months, the Washington Park outdoor pool has a family swim time on weekday mornings and weekend afternoons. This pool has a zero entry that gives toddlers a large area where they can run, splash, and learn to be comfortable in the water. It also has an area for swimming laps and a water slide.
• The University’s Community Swim & Diving School at Ratner offers classes for children (ages three and up) and adults during the academic year.

The Southside YMCA offers swimming classes for children (ages six months and up) and adults in their indoor swimming pool.

Miscellaneous

The Baby Ph.D. Childcare Network collaborates with the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club to sponsor a weekday Play-N-Learn program. The program consists of several daily play-based educational activities for children up to age four to attend together with their caregivers. Activities include creative art, musical storytime, sign language, Tot Lot, dramatic play, infant playgroup, and more. Nannies and Baby Ph.D. childcare providers located within walking distance of the Hyde Park Neighborhood Club often utilize the Club’s Play-N-Learn program as part of their daily curriculum.

The University of Chicago’s security and transportation services cover campus and extend throughout much of the nearby Hyde Park neighborhood. UChicago’s Department of Safety & Security provides services for the convenience and safety of our students, academics, staff, and community. You can view the University's Annual Security Report online.