University Of Chicago

Explore Hyde Park's beautiful and historic campus.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
With buildings as bold, eccentric and intellectually challenging as its renowned faculty and students, the 190-acre University of Chicago campus in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood is a great place to explore by foot or bike. Its palatial Gothic towers, quiet reflecting pools and lush lawns and gardens provide the ultimate setting for academic pursuit, or a rowdy game of Ultimate Frisbee. Just 15 minutes by bus or train from downtown Chicago (about seven miles on the lakefront bike path), the University is easily accessible.

The Skinny
The 12-ton sculpture "Nuclear Energy" by Henry Moore (south Ellis Avenue between 56th and 57th streets.), commemorates the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction--a feat accomplished in 1942 by a group of scientists led by Enrico Fermi. The Oriental Institute, founded in 1919, showcases Near Eastern art and artifacts including a 40-ton Assyrian winged bull, small fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls and several mummies and skeletons.