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Entrance of the Du Sable Museum
Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood has gained lots of visibility as the home of President Barack Obama but he’s not the only exciting aspect of the area. This stately south side neighborhood is also home to the DuSable Museum of African American History. Named for the founder of Chicago, Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable, the museum is the first and oldest institution of its kind in the country. Located on the sprawling grounds of Washiington Park, DuSable offers a great family excursion. Enter the museum and you’re greeted with a life-sized mosaic mural of DuSable, who was a wealthy explorer and fur trader.
DuSable boasts several permanent exhibits, including “Paintings,/Drawings/Sculptures: Masterpieces from the DuSable Museum Collection” and “A Slow Walk to Greatness: The Harold Washington Story.” Touring exhibits that kids will love are “Making Their Mark: Noted Signatures That Changed History” which highlights signed artifacts from luminaries such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Joe Louis and “The Soul of Bronzeville: The Regal, Club Delisa and the Blues,” which showcases Chicago’s jazz and blues history with movies, posters and artifacts. Afterwards, stroll through the nearby University of Chicago’s Gothic campus and then top off your Hyde Park trip with a visit to Mellow Yellow Restaurant, a classic neighborhood diner focusing on crepes, quiche and baked potato meals. If your tastes run more towards the greasy, a stop by Harold’s Chicken Shack on 53rd, a south side institution and Obama favorite, is a must. Order the chicken wings with fries and hot sauce on the side and you can say you’ve experienced the real Hyde Park.
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Mosaic of Chicago founder Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable
DuSable Museum Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday 10-5PM
Sunday noon-5PM
Admission-$3 for adults, $1 for children 6-12.
Photos by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
