Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits
Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.
Become a member and receive career-enhancing benefits
Our top priority is providing value to members. Your Member Services team is here to ensure you maximize your ACS member benefits, participate in College activities, and engage with your ACS colleagues. It's all here.
With a welcoming blend of Midwestern charm and a vibrant, big city vibe, Chicago has become one of the country’s top bucket-list destinations.
ACS Clinical Congress 2025 will take place in Chicago from Saturday, October 4, to Tuesday, October 7, at McCormick Place, located on the shore of Lake Michigan and just a couple of miles south of the downtown area. So, while you’re in the city, make time to take advantage of easily accessible world-famous attractions.
Chicago recently unveiled a new tourism slogan, “Never Done. Never Outdone,” which organizers said was designed to highlight “a new era of Chicago swagger” and its unique skyline, museums, shopping, and dining.
The Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier offers picturesque, 360-degree views of Chicago and the lake from 200 feet in the air, where you’ll also glimpse Millennium Park—home to Cloud Gate (“The Bean” sculpture), Crown Foundation, and Lurie Garden—and Buckingham Foundation.
A stroll or rented bike ride along the Lakefront Trail offers stunning vistas of the lake and unparalleled people watching as joggers, dogwalkers, and others meander or zoom by along the path. The Chicago Riverwalk, a 1.25-mile public space on the south bank of the Chicago River, is home to restaurants, bars, and public art and is easily accessible from multiple points along Wacker Drive.
Museums
The Chicago Museum Campus, which is near McCormick Place, features three legendary museums—the Field Museum (home to Sue—the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found), Adler Planetarium (offering interactive exhibits, immersive sky shows, and the Gemini 12 spacecraft), and the Shedd Aquarium (home to more than 1,500 species of marine life, including sharks, beluga whales, and penguins).
A few miles to the north, you can visit the Art Institute of Chicago, home to more than 300,000 classic and modern masterpieces. For a smaller, more intimate artistic experience—that you can finish in under an hour—wander over to the Museum of Contemporary Art, tucked in just behind Water Tower Place off Michigan Avenue.
Shopping
If you lean more toward shopping, be sure to explore Michigan Avenue—also known as the Magnificent Mile—which boasts a diverse range of department stores and specialty shops. Newly opened this year is the family-friendly, 12,000 square foot Harry Potter Shop Chicago, featuring a glowing Goblet of Fire centerpiece, broomsticks that hover above the floor, and exclusive Chicago-themed merchandise.
When you need a respite from shopping, be sure to visit the world’s largest Starbucks, the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, located a block from the Harry Potter Shop Chicago. This massive, five-story location offers exclusive, Chicago-inspired beverages as well as sandwiches, pizzas, and other food options.
Chicago’s historic Chinatown neighborhood also is a short drive from the convention center and is home to several eclectic shops and family-owned restaurants.
Dining
When hunger hits, Chicago boasts a number of signature culinary delights, including deep-dish pizza, Italian beef sandwiches, and Chicago-style hot dogs (all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, garnished with a colorful assortment of ingredients).
For a more refined dining experience, notable restaurants located relatively close to McCormick Place include the Chicago Firehouse (Steakhouse); Oliver’s (new American); and Il Culaccino (Italian).
The epicenter of Chicago’s downtown dining scene is in the West Loop, particularly along Randolph Street and in Fulton Market. Popular choices include but are not limited to: Monteverde (innovative Italian); Swift & Sons (modern steakhouse); Momotaro (Japanese); and Trivoli Tavern (upscale bar food in a charming atmosphere).
No matter how you decide to spend your leisure time in Chicago, an unforgettable “Never Done, Never Outdone” experience awaits.
To learn more about Chicago, check out the tourism information curated by the Chicago Office of Tourism, also known as Choose Chicago.
Claim CME and Access On Demand
Thank you to all who attended Clinical Congress in Chicago! CME Credit claiming closes on February 23, 2026. Virtual registration is available.
