Things to do in Hyde Park and the South Side

South of downtown, Hyde Park centers on the University of Chicago's historic campus and the Museum of Science and Industry, with the Obama Presidential Center under construction nearby (no confirmed opening date yet, so treat any listed date as provisional). The Metra Electric District is the most direct way in from the Loop, roughly 20 to 30 minutes each way; bus and Green Line connections also work but take longer.

This is a fit for anyone interested in university architecture, intellectual history, or a large science museum as an alternative to the Museum Campus, which instead groups the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, and Adler Planetarium near Grant Park. It suits families as much as it suits a slower, campus-paced day.

It does not suit visitors who want to stay inside the dense downtown tourist core, since travel times here run longer and the neighborhood is largely residential.