Uptown is home to various music venues, nightclubs, restaurants and shops. The Aragon Ballroom, maybe the most famous ballroom in the country, is still a very popular music venue. Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Lawrence Welk, and other famous bandleaders often played there. In decades to follow, big name bands including: The Rolling Stones, U2, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Nirvana, and many others have graced the stage. The Riviera Theater, also a popular music venue, was once a Jazz Age movie palace which featured live jazz performances with the movies. The Green Mill cocktail lounge was once owned by "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn, a right-hand man of Al Capone, who was a regular patron. The Green Mill still hosts top jazz performers and a weekly Poetry Slam.
Argyle Street, from Sheridan Road to Broadway Avenue features an exceptional selection of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Laotian, French Vietnamese and Cambodian ethnic restaurants and bakeries. The surrounding neighborhood, which has attracted Asian immigrants and refugees for the past several decades, is a unique and popular tourist destination.
Lincoln Park is anchored by the Lincoln Park Zoo and DePaul University and features a wide array of entertainment options including retail stores, boutiques, restaurants, theatres, museums and coffee shops. There are also many bars and clubs in the area, especially along Lincoln Avenue between Diversey Parkway and Armitage Avenue. Lincoln Park hosts two popular museums, Chicago History Museum and Notebaert Nature Museum. During the summer months many visitors flock to North Avenue Beach to catch some rays and to play sand volleyball. Theatre fans will enjoy diverse performances at the Steppenwolf Theatre, Royal George Theatre and Apollo Theatre. The many famed boutiques along Armitage Avenue designate Lincoln Park as a shopper’s paradise.
Boystown, the name for North Halsted Street between Belmont Ave. and Irving Park Rd., holds the distinction of being the nation's first officially recognized gay village. The Center on Halsted was recently built to be a focal point for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community of Chicago, serving the community’s diverse social, recreational, cultural, and social service needs. North Halsted caters to a Chicago nightlife featuring more than 60 bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. The Chicago Pride Parade, one of the largest gay pride parades in the nation, takes place every June. The community area also hosts the annual Halsted Market Days which is the largest two-day street fair in the Midwest, and lives up to its reputation as one of the finest festivals in the country.
Andersonville is particularly known for its diversity, including a continued Swedish cultural presence led by the Swedish American Museum, the Swedish Bakery and other Swedish delicatessens. A significant number of Middle-Eastern businesses, a new influx of families with children, and a large gay and especially lesbian population make this a very diverse population. It is also known for its unique commercial district, made up almost entirely of locally owned, independent shops, restaurants, cafes, taverns and service providers.