The Wilcox Company

The Empty Bottle sounds like an excellent spot to catch some live music. They offer affordable drinks, reasonable cover, and a fun crowd. It's interesting to note that the bar started as a cat-filled hole-in-the-wall in 1992 but later moved two blocks up the street to a slightly larger and better-equipped venue. They've been putting on great shows for the past 20 years and have managed to maintain their success thanks to their low prices, lack of attitude, and loyal customer base.

If you're searching for an exciting day trip near Chicago, look no further than Raging Waves Waterpark. With nine waterslides, a lazy river, a wave pool, and a giant sandbox, kids and adults alike will have a great time. Since opening to the public in 2008, Raging Waves has expanded to cover 58 acres, adding 15 more waterslides, 43 private cabanas, and 11 dining options. It's hard to believe that it all began with only 17 waterslides, a ¼ mile-long lazy river, a 350,000-gallon wave pool, a sand area, a leisure pool, and two restaurants.

Hawthorne Race Course is a venue that offers both live racing and simulcasting. It is a thoroughbred horse racetrack with a one-mile dirt oval and a seven-furlong turf oval. The homestretch on the main track is 1,320 feet long, making it one of the longest in the country. Founded in 1891, Hawthorne Race Course is the oldest sporting venue in Illinois for horse racing, considered America's original sport. The business is family-owned and operated, now in its 4th generation, and has been hosting racing events on the City's border for over a century. The track is famously known as "Chicago's hometown track." Hawthorne is also the only race course in the nation that hosts both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing. Additionally, they have the largest network of off-track betting bars in Illinois and offer two PointsBet Sportsbooks and a sportsbook at the track.