On the go with Naper Settlement

Naper Settlement is offering two charter bus tours to the “City of Big Shoulders” celebrating the history of the third largest city in the nation. The Historic Chicago Bus Tour leaves at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 31 from Naper Settlement’s Pre-Emption House, 523 S. Webster St., for a tour of Graceland Cemetery and then on to the Chicago History Museum, returning at 4:30 p.m. A bus tour on July 11 will whisk guests to the party of the century celebrating the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field when the Chicago Cubs take on the Atlanta Braves. The bus leaves Naper Settlement at noon and returns at 8 p.m. Tickets are $65 per person for Historic Chicago and $80 per person for Wrigley Field and the Cubs Game. All transportation, fees and tickets are provided; lunch is on your own. Reservations are required; call (630) 420-6010.

“There’s nothing like a day at the ballpark,” said Nancy Smith, Naper Settlement’s Director of Learning Experiences. “Naperville has many ties to Chicago and we’re providing two opportunities to explore these local history connections through our bus trips and family programming.”

The tour of Graceland Cemetery will be led by Glessner House Executive Director and Curator William Tyre. Graceland Cemetery is known for its architecture and the gravesites of Chicago elite including Marshall Field, George Pullman and Daniel Burnham.

“We are going to be seeing the final resting place of some significant people, who had immense resources,” Tyre said. “Some had monuments designed by the great sculptors and architects of the late 19th and 20th centuries like Lorado Taft and Louis Sullivan.”

The museum’s second bus tour on July 11 is one family members of all ages will enjoy. Wrigley Field is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and Naper Settlement wants to bring fans to this historic party. Leave the driving to Naper Settlement and win a prize playing Cub’s trivia during the charter bus ride, receive a Gayle Sayers bobblehead giveaway at Wrigley Field, then enjoy seats in the shade while taking in batting practice before the game starts. When the Naper Settlement bus arrives at the “Friendly Confines,” guests will see the first game of the July homestand as the Cubs take on the Atlanta Braves. July celebrates the era of the 1960s when the Bears played at Wrigley Field from 1921 until 1970.

The former Weeghman Park and Cubs Park became known as Wrigley Field in 1927, after the Wrigley family renamed it. Wrigley is the second-oldest ballpark in the major league behind Boston’s Fenway Park, built in 1912.

For more information about the Naper Settlement bus tours, visit www.napersettlement.org.