On North Avenue Beach, the sun worshippers are out there enjoying their holiday outdoors. According to some, the beach is the place to be - a little sun, a little sand, a game of volleyball and a good barbecue with friends and family.
"It's packed. Especially today. This isn't even our towel. Sorry to the person whose towel this is," said Vanessa Daniel.
"We have the family out. We haven't done this for quite a while. So we enjoyed the day and are having a great time," said David Cruz.
Also crowded was the Taste of Chicago but the weather was perfect for sampling a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
But July fourth is first and foremost about commemorating American independence. And in the city there was no better celebration than at the Chicago History Museum. There was face painting for the kids and a very tall Uncle Sam in a costume parade and a unique reading of the Declaration of Independence that brought Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and other revolutionary heroes to life.
"A great job in character to provide perspective instead of the name in a history book to say here's the personality and their clothing. And their reasons for what they did," Randy Cravis.
