As soon as we walked in, we knew the Ballroom at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago was the perfect place. It’s so cool and jazzy-agey, with 26-foot columns, and a huge checkered dance floor, and opera balconies, for gosh sakes. When you see the spiral red-carpeted main staircase, you’ll know what we mean.

The entire building used to be the home of the Illinois Athletic Club, and the Ballroom is where the all-male clientele (and we assume their female dates) lived large during the Gatsby years… and then came the 1930s. Over the years the Ballroom fell into disrepair, until the Art Institute of Chicago turned the building in an art school, and restored the Ballroom to its original splendor. Isn’t it just the bees’ knees?

What makes this ballroom even more appealing is the great location in downtown Chicago. It’s right across the street from Millennium Park, with just beautiful views of Grant Park and the lake (and the bean!)