World Famous Gospel Brunch & 4 More Chicago Plans This Week

Mother's Day brunch with a gospel choir, David Byrne's immersive theater on the river, a Monday at the Green Mill, Mayfest opens, and the Pokémon Fossil Museum lands at the Field.

By Raj Singh · Published May 10, 2026.

Mother's Day Sunday in Chicago — clear sky, 58 degrees, the kind of day where you want to do something but not a lot of something. Below is what we are picking for today, tomorrow, and the rest of the week. Source mix: Do312, Choose Chicago, and Time Out. Outdoor weather is fine today, soft tomorrow, and gets messy by Tuesday — plan accordingly.

SUNDAY, MAY 10

World Famous Gospel Brunch @ House of Blues

12:30 PM seating (10 AM also available) · Tickets $

A Mother's Day Sunday made for the World Famous Gospel Brunch — a House of Blues institution that pairs a gospel choir with a Southern buffet (carving station, made-to-order omelets, biscuits, that famous chicken). The 12:30 PM seating is the calmer one if mom likes to sleep in; the 10 AM is the high-energy crowd. The room itself is the draw — folk-art mosaics from floor to ceiling, big communal tables, the kind of place that feels like a celebration before anyone says a word. Walk to River North after for a stroll along the river or a coffee at Dollop. Indoor, all-ages, kid-friendly, and the brunch is the whole show — you do not need to plan around it. 58F and clear outside if you want to extend the day with a riverwalk.

SUNDAY, MAY 10

Theater of the Mind @ Reid Murdoch Building

Multiple time slots · Ticketed

If brunch is too predictable, Theater of the Mind is the opposite — a 75-minute immersive experience created by David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar that walks small groups through a series of staged rooms exploring memory, perception, and the self. Originally premiered in Denver and now running in the Reid Murdoch Building (the clock-tower landmark right on the river at LaSalle), it lands somewhere between theater, science museum, and guided meditation — you participate, you do not sit and watch. Multiple time slots run throughout the day. The building itself is worth the trip: Beaux-Arts brick, 1914, sits directly on the Riverwalk so you can grab a drink at City Winery or a slice at Pizzeria Portofino afterward. Indoor, weather-proof, and leaves you with something to talk about for a week.

MONDAY, MAY 11

Joel Paterson & Friends @ The Green Mill

8 PM · Cover at door

Mondays at the Green Mill are one of those low-key Chicago rituals you should do at least once a season, and Joel Paterson — Chicago's go-to guitarist for anything country, jazz, or Western swing — is the right way to start. He plays with rotating friends, the cover is cheap, the seats are velvet, and the room itself has not been redecorated since Capone allegedly used it as a hideout. No phones-up tourists at 8 PM on a Monday — just regulars and a few locals who know what they are doing. Uptown pre-show: Hopleaf for Belgian beer and mussels, or grab a slice at Big Slice on Broadway. Take the Red Line to Lawrence — parking is a nightmare. 53F overcast, throw a jacket on for the walk to the door.

THIS WEEK

Lincoln Park Mayfest @ Armitage & Sheffield

Fri May 15, 4 PM open · runs through Sun May 17 · Free entry, suggested donation

Mayfest is the soft opening of Chicago summer — Lincoln Park's neighborhood street festival shuts down Armitage between Sheffield and Fremont for a long weekend of live bands, a beer tent, food vendors from neighborhood spots, and the kind of crowd that is half DePaul, half stroller. Two stages run across the weekend with a mix of cover bands and locals. Free entry with a suggested donation at the gate. The neighborhood is the whole appeal: walk down Armitage afterward and you have RJ Grunts (the original Lettuce Entertain You), Sapori Trattoria for pasta, or Floriole bakery if you want to eat something quietly excellent. Brown Line to Armitage drops you a block away. The forecast for the weekend opener is sketchy — high 60s but heavy drizzle Tuesday tapering off, so check the radar Friday before you commit.

THIS WEEK (opens May 22)

Pokémon Fossil Museum @ Field Museum

Museum hours, opens 9 AM · Included with general admission

The Pokémon Fossil Museum opens at the Field on Friday May 22 and is the early-summer family pick — a touring exhibition that pairs every Fossil Pokémon (Tyrantrum, Archeops, the deep cuts) side by side with the actual ancient species they were inspired by. It is the rare kid-bait exhibit that sneaks in real paleontology, and the Field has never done a half-effort exhibition. Plan for a full half-day: the Field also has SUE the T. rex two halls over, which is the obvious follow-up. Entry is included with general admission. Park at Soldier Field if you have a car, or take any 146 bus down DuSable Lake Shore. Eat after at Eleven City Diner in the South Loop, or if the weather cooperates pack a picnic for the Museum Campus lawn — it is one of the prettiest skyline views in the city.