Chicago Attractions

Chicago's architecture is world famous. The city is a showcase of 20th century high-rise architecture. The Sears Tower, for a long time the tallest tower in the world is just one of the many examples. Read more...

The Navy Pier was built in 1916 as a recreational and shipping facility. It is now a popular entertainment center, home to many attractions including a large ferris wheel and IMAX theatre. Read more...

The Chicago old watertower was built in 1869. It is one of the few buildings that survived the Great Chicago Fire. The tower was selected as the first American Water Landmark. Read more...

The Shedd Aquarium's most spectacular exhibit is the Oceanarium, a 3 million gallon aquarium with among others beluga whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins. Read more...

The Buckingham Fountain is one of Chicago's best known sights, and rightly so. It is a beautiful fountain, especially at night when it is illuminated with constantly changing colors. Read more...

Grant Park is Chicago's most central park, located between Michigan avenue and Lake Michigan. The main attraction in Grant Park is the Buckingham Fountain, built in 1927. Read more...

The Wrigley building was the first of a series of landmarks constructed at the southern end of the Magnificent Mile. It was built as the headquarters of the Wrigley company, the manufacturer of chewing gum. Read more...

Chicago's modern Millennium Park is one of the coolest city park's you'll ever see. It features an outdoor concert venue as well as a modern fountain, a large sculpture and several gardens. Read more...

The Tribune Tower is one of the magnificent buildings bordering Chicago's Magnificent Mile. The neogothic tower has a collection of famous stones - including a moon rock. Read more...

One of the most famous skyscrapers in Chicago is the John Hancock Center. The 100 story tower was built in 1969. The innovative structural design by Fazlur Kahn results in a visually imposing tower. Read more...

The Field Museum is considered one of the finest natural history museums in the world. Its collection - started in 1893 for the World's Columbian Exposition - boasts the most complete T-Rex ever unearthed. Read more...

The Museum of Science and Industry is housed in a magnificent Beaux-Arts building designed as the Palace of Fine Arts for the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. Read more...

Lincoln Park Zoo, founded in 1968, is the oldest free public zoo in the US. You'll find hundreds of animal species including polar bears, giraffes, bears, lions and gorillas. Read more...

The Magificent Mile is Chicago's most fashionable street. The avenue is bordered by many great skyscrapers, including the John Hancock Tower and Wrigley building. Read more...

The art institute of Chicago - both a school and a museum - is housed in a grand Beaux-Arts building which opened just in time for the 1893 Columbian Exhibition. A modern extension was added in 2009. Read more...

Marina City consists of two identical cylindrical towers, located near the Chicago river. It is a complex conceived as a city in a city, offering recreation facilities, banks, theater, etc. Read more...

Chicago's grand railway station was built in 1925 after 12 years of construction. The building's large waiting room, known as the 'Great Hall', evokes the golden era of railroads. Read more...

Chicago's Chinatown, a neighborhood south of the 'Loop', emerged at the end of the 19th century when immigrants who had first settled on the west coast moved to the Midwest. Read more...

The Chicago river flows through the heart of the city and is bordered with remarkable skyscrapers. A sightseeing boat trip on the Chicago river is a great way to view the many buildings along the river. Read more...

When this tower was built in 1968 it was the tallest apartment building in the world. Its undulating glass facade and its location near the lake make it stand out from the many other skyscrapers in the city. Read more...

This small, somewhat hidden garden centered in Lincoln Park was designed in the 1930s by Alfred Caldwell, who added a picturesque prairie style pavilion and cascading waterfall to the lily pool. Read more...

Michigan Avenue Bridge is the most famous of Chicago's many bridges. The bascule bridge was built between 1917 and 1920, connecting South and North Michigan Avenue across the Chicago river. Read more...

Built in 1921 during the Golden Age of entertainment, the Chicago Theatre was the first of its kind and paved the way for many other marvelous theatres that came after it. Read more...

Oak Street Beach is one of more than 20 beaches along Chicago's lakefront. The beach - artificially created in 1890 - is located near the fashionable Gold Coast neighborhood. Read more...

Federal Center is a complex consisting of three administrative buildings in a sleek black modernist design. The tallest building in the complex is the 42 story high Kluczynski building. Read more...

When the Merchandise Mart was constructed in 1931, it was the building with the largest floor area in the world. It held this title until 1941 when the Pentagon building in Washington, DC was completed. Read more...

Chicago's most acclamed postmodern skyscraper was built in 1983, joining several other landmark buildings bordering the Chicago River on Wacker Drive. The building makes the most of its awkwardly sized plot. Read more...

The James R. Thompson Center is a glass-enclosed steel complex built in 1985 to house government agencies of the state of Illinois. The design by Helmut Jahn was very controversial, polarizing public opinion. Read more...

The area known as the Prairie Avenue Historic District was once “the” place to live in Chicago, home to some of the city's richest inhabitants. A number of their grand residences survived demolition. Read more...

The 860-880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments were revolutionary at the time of construction in 1951. The apartments designed by Mies van der Rohe were the first to feature glass walls. Read more...

Dearborn Street Station was one of six railway stations in Chicago. When the station became defunct in the seventies, the building was slated for demolition but fortunately the station's headhouse was saved. Read more...

This 19th century building designed by Adler & Sullivan was multi-functional, with a hotel, theater and offices. Its magnificent theater, a specialty of the architectural firm, is especially noteworthy. Read more...

This 21-story office tower is home to the First United Methodist Church of Chicago. The tower is topped by an 8-story gothic spire. It was Chicago's tallest building when it was completed in 1923. Read more...

The 1896 Fisher Building is a fine example of an early skyscraper following the principles of the Chicago School of Architecture. Originally an office tower, the building was converted into condominiums in 2001. Read more...

The riverwalk is a public walkway that stretches along the banks of the Chicago River. Originally envisioned in 1909, the walkway only started to take shape about 100 years later and continues to be expanded. Read more...