Visiting Places In Chicago
Chicago attractions: The 25 best sights and attractions in Chicago
Chicago, on Lake Michigan in Illinois, is among the largest cities in the U.S. Famed for its bold architecture, it has a skyline bristling with skyscrapers such as the iconic John Hancock Center, sleek, 1,451-ft. Willis Tower and neo-Gothic Tribune Tower. The city is also renowned for its museums, including the Art Institute and its expansive collections, including noted Impressionist works.
Among the city's parks, museums and skyscrapers, these are the very best Chicago attractions to help you fast-track your sightseeing around town
Whether you're entertaining out-of-town guests or simply want to act like a tourist in your hometown by revisiting the best Chicago attractions, iconic venues and historical spots, make sightseeing a lot easier by consulting Time Out's definitive guide to Chicago's best sights, top attractions and things to do. We've compiled our favorite popular sights in the city, featuring the best parks, museums, and hubs of arts and culture.
1-Adler Planetarium
Though it’s staffed by world-class researchers at the forefront of their field, the museum’s real draw will always be the virtual-reality trips through time and space in the Sky Theater, which features the "highest resolution and quality possible." Themes usually center around the known and unknown universe and how humans have engaged with it throughout history. The recently rennovated "Mission Moon" exhibit allows visitors to see the Gemini 12 capsule and learn more about the early days of the space race.
2-Chicago History Museum
Not so long ago this vibrant museum was the stodgy ol' Chicago Historical Society, which let you cull through thousands of archived photographs and curio. Well, that library still exists, but joining it are several permanent and temporary exhibits, the largest of which is "Chicago: Crossroads of America," a treasure trove of historical objects. Not so long ago this vibrant museum was the stodgy ol' Chicago Historical Society, which let you cull through thousands of archived photographs and curio. Well, that library still exists, but joining it are several permanent and temporary exhibits, the largest of which is "Chicago: Crossroads of America," a treasure trove of historical objects, including a chunk of the original Fort Dearborn. Other exhibits include “Sensing Chicago” (kids swarm around the giant Chicago hot dog) and revolving displays showing off one of the world's largest costume collections.
3-Brookfield Zoo
Set on 216 acres, the zoo is home to nearly 6,000 animals, including 3,000 invertebrates, representing 436 species. The star of the show is the Great Bear Wilderness exhibit, a 7.5-acre replication of a North American habitat for the zoo’s polar bears, grizzlies, Mexican gray wolves, bison, bald eagles and ravens.
4-DuSable Museum of African American History
When this institution opened in 1961, African-American history was suffering serious neglect at the hands of the city’s—and for that matter the nation’s—cultural institutions. The Hyde Park cultural hub is now one of the oldest African-American–focused museums in the country, displaying documents and artifacts from the lives of overlooked or unjustly marginalized movers and shakers.
5-Grant Park
Spanning 319 acres of lakefront property, Chicago's "front yard" is filled with notable landmarks like the Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute and Museum Campus. In the summer, Grant Park's sprawling terrain plays host to festivals like Lollapalooza, Blues Fest and the Taste of Chicago.
6-360 Chicago
Formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory, 360 Chicago offers dining, sights and an interactive tour far above the city streets. From 1,000 feet up on the 94th floor, you can see up to 55 miles out and four states—you'll feel as if you're along for the ride as you watch airplanes whiz by. A recent addition is the Tilt attraction, which allows visitors to step onto an enclosed platform that extends from the building at a 30-degree angle.
7-Lincoln Park Zoo
See some 1,200 animals, from apes to zebras, at the oldest—and one of only a few free—zoos left in the country. It is small, only 35 acres, but attractions like the Kovler Lion House and the Regenstein Center for African Apes are worth the trip.
8-Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art houses one of the largest collections of modern art in the nation and frequently hosts major touring exhibits. In addition to its galleries, the MCA also boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater, and a picturesque sculpture garden.
9-Music Box
For movie lovers who don't care for traditional Hollywood blockbusters there's no better theater than the Music Box, a two-screen cinema that shows the latest art house films and documentaries. The theater's gorgeous, main theater regularly hosts director Q&A's as well as weekly midnight screenings of cult classics.
10-Navy Pier
This tourist hot spot features shops, eateries, an IMAX cinema and a bevy of sightseeing boat tours. Pier Park is home to a 150-foot-high Ferris wheel, plus an old-fashioned swing ride and 18-hole mini-golf course great for tourists or an afternoon of people-watching.
11-Shedd Aquarium
Anchoring the aquatic offerings at this 75-year-old institution are enduring favorites such as piranhas, frogs and snakes of the Amazon; rays, turtles and moray eel of the Caribbean; frightening predator sharks and, the most storied of them all, a 100-plus-year-old Australian lungfish believed to be the longest-living fish in any aquarium in the world. A 2009 rehab of the Oceanarium gave Shedd a lifelike river and tide-pool, a reworked otter habitat, and an attempt to revamp its daily mammal presentations with choreography.
12-Art Institute of Chicago
Well-known treasures beckon inside the Art Institute of Chicago.
What to Do.?
Devote an entire day to this magnificent Beaux-Arts building — with two stone lions guarding its Michigan Avenue entrance — that is home to works of art that span 5,000 years of human history, as well as the globe.
What to See.?
The recently unveiled Modern Wing, which opened in 2009, that houses contemporary art and modern European paintings and sculpture in a breathtaking setting. This is one of the places to visit in Chicago that you just have to take the time to see!
13-The Field Museum
The Field Museum is your passport to travel the world and back in time with 4.5 billion years under one roof.
What to Do.?
Journey through 4 billion years of life on Earth in the Evolving Planet exhibit and marvel over precious stones — from their rough beginnings to sparkling jewelry — in the Grainger Hall of Gems.
What to See.?
The remarkable Sue -- the world’s largest, most complete, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex. Find her holding court in The Field Museum’s grand Stanley Field Hall. Every trip to Chicago should include a date with Sue.
14-Skydeck Chicago
The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere beckons with its eye-popping views of Chicago and beyond. Located atop the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), Skydeck Chicago attracts nearly 1.3 million visitors each year to its 103rd floor observation deck, which rises 1,353 feet (412.4 meters) above street level.
What to Do.?
The brave of heart can step out onto The Ledge, a glass-enclosed balcony, for a view unlike any other.
What to See.?
On a clear day, you can spot many of Chicago’s landmarks and scan the horizon to Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois.
15-Museum of Science and Industry
The largest science center in the Western Hemisphere, the Museum of Science and Industry was the first museum in North America to offer visitors the chance to touch and interact with exhibits.
What to Do.?
Continue that tradition to this day with exhibits that encourage people to do more than spectate: you can make a giant heart beat in time to your own or open a Chicago River drawbridge for a model train.
What to See.?
Examine your moves on the basketball court with the help of a virtual instructor.
16-Millennium Park
With hundreds of free concerts and performances offered throughout the year at the dramatic Jay Pritzker Pavilion, this may be one of Chicago’s newest places to visit, but Millennium Park has quickly become a destination of choice for travelers and locals alike.
What to Do.?
Explore a 5-acre (2.2 hectares) garden, which confirms that Millennium Park lives up to the Chicago’s official Latin motto: Urbs in Horto — City in a Garden.
What to See.?
An immense, walk-up-and-touch sculpture known affectionately as "The Bean."
17-The Magnificent Mile
Aptly named, the Magnificent Mile is a mecca for tourists and business people, and bolsters Chicago’s claim as one of the great cities on the world stage.
What to Do.?
Try not to miss a single storefront! -Start on Michigan Avenue, at the Chicago River and head north for, yes, 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) to Oak Street.
What to See.?
Observe this district of architecture, shopping, dining and business that has few peers.
18-Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field, home to the Chicago Cubs, was built in 1914. The stadium seats 39,000 people and is the second-oldest ballpark in the majors.
19-Shakespeare Theater
The Shakespeare Theater in Chicago has a permanent facility at the Navy Pier. The seven-story, glass curtain-walled theater houses a 500 seat courtyard theater and a 200 seat flexible black box theater.
20-Lyric Opera of Chicago
The Lyric Opera of Chicago offers a full opera season, from October to March, with well known classics. It began in 1954 and is today world-renowned.
21-Oriental Institute Museum
The Oriental Institute Museum, located on the University of Chicago campus, is dedicated to the archeology and art of the Near East. Some of the antiquities on display include finds from excavations in Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, and Israel.
22-Garfield Park Conservatory
Built in the early 1900s, the Garfield Park Conservatory is an historic, publicly owned botanical garden, operated by the Chicago Park District. The gardens grow plants which are used in the numerous city parks and gardens. The glass and metal prairie-school structure was designed by noted landscape architect Jens Jensen. His revolutionary design has been referred to as "landscape art under glass".
Some of the highlights include the Children's Garden, the Demonstration Gardens, and the Monet Garden, based on Claude Monet's garden at Giverney, France.
23-John Hancock Center
The John Hancock Center stands 1,125 ft high and is easy to recognize by its dark metallic looking exterior and cross-braced steel design which runs up the outside of the building. As well, two 345 ft high telecommunications aerials project up from the roof. Visitors can enjoy the views from the 94th floor observatory. The building, constructed in 1970, contains a variety of shops, offices and apartments.
Address: 875 North Michigan Avenue, Chicag
24-Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is a 6 mile stretch of green space along the edge of Lake Michigan, and Chicago's biggest park. This popular park is home to the lovely Lincoln Park Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in the country. Also located here are the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and the Chicago History Museum. For those who simply want to enjoy the outdoor space there are playing fields, bike trails, jogging paths, and beaches. Visitors can see a number of significant statues and pieces of public art within the park grounds including Augustus Saint Gaudens' Standing Statue of Lincoln (1887).
25-The Rookery Building
The Rookery Building was designed by architects Daniel Burnham and John Root in 1888, but the interior lobby and patio were remodelled by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1907. This 12 story building has a Roman Revival and Queen Anne style facade but it is the inside and courtyard that are the true gems. The Rookery, named for the large number of pigeons that frequented the building, is listed on the Register of National Historic Places.
Address: 209 South LaSalle Street, Chicago
Chicago attractions: The 25 best sights and attractions in Chicago
Chicago, on Lake Michigan in Illinois, is among the largest cities in the U.S. Famed for its bold architecture, it has a skyline bristling with skyscrapers such as the iconic John Hancock Center, sleek, 1,451-ft. Willis Tower and neo-Gothic Tribune Tower. The city is also renowned for its museums, including the Art Institute and its expansive collections, including noted Impressionist works.
Among the city's parks, museums and skyscrapers, these are the very best Chicago attractions to help you fast-track your sightseeing around town
Whether you're entertaining out-of-town guests or simply want to act like a tourist in your hometown by revisiting the best Chicago attractions, iconic venues and historical spots, make sightseeing a lot easier by consulting Time Out's definitive guide to Chicago's best sights, top attractions and things to do. We've compiled our favorite popular sights in the city, featuring the best parks, museums, and hubs of arts and culture.
1-Adler Planetarium
Though it’s staffed by world-class researchers at the forefront of their field, the museum’s real draw will always be the virtual-reality trips through time and space in the Sky Theater, which features the "highest resolution and quality possible." Themes usually center around the known and unknown universe and how humans have engaged with it throughout history. The recently rennovated "Mission Moon" exhibit allows visitors to see the Gemini 12 capsule and learn more about the early days of the space race.
2-Chicago History Museum
Not so long ago this vibrant museum was the stodgy ol' Chicago Historical Society, which let you cull through thousands of archived photographs and curio. Well, that library still exists, but joining it are several permanent and temporary exhibits, the largest of which is "Chicago: Crossroads of America," a treasure trove of historical objects. Not so long ago this vibrant museum was the stodgy ol' Chicago Historical Society, which let you cull through thousands of archived photographs and curio. Well, that library still exists, but joining it are several permanent and temporary exhibits, the largest of which is "Chicago: Crossroads of America," a treasure trove of historical objects, including a chunk of the original Fort Dearborn. Other exhibits include “Sensing Chicago” (kids swarm around the giant Chicago hot dog) and revolving displays showing off one of the world's largest costume collections.
3-Brookfield Zoo
Set on 216 acres, the zoo is home to nearly 6,000 animals, including 3,000 invertebrates, representing 436 species. The star of the show is the Great Bear Wilderness exhibit, a 7.5-acre replication of a North American habitat for the zoo’s polar bears, grizzlies, Mexican gray wolves, bison, bald eagles and ravens.
4-DuSable Museum of African American History
When this institution opened in 1961, African-American history was suffering serious neglect at the hands of the city’s—and for that matter the nation’s—cultural institutions. The Hyde Park cultural hub is now one of the oldest African-American–focused museums in the country, displaying documents and artifacts from the lives of overlooked or unjustly marginalized movers and shakers.
5-Grant Park
Spanning 319 acres of lakefront property, Chicago's "front yard" is filled with notable landmarks like the Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute and Museum Campus. In the summer, Grant Park's sprawling terrain plays host to festivals like Lollapalooza, Blues Fest and the Taste of Chicago.
6-360 Chicago
Formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory, 360 Chicago offers dining, sights and an interactive tour far above the city streets. From 1,000 feet up on the 94th floor, you can see up to 55 miles out and four states—you'll feel as if you're along for the ride as you watch airplanes whiz by. A recent addition is the Tilt attraction, which allows visitors to step onto an enclosed platform that extends from the building at a 30-degree angle.
7-Lincoln Park Zoo
See some 1,200 animals, from apes to zebras, at the oldest—and one of only a few free—zoos left in the country. It is small, only 35 acres, but attractions like the Kovler Lion House and the Regenstein Center for African Apes are worth the trip.
8-Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art houses one of the largest collections of modern art in the nation and frequently hosts major touring exhibits. In addition to its galleries, the MCA also boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater, and a picturesque sculpture garden.
9-Music Box
For movie lovers who don't care for traditional Hollywood blockbusters there's no better theater than the Music Box, a two-screen cinema that shows the latest art house films and documentaries. The theater's gorgeous, main theater regularly hosts director Q&A's as well as weekly midnight screenings of cult classics.
10-Navy Pier
This tourist hot spot features shops, eateries, an IMAX cinema and a bevy of sightseeing boat tours. Pier Park is home to a 150-foot-high Ferris wheel, plus an old-fashioned swing ride and 18-hole mini-golf course great for tourists or an afternoon of people-watching.
11-Shedd Aquarium
Anchoring the aquatic offerings at this 75-year-old institution are enduring favorites such as piranhas, frogs and snakes of the Amazon; rays, turtles and moray eel of the Caribbean; frightening predator sharks and, the most storied of them all, a 100-plus-year-old Australian lungfish believed to be the longest-living fish in any aquarium in the world. A 2009 rehab of the Oceanarium gave Shedd a lifelike river and tide-pool, a reworked otter habitat, and an attempt to revamp its daily mammal presentations with choreography.
12-Art Institute of Chicago
Well-known treasures beckon inside the Art Institute of Chicago.
What to Do.?
Devote an entire day to this magnificent Beaux-Arts building — with two stone lions guarding its Michigan Avenue entrance — that is home to works of art that span 5,000 years of human history, as well as the globe.
What to See.?
The recently unveiled Modern Wing, which opened in 2009, that houses contemporary art and modern European paintings and sculpture in a breathtaking setting. This is one of the places to visit in Chicago that you just have to take the time to see!
13-The Field Museum
The Field Museum is your passport to travel the world and back in time with 4.5 billion years under one roof.
What to Do.?
Journey through 4 billion years of life on Earth in the Evolving Planet exhibit and marvel over precious stones — from their rough beginnings to sparkling jewelry — in the Grainger Hall of Gems.
What to See.?
The remarkable Sue -- the world’s largest, most complete, and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex. Find her holding court in The Field Museum’s grand Stanley Field Hall. Every trip to Chicago should include a date with Sue.
14-Skydeck Chicago
The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere beckons with its eye-popping views of Chicago and beyond. Located atop the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), Skydeck Chicago attracts nearly 1.3 million visitors each year to its 103rd floor observation deck, which rises 1,353 feet (412.4 meters) above street level.
What to Do.?
The brave of heart can step out onto The Ledge, a glass-enclosed balcony, for a view unlike any other.
What to See.?
On a clear day, you can spot many of Chicago’s landmarks and scan the horizon to Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois.
15-Museum of Science and Industry
The largest science center in the Western Hemisphere, the Museum of Science and Industry was the first museum in North America to offer visitors the chance to touch and interact with exhibits.
What to Do.?
Continue that tradition to this day with exhibits that encourage people to do more than spectate: you can make a giant heart beat in time to your own or open a Chicago River drawbridge for a model train.
What to See.?
Examine your moves on the basketball court with the help of a virtual instructor.
16-Millennium Park
With hundreds of free concerts and performances offered throughout the year at the dramatic Jay Pritzker Pavilion, this may be one of Chicago’s newest places to visit, but Millennium Park has quickly become a destination of choice for travelers and locals alike.
What to Do.?
Explore a 5-acre (2.2 hectares) garden, which confirms that Millennium Park lives up to the Chicago’s official Latin motto: Urbs in Horto — City in a Garden.
What to See.?
An immense, walk-up-and-touch sculpture known affectionately as "The Bean."
17-The Magnificent Mile
Aptly named, the Magnificent Mile is a mecca for tourists and business people, and bolsters Chicago’s claim as one of the great cities on the world stage.
What to Do.?
Try not to miss a single storefront! -Start on Michigan Avenue, at the Chicago River and head north for, yes, 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) to Oak Street.
What to See.?
Observe this district of architecture, shopping, dining and business that has few peers.
18-Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field, home to the Chicago Cubs, was built in 1914. The stadium seats 39,000 people and is the second-oldest ballpark in the majors.
19-Shakespeare Theater
The Shakespeare Theater in Chicago has a permanent facility at the Navy Pier. The seven-story, glass curtain-walled theater houses a 500 seat courtyard theater and a 200 seat flexible black box theater.
20-Lyric Opera of Chicago
The Lyric Opera of Chicago offers a full opera season, from October to March, with well known classics. It began in 1954 and is today world-renowned.
21-Oriental Institute Museum
The Oriental Institute Museum, located on the University of Chicago campus, is dedicated to the archeology and art of the Near East. Some of the antiquities on display include finds from excavations in Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, and Israel.
22-Garfield Park Conservatory
Some of the highlights include the Children's Garden, the Demonstration Gardens, and the Monet Garden, based on Claude Monet's garden at Giverney, France.
Address: 875 North Michigan Avenue, Chicag
24-Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is a 6 mile stretch of green space along the edge of Lake Michigan, and Chicago's biggest park. This popular park is home to the lovely Lincoln Park Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in the country. Also located here are the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and the Chicago History Museum. For those who simply want to enjoy the outdoor space there are playing fields, bike trails, jogging paths, and beaches. Visitors can see a number of significant statues and pieces of public art within the park grounds including Augustus Saint Gaudens' Standing Statue of Lincoln (1887).
25-The Rookery Building
The Rookery Building was designed by architects Daniel Burnham and John Root in 1888, but the interior lobby and patio were remodelled by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1907. This 12 story building has a Roman Revival and Queen Anne style facade but it is the inside and courtyard that are the true gems. The Rookery, named for the large number of pigeons that frequented the building, is listed on the Register of National Historic Places.
Address: 209 South LaSalle Street, Chicago
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