Illinois Travel Guide

Millennium Park is a large public park in the Loop community area of Chicago, featuring Cloud Gate ("The Bean"), Crown Fountain, Lurie Garden, and Jay Pritzker Pavilion. It is a destination worth exploring in depth, offering visitors a memorable experience with its unique charm and attractions. It is a destination worth exploring in depth, offering visitors a memorable experience with its unique charm and attractions.

Buckingham Fountain is a magnificent large fountain in Chicago's Grant Park. One of Chicago's most famous landmarks, it is celebrated for its grand scale, spectacular water displays and elegant Rococo-inspired design, an iconic lakeside landmark. Completed in 1927 and designed by Edward Bennett, it was among the world's largest fountains — inspired by Versailles's Latona Fountain but larger. The pink-marble structure features four seahorse sculptures representing the four states of Lake Michigan (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan). A central jet shoots up to about 46 m (150 ft), surrounded by scores of smaller jets — especially spectacular at night with color-changing light shows. Located in the center of Grant Park facing Lake Michigan with Chicago's magnificent skyline behind, it is a classic spot for photographing the city. Typically operating May through October, the fountain puts on a main 20-minute water display at the top of each hour. Visiting Buckingham Fountain to enjoy the spectacular water and light show and photograph the Chicago skyline is a delightful urban experience.

The Art Institute of Chicago is among America's top art venues; its two bronze lions out front are a city symbol. The collection spans East and West, ancient and modern, famed for Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works—Seurat's 'A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,' Caillebotte's 'Paris Street, Rainy Day'—plus Van Gogh and Monet, and American icons Wood's 'American Gothic' and Hopper's 'Nighthawks.' Grand halls and rich Asian and modern collections deserve a half-day or more for art lovers.

Cloud Gate is the most famous public sculpture in Chicago's Millennium Park, designed by British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor and installed in 2006. Affectionately called The Bean for its bean-like shape, the sculpture is built from 168 stainless steel plates welded and polished to a seamless mirror finish, standing about 10 meters high and weighing 110 tons. Its surface reflects the Chicago skyline, sky and visitors, while the 2.7-meter concave omphalos at the base funnels distorted reflections into a kaleidoscopic visual experience. Visitors can walk around and beneath the sculpture, watching the city and sky shift in the reflection from every angle, making it a must-see for photographers. Anchoring Millennium Park alongside Crown Fountain and the Lurie Garden, Cloud Gate is the centerpiece of Chicago's contemporary public art and draws more than ten million visitors a year for photos.

Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), built in 1973, rises about 442 m over 108 floors and was long the world's tallest—a symbol of Chicago's skyline. The 103rd-floor Skydeck overlooks the city, Lake Michigan and three states beyond; the glass 'Ledge' boxes jut out so visitors stand on transparent floors hundreds of meters up—thrilling and photogenic. On clear days the summit view is superb, a top vantage for Chicago.

Navy Pier is a century-old pleasure pier jutting into Lake Michigan, opened in 1916 and now Chicago's most popular lakefront leisure spot. Its iconic Centennial Wheel turns slowly, lifting riders for lake and skyline views; the pier holds restaurants, theatres, a children's museum and cruise docks, plus summer fireworks. From here, lake and architecture cruises depart, offering the skyline from the water—great for families and casual outings.