Local Attractions
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Adler Planetarium
| 2 Miles
1300 South Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
The Adler Planetarium — America's First Planetarium — was founded in 1930 by Chicago business leader Max Adler. The museum is home to three full-size theaters, extensive space science exhibitions, and one of the world's most important antique astronomical instrument collections on display.
The Art Institute of Chicago houses more than 300,000 works of art within its 10 curatorial departments. Among its great treasures are the legendary masterpieces A Sunday Afternoon on La Grand Jatte - 1884 by Georges Seurat, American Gothic by Grant Wood, Nighthawks by Ed Hopper and 33 paintings by Claude Monet. The Art Institute is the second largest art museum in the country and has the largest impressionist collection outside The Louvre.
Chicago History Museum
| 2 Miles
1601 North Clark, Chicago, IL 60614
The Chicago History Museum cares for, showcases, and interprets millions of authentic pieces of Chicago and U.S. history. Our ability to illuminate the past is a reminder of what really happened once upon a time, sheds light on the present, and compellingly informs the future.
The Field Museum was established almost 115 years ago to house the biological and anthropological collections assembled for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. These objects form the core of the Museum's collections that have grown through world-wide expeditions, exchange, purchase and gifts to more than twenty million specimens. The collections form the foundation of the Museum's exhibition, research and education programs, which are further informed by a world-class natural history library of more than 250,000 volumes.
More than one hundred years ago, Frank Lloyd Wright sparked an architectural revolution with the opening of his studio in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois. Every year thousands of tourists visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park.
Grant Park
| 1 Blocks
Chicago, IL 60601
Proudly referred to as Chicago's "front yard," Grant Park is among the city's loveliest and most prominent parks. Grant Park's centerpiece is the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, built in 1927 to provide a monumental focal point while protecting the park's breathtaking lakefront views.
John Hancock Observatory
| 1 Miles
835 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
Located high above The Magnificent Mile, the breathtaking 360° views stretch across 4 states –Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois– including stunning views of Lake Michigan and a beautiful night cityscape.
Named for one of our Illinois’ heroes after his death, Lincoln Park began as a small lakefront park, has evolved to its now venerable 1208 acres along Lake Michigan. Stretching 5 miles along the lakefront from North Avenue to Foster Avenue, Lincoln Park is a destination not to be missed. Established in 1868, the Lincoln Park Zoo is the world's largest free zoo.
Each of the Great Avenues has its own unique features, distinguishing it as a premier commercial center, while all provide visitors, local employees and residents with a world-class urban experience. This experience is the result of seven values: historic setting, spectacular streetscape, innovative architecture, distinctive retail, high-quality fine dining, world-class hotels and premier office space. For example: The Magnificent Mile is rooted in the 1909 Plan of Chicago, Daniel Burnham’s historic vision for a great metropolis and features spectacular gardens along a tree-lined boulevard with some of the world’s most distinctive buildings, both old and new. The retail, dining and hospitality venues are diverse and exciting, and the office space is some of the most highly valued in the world.
McCormick Place
| 2 Miles
2301 South Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL 60607
Located only minutes from the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, McCormick Place is North America's premier convention facility attracting more than 3 million visitors annually. McCormick Place comprises four state-of-the-art buildings. These buildings have a combined total of 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, 1.2 million square feet all on one level, making it the nation's largest convention center.
Merchandise Mart
| 1 Miles
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654
The Merchandise Mart is the world’s largest commercial building, wholesale design center and one of Chicago’s premier international business locations. Encompassing 4.2 million gross square feet, The Mart spans two city blocks and rises 25 stories and is epicenter for high design and luxury goods.
Discover a state-of-the-art collection of architecture, landscape design and art that provide the backdrop for hundreds of free cultural programs including concerts, exhibitions, tours and family activities. In Millennium Park, you’ll find a new kind of town square – a lively, spectacular gathering spot located in the heart of the city and a destination for Chicagoans and visitors alike.
Museum of Contemporary Art
| 1 Miles
220 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
Located in the heart of downtown Chicago and one of the nation's largest facilities devoted to the art of our time, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945. The MCA documents contemporary visual culture through painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, and performance.
Converted from the Palace of Fine Arts after the 1893 World’s Fair, Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, one of the largest science museums in the world, is home to more than 35,000 artifacts and nearly 14 acres of hands-on exhibits designed to spark scientific inquiry and creativity.
Navy Pier
| 1 Miles
600 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
Historic Navy Pier is Chicago's lakefront playground. And it's the Midwest's #1 tourist and leisure destination, attracting more than 8.6 million visitors a year. There's so much to do in our 50 acres of parks, promenades, gardens, shops, eateries and attractions. From rides to restaurants, exhibitions to entertainment, shopping to dining cruises and tour boats, Navy Pier has it all - in a location unlike any other!
Shedd Aquarium
| 2 Miles
1200 South Lakeshore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605
80 years ago, the recently retired President of Marshall Field and Co. John G. Shedd was inspired by the great endowment of his mentor, the Field Museum of Natural History. Today the Shedd Aquarium connects people to the living world; engage and inspire, entertain and inform.
Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower) is a 110 story building in the heart of Chicago’s downtown. Willis Tower is not only one of the tallest buildings in the world, it is also a magnificent icon, impossible to miss within Chicago’s skyline.
