Chicago Attractions: The Landmarks Worth Your Time
Every guide here covers one thing to do in Chicago properly: what it is, what it costs, how long it takes and how to reach it, from river architecture cruises and observation decks to food walks and neighborhood tours.
Attractions
Writers Museum
An interactive museum celebrating American writers, steps from Millennium Park.
Attractions
Chicago Riverwalk
Walk the river-level path under the bridges, with patios, docks and cruise departures.
Attractions
Chicago Theatre
The marquee, the tours, the shows and everything around the Chicago Theatre.
Attractions
Chicago Water Tower
The limestone survivor of the Great Fire, free to visit on the Magnificent Mile.
Attractions
Grant Park
The lakefront park behind Buckingham Fountain, Chicago's festival ground and front lawn.
Attractions
Magnificent Mile
Michigan Avenue's famous mile: sights, shops, food and transit, plus the tours that leave from its docks.
Attractions
Museum Campus
Three museums, one lakefront peninsula: tickets, free days and a realistic one-day plan.
Attractions
Mexican Art Museum
A free museum in Pilsen and the best reason to explore the neighborhood's murals and food.
Attractions
North Avenue Beach
Chicago's busiest beach, with sand, volleyball, kayaks and skyline views on Lake Michigan.
Attractions
United Center
Home of the Bulls and Blackhawks, two miles west of the Loop, with the Jordan statue out front.
Attractions
Wrigley Field Tours
What a Wrigley Field visit involves, what you can book, and how to get there.
Attractions
Adler Planetarium
Tickets, free days, transit, and how Adler compares to its Museum Campus neighbors.
Attractions
Field Museum
Tickets, free days and the exhibits worth your time at Chicago's Field Museum.
Attractions
Cultural Center
The free Tiffany dome building across from Millennium Park, and how to visit it well.
Attractions
Museum of Science and Industry
Hyde Park's science giant: submarines, coal mines, and the World's Fair building.
Attractions
DuSable Museum
The oldest independent Black history museum in the country, in Washington Park.
Experiences
Wright Home and Studio
Visit the Oak Park home where Frank Lloyd Wright invented the Prairie Style, and the streets of Wright buildings around it.
Attractions
Shedd Aquarium
Tickets, resident free days, exhibits, and transit for Chicago's aquarium on Museum Campus.
Attractions
360 CHICAGO
Prices, TILT facts, and Skydeck comparisons for the observation deck on the former John Hancock Center.
Attractions
Maggie Daley Park
The free, kid-first playground beside Millennium Park, with climbing structures, a skating ribbon and lakefront access.
Attractions
MCA Chicago
Contemporary art, rotating exhibitions, and a sculpture garden steps from the Magnificent Mile.
Attractions
Garfield Park Conservatory
Free, warm and green all year: Chicago's glasshouse garden on the West Side.