12 Must-Go Attractions in Chicago
12 Must-Go Attractions in Chicago
Chicago is a famous tourist city in the United States, with attractions such as the Hills Tower, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Zoo, Old Water Tower, Michigan Avenue, and Navy Pier. , attracting many tourists here every year.
Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is the largest park in Chicago, covering an area of 4.9 square kilometers and adjacent to Lake Michigan. And the parts that extend outward from its park center belong to the Chicago Park District. The most famous of these is the Lincoln Park Zoo. Lincoln Park was a City Cemetery in 1843, and many local people who died were buried here, including former Chicago Mayor James Curtiss. In 1864, the city council decided to convert 0.49 square kilometers of the cemetery into a park. Not only does it have numerous golf courses, lively neighborhoods, beaches and marinas, it is also home to the Lincoln Park Zoo, Lincoln Park Conservatory and the Chicago History Museum. In addition, the botanical garden in Lincoln Park is also an attractive place. There are 4 greenhouses and 18 breeding rooms in the garden. Flower shows are also held 4 times a year.
Recommended tour time: 1-2 hours
Opening hours: 10:00-17:00
Magnificent Mile
< p> The Magnificent Mile refers to a section of North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, United States, from the Michigan Avenue Bridge on the Chicago River at the border of the Loop and Near North Side to Oak Street. It connects Chicago's Gold Coast to downtown. In the 1940s, a real estate developer gave the city's most prestigious residential and commercial thoroughfare the nickname. It is home to some of the world's best restaurants, hotels, and shops, as well as many of the world's tallest buildings. Additionally, numerous prestigious buildings are located on the Magnificent Mile, such as the John Hancock Center, the Chicago Water Tower, and the Tribune Tower.Buckingham Fountain
This is one of the largest fountains in the world located in Chicago's Grant Park and is a famous landmark in Chicago. With a water storage capacity of more than 5,600 cubic meters, it was the largest sculptural fountain in the world at that time and the largest illuminated fountain in the world. The central body has three circles of pools, symbolizing the nearby Lake Michigan, while the surrounding seahorses symbolize the four states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan bordering the lake. There is a water column in the center of the pool that can shoot to a height of forty or fifty meters. The water spraying time is from mid-April to mid-October from 9:00-23:00. The fountain is equipped with colored lights and music in the evening.
Recommended play time: 1~2 hours
Tickets: None
Opening hours: April to mid-October every year (subject to change due to weather conditions) 8: 00-23:00, please check the website for specific times.
John Hancock Center
The John Hancock Center is a skyscraper located in Chicago, Illinois, United States, also known as "Big John", with a height of 343.5 meters, including the antenna, it is 457.2 meters tall, with 100 floors above ground and a total floor area of 260,126 square meters. Construction started in 1965 and was completed in 1969. It was the tallest skyscraper in the world outside New York at that time. Visitors can climb to the 94th-floor observation deck for a panoramic view of the entire Chicago city.
Recommended play time: 2~3 hours
Tickets: $18 for adults, $12 for children aged 3-11, free admission for children under 3 years old
Opening hours: 9:00-23:00, the last time to take the elevator is 22:30
Navy Pier (Navy Pier)
Navy Pier is very large, it is U-shaped, There are plazas and shops in the middle, and trails on the sides. Stroll along the trails and enjoy the view of Lake Michigan. Walking to the end of the pier, where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan, there is a square. On the square stands a large iron anchor, which was given to the Navy Pier by the cruiser USS Chicago as a souvenir. During World War I, the area was temporarily used as military territory.
During World War II, it was used as a square for naval training and gatherings. It was also the original temporary site of the University of Illinois. Over the next few decades, the pier fell silent. In 1989, the Chicago government invested US$1.5 billion to rebuild the pier, and it was reopened to tourists in 1994. Today it has become Chicago's most famous and lively amusement park.
Recommended tour: half day
Tickets: free
Opening hours: all day
Willis Tower
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The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, was once the tallest building in the world. Today, although the reputation of being number one no longer exists, it is still a high point that cannot be ignored in the Chicago skyline. Willis Tower is an office building with a height of 110 floors. Tens of thousands of tourists come here every day just to climb to the 103-story Chicago Sky Observation Deck, which is 412 meters high and overlook the entire Chicago. panoramic. When you walk into Willis Tower, you can see the words Windy City, Chicago, Chicago written in English on a wall, and then you line up here to wait for the sightseeing elevator. Due to the large number of tourists who come here every day, the queue time may be longer. Get on the elevator. Every time the elevator goes up, it will display the current floor, the current height and the famous buildings in the world with the same height. For example, reaching the 25th floor is equivalent to the Statue of Liberty in New York, the 86th floor is equivalent to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the 102nd floor is equivalent to the Empire State Building in New York. Due to the large number of tourists, you have to queue up first if you want to experience standing on the transparent glass balcony. Standing on it, you can have an unobstructed view of the city street below, but it is also scary. And you can also see the tourists on the rooftop next to it, giving it a feeling of hanging in the air. Of course, some people are standing on it, some are squatting on the glass, and some are even lying on it
Recommended play time: 1-2 hours
Tickets: $19 for adults, 3-11 years old $12 for children
Opening hours: April to September 9:00-22:00, October to March 10:00-20:00
Shedd Aquarium Shedd Aquarium
Chicago is home to the Shedd Aquarium, the world's largest indoor aquarium. The Shedd Aquarium is located on the south side of Grant Park, in the same area as the Field Museum and the Adler Planetarium***, and is adjacent to the shores of Lake Michigan. Visitors can see more than 20,000 aquatic animals from all over the world on display here. See wild coral reef exhibits and panoramic views of the underwater habitat of sharks and other predators. Dolphins and whales can be seen at the oceanarium, as well as penguins, otters and other marine life. Through an introduction to marine mammals, you can learn how these animals are cared for and trained. Don’t miss the Caribbean Reef, Amazon Rising, or Waterways of the World exhibits to learn about these delicate water ecosystems
Tickets: General admission - $8 adults, $6 children; all-inclusive -$28.95 for adults, $19.95 for children
Millennium Park (Millennium Park)
Millennium Park is a large urban park in Chicago. One side of the park is Chicago's busiest Michigan Avenue , and on the other side is the beautiful Lake Michigan. An award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design, it is often a top tourist attraction. Entering the park from Michigan Avenue, you will first see the famous Cloud Gate sculpture in the square. The entire sculpture is made of stainless steel. Although it is large in size, its appearance is very unique, like a huge bean, so it is also nicknamed "Silver Bean" by the locals. Because the exterior is made of highly polished stainless steel plates, the entire sculpture is like a spherical mirror. During the day, it reflects the skyscrapers of Chicago and the white clouds in the sky. It is also like a huge mirror, attracting visitors to stop and admire the unique reflection of the sculpture. of myself. At night, the landscape lights embedded in the square light up and are reflected on the "beans", which is also extremely colorful.
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private, coeducational, non-denominational comprehensive university founded in 1891 by John? Rockefeller founded it and officially opened classes on October 1, 1892. The University of Chicago is one of the most prestigious private universities in the United States. 81 alumni have won Nobel Prizes, including Chinese physicists Tsung-Dao Lee, Chen-Ning Yang, and Cui Qi. The University of Chicago campus covers an area of about 211 acres. Its antique Gothic buildings are surrounded by gardens, like a European medieval castle. The gate of the University of Chicago is so small that even the students of this school don't know that there is a gate to their alma mater, so this gate is often ignored. The school has no walls, and students can enter and exit freely, living and studying on this famous campus.
Grant park (Grant park)
Grant Park, located between Michigan Avenue and Lake Michigan in Chicago, is the main park in downtown Chicago. There are many distinctive buildings in the park. To the north is the Art Institute of Chicago, and to the south are the Museum of Natural History, Seder Aquarium and Adler Planetarium, the Field Museum and the Open Air Concert Hall. To the east of the park is the sea-like Lake Michigan. Grant Park has a pleasant scenery. There are many famous sculptures in the park, including the Buckingham Fountain, the largest illuminated fountain in the world. It is also the first choice for locals to get married and take outdoor shots. It is a park loved by locals. There are walking streets, bicycle paths, tennis courts, softball fields, skating rinks and other facilities in the park. When summer comes, locals like to cycle along the bicycle paths along the lakeside. When you come to the park, you can walk in the park and watch the locals running and cycling past you; you can also sit on the grass and admire the beautiful Buckingham Fountain and some sculptures; or you can go on the trails along Lake Michigan. Take a walk and enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Michigan.
Recommended tour: half day
Opening hours: 7:00-23:00
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago was founded in 1891. It is one of the oldest art exhibition halls in the world and one of the three major art museums in the United States today. The museum has a collection of art treasures spanning five thousand years and spanning five continents. It can be called a museum of all nations. In particular, the masterpieces of French Impressionist painters are world-renowned, and the masterpieces of masters such as Renoir, Picasso, and Van Gogh are priceless. Even the bronze lion statues on both sides of the gate have become a symbol of the city. The main entrance of the museum faces South Michigan Street, and the exterior of the museum is in a Victorian style. The museum is huge in scale, divided into 10 exhibition halls, and has a total collection of more than 300,000 exhibits. The collection includes European, American and Oriental sculptures, paintings, prints, drawings, and decorative arts, as well as photography, as well as African and Pre-Columbian American art.
Tickets: $18 for adults; $12 for children, students and seniors over 65 years old; free for children under 14 years old
Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago
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The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry is located in Hyde Park. This museum covers an area of 14 hectares and is the largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere. It attracts a large number of tourists every year. The museum's display content is very rich, ranging from basic scientific knowledge to cutting-edge scientific knowledge, which can meet various learning needs from children to adults. The museum has three floors, each floor has four stairs, distinguished by four colors: red, yellow, blue and green, providing convenient visiting conditions for the audience. At the same time, the museum uses these knowledge points to form the entire exhibition, and the research on each knowledge point is very in-depth, and each exhibit can be participated in by hands. Brain science is a field of knowledge that is generally recognized as difficult to express, and it is even more difficult to engage the audience. However, what amazed us is that the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry has designed unique and excellent exhibits in this field.
Tickets: $15 for adults, $14 for youth and seniors, $10 for children;