Chicago is a big city with plenty of nicknames and lots of things for a citizen to explore, let alone a tourist. Many people who live in Chicago have yet explored all of its cultural spots, while some have not even seen all the sights. Tourist attractions often do not concern regular citizens, as they are most likely crowded with people and a nuisance to get around, yet, they are tourist attractions for a reason.
If you plan on visiting Chicago, here are the top tourist attractions, the ones you must see.
The Art Institute of Chicago
There is no today without yesterday and no tomorrow without today. To learn about the yesterdays of Chicago, its culture and art, you should visit the Art Institute of Chicago. This museum is large and when we say large, we mean it. At least one hundred thousand works of art are to be found in the museum, photographs, paintings, sculptures, prints, textiles, even. There are a couple of huge artists’ works there, like those of Renoir and Monet. Our advice is to plan on visiting this museum at least twice, to avoid being overloaded from all the exhibitions.
Grant Park – Millenium Park
MIllenium Park is a part of the larger Grant Park. There are plenty of sights to behold here and most of them are around Millenium Park. In the park itself, you will find the magnificent Cloud Gate, a sculpture made out of reflective stainless steel, a gate, if you will. All of its surface is reflective, so tourists passing below can see themselves, as well as everything else around, like the sky and skyscrapers. Here you can also find the Crown Fountain, which is a modern piece of art featuring gargoyles and humans. If you can find accommodation near Millenium Park, you will have a good base of operation, near almost all the important sights.
The Navy Pier
Here since 1916, the Navy Pier was a local shopping area which has since grown into a larger shopping area, filled with parks, gardens and everything a tourist might wish for, except silence. From theaters to movie theaters, you can find everything and anything here, including a ferris wheel, the icon of Navy Pier. The Pier is always in motion, with year-round celebrations and events. Make sure to put it on your schedule.
Michigan Avenue
This is one of the largest and most popular boulevards in the world. It is home to the Magnificent Mile, where you can find some of the most luxurious shops in Chicago, as well as plenty of theaters and shops, stalls, as well as large, very large buildings. You should walk the Magnificent Mile to see some of the things that make the city of Chicago, as well as what the 1% of people can afford.
Buckingham Fountain
Located in the center of Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain is a large, Art Deco style fountain which sprays water from 8 in the morning to 11 in the evening. Being in Grant Park, it is also close to many other sights worth visiting, like the above mentioned Art Institute of Chicago and the Field Museum of Natural History, as well as the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium, all of which are a part of the Museum Campus.
Make sure to visit these sights the next time you visit Chicago!