Tourism Chicago

ferries offer sightseeing tours , water-taxi transportation along chicago river , lake michigan.



the magnificent mile hosts numerous upscale stores, landmarks chicago water tower



aerial view of navy pier @ night

in 2014, chicago attracted 50.17 million domestic leisure travelers, 11.09 million domestic business travelers , 1.308 million overseas visitors. these visitors contributed more us$13.7 billion chicago s economy. upscale shopping along magnificent mile , state street, thousands of restaurants, chicago s eminent architecture, continue draw tourists. city united states third-largest convention destination. 2011 study walk score ranked chicago fourth-most walkable of fifty largest cities in united states. conventions held @ mccormick place, south of soldier field. historic chicago cultural center (1897), serving chicago public library, houses city s visitor information center, galleries , exhibit halls. ceiling of preston bradley hall includes 38-foot (12 m) tiffany glass dome. grant park holds millennium park, buckingham fountain (1927), , art institute of chicago. park hosts annual taste of chicago festival. in millennium park, there reflective cloud gate sculpture. cloud gate, public sculpture indian-born british artist anish kapoor, centerpiece of at&t plaza in millennium park. also, outdoor restaurant transforms ice rink in winter season. 2 tall glass sculptures make crown fountain. fountain s 2 towers display visual effects led images of chicagoans faces, along water spouting lips. frank gehry s detailed, stainless steel band shell, jay pritzker pavilion, hosts classical grant park music festival concert series. behind pavilion s stage harris theater music , dance, indoor venue mid-sized performing arts companies, including chicago opera theater , music of baroque.

navy pier, located east of streeterville, 3,000 ft (910 m) long , houses retail stores, restaurants, museums, exhibition halls , auditoriums. in summer of 2016, navy pier have constructed new dw60 ferris wheel. dutch wheels, world renowned company manufactures ferris wheels, selected design new wheel. feature 42 navy blue gondolas can hold 8 adults , 2 kids. have entertainment systems inside gondolas climate controlled environment. dw60 stand @ approximately 196 ft (60 m), 46 ft taller previous wheel. new dw60 first in united states , sixth tallest in u.s. chicago first city in world ever erect ferris wheel.

on june 4, 1998, city officially opened museum campus, 10-acre (4.0 ha) lakefront park, surrounding 3 of city s main museums, each of of national importance: adler planetarium & astronomy museum, field museum of natural history, , shedd aquarium. museum campus joins southern section of grant park, includes renowned art institute of chicago. buckingham fountain anchors downtown park along lakefront. university of chicago oriental institute has extensive collection of ancient egyptian , near eastern archaeological artifacts. other museums , galleries in chicago include chicago history museum, driehaus museum, dusable museum of african american history, museum of contemporary art, peggy notebaert nature museum, polish museum of america, museum of broadcast communications, pritzker military library, chicago architecture foundation, , museum of science , industry.

with estimated completion date of 2020, barack obama presidential center housed @ university of chicago in hyde park , include both obama presidential library , offices of obama foundation.

the willis tower (formerly named sears tower) popular destination tourists. willis tower has observation deck open tourists year round high views overlooking chicago , lake michigan. observation deck includes enclosed glass balcony extends 10 feet out on side of building. tourists able straight down.

in 2013, chicago chosen 1 of top ten cities in united states visit restaurants, skyscrapers, museums, , waterfront, readers of condé nast traveler.