Location: Central
Top Things to do in Central
10 Points of Interest & Landmarks in Central That You Shouldn't Miss
The windy city is a cornucopia of modern art, fine dining, cutting edge comedy, and die-hard sports fans. Snap a photo of your reflection in the silver Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park before heading to Grant Park to get hit with the refreshing spray of Buckingham Fountain. There are dozens of museums and theater companies in Chicago, so a cultural experience is never hard to find. You’re sure to laugh your head off at the Second City Theater, the professional launch pad of many famous comedians.
Restaurants in Chicago
1. St. James Chapel
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 14 reviews
2. Chicago Skyline
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 687 reviews
Reviewed By AlexB10499 - Providence, United States
Not only is the Chicago skyline one of the most recognizable in the United States – it’s also frequently ranked as one of the most impressive. The tallest landmark, of course, is the Sears Tower, one of the nation’s tallest buildings at around 1,450 feet. Trump Tower is the city’s second-tallest building and has a distinctly modern look to it – as well as a great location on the Chicago River. A few good spots to view the skyline include Navy Pier, Grant Park, the Nature Boardwalk in Lincoln Park, some of the skyscraper observation decks, and even from the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, if you want to take a quick cruise. One other anecdote about the Chicago skyline: you can see it on the horizon across Lake Michigan from the Indiana Dunes National Park, more than 50 miles away. That’s how tall those buildings are.
3. Skydeck Chicago - Willis Tower
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 17,474 reviews
No trip to Chicago is complete without a visit to the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and The Ledge at Skydeck Chicago! Treat yourself to a "one stop Chicago" experience on your journey to the 103rd floor. Enjoy 360-degree views spanning up to 50 miles and 4 states and our most spectacular view - 1,353 feet straight down! "Dare to Stand Out" on The Ledge - glass balconies extending 4.3 Feet outside the building provide a thrilling, once in a lifetime experience!
Reviewed By manjushap1907 - Visakhapatnam, India
A must visit place when u visit Chicago.. A unique experience when you stand in the glass box and have unparalleled views of Chicago city.. Advise don’t visit this place during long weekends as the waiting time is too long and you cannot have a good experience due to the rush of the crowds.. You are given 1-2mins to just take pics and you cannot really enjoy the experience..
4. Michigan Avenue Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 969 reviews
The view from the bridge is one of the best vistas the city has to offer.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Michigan Avenue Bridge, which was renamed the Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Bridge in 2010 in honor of the Founder of Chicago and the city's first permanent non-Indigenous settler, is a bascule bridge that carries Michigan Avenue across the Chicago River in downtown Chicago. Opened in 1920, it provides passage for vehicles and pedestrians on two levels and carries more traffic per day than any other bridge in Chicago. The location is significant in the early history of Chicago, connecting on the north side near the 1780s homesite of Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable and on the south the early 19th century site of Fort Dearborn. Officially, it is a double-leaf, double-deck, fixed counterweight, trunnion bascule bridge, the first of its type ever constructed. The steel structure can carry about 30,000 people daily. The southwest bridgehouse has been converted into a museum, the five-floor, 1,613-square-foot McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, with its entrance off the Chicago Riverwalk. It includes exhibits on the history of the Chicago River and the bridge. Visitors are allowed to access the bridge's gear room in the spring and fall to see the bridge's lifting gears in operation. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and designated a Chicago Landmark in 1991.
5. Art on theMART
6. Wrigley Building
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 303 reviews
This white, terra-cotta landmark was built in 1922 as headquarters for the Wrigley chewing gum company.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
My wife and I have fond memories of the Wrigley Building. As a sportswriter for the Chicago Daily News in the 1970s, I once joined a platoon of other sportswriters that gathered at Philip Wrigley's top-floor office to learn about a reported Chicago Cubs trade. My wife worked in an office in the Wrigley Building for more than 20 years. I used to get monthly haircuts in the Wrigley Building's barber shop. We used to enjoy breakfasts, lunches and dinners at the old Press Club, which was headquartered in the Wrigley Building. And I cashed my weekly checks at the bank that once was housed on the first floor of the Wrigley Building's South Tower. Today, it remains a Chicago Landmark, an architectural beauty, one of the city's most distinguished buildings. Located at 410 North Michigan Avenue, on the Chicago River, at the head of the Magnificent Mile, the Wrigley Building was built from 1920 to 1924 to house the corporate headquarters of the Wrigley Company, which sold chewing gum and owned the Chicago Cubs. It was the first major office building north of the Chicago River and the city's first air-conditioned office building. The glazed terra cotta structure was designed by the architechural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White using the shape of the Giralda tower of Seville's Cathedral combined with French Renaissance details. The 425-foot, 30-story South Tower was completed in April 1921 and the 21-story North Tower was completed in May 1924. Walkways between the towers were added at the ground level and the third floor. In 1931, another walkway was added at the 14th floor. A signature feature is the clock tower. Who hasn't walked across the Michigan Avenue Bridge or along the Chicago River and glanced up at the Wrigley Building's clock tower to check the time of day? Today, the bank is gone. So is the Press Club. And the barber shop. But the new owners, who purchased the building in 2011, have added a Walgreen's drug store, Giardelli chocolate shop, coffee shop, fitness center and a nursing room for mothers. At night, bathed in lights, the grace and elegance of the Wrigley Building is beholden to one and all.
7. The Magnificent Mile
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15,639 reviews
The Magnificent Mile is one of the great avenues of the world and is at the center of all that makes Chicago an international destination. One of the top 10 hospitality, dining and retail destinations in the world, with endless shopping, international cuisine, top rated hotels, lively entertainment, majestic architecture and natural beauty at every turn, The Magnificent Mile offers visitors to Chicago a one-of-a-kind city experience. The Magnificent Mile is the 13-block stretch of North Michigan Avenue that runs from the banks of the Chicago River to the south, to Oak Street to the north. The Magnificent Mile district extends a full square mile from North Michigan Avenue. The Magnificent Mile is a spectacular showcase of style, flavor, entertainment and fun. With more than 460 stores, 275 restaurants, 60 hotels and unique entertainments and attractions packed and stacked along its length, The Magnificent Mile has an indulgence for every passion and every pocket.
Reviewed By christiano242
The Magnificent Mlle is certainly magnificent with the high end stores and other shops along with the historic and new architecture for which Chicago is so justly proud. Just walking along the Mile, one can hear languages from many countries. Each season the street is decorated with theme-based decorations. Along with shopping I enjoy people watching.
8. Millennium Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 24,640 reviews
Three square blocks of open lakefront complete with a Ferris Wheel, outdoor music pavillion and ice skating rink; expected to become one of the city's most popular sites.
Reviewed By 314LH - Chicago, United States
Cloud Gate (the bean to locals) is a 12-ft high stainless steel sculpture chosen in competition as the winning design (by Brit Anish Kapoor), inspired by liquid mercury. Begun in 2004, finished in 2006, it's become a Chicago icon that provides unique photo opportunities. Enjoy great views of downtown (and the skating rink in winter) from its platform, stroll the area to view regularly-changing public art exhibits, the Pritzker Pavilion, Lurie Garden, and fabulous Frank Gehry designed BP bridge.
9. Buckingham Fountain
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,362 reviews
Chicago's landmark is considered one of America's finest fountains due to its Beaux-Arts-style landscape design, finely wrought bronze sculpture and innovative use of technology.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
If you have visited and viewed and marveled at Buckingham Fountain this summer, you are running out of time. Located in the center of Grant Park, between Queen's Landing and Congress Parkway, near the intersection of Columbus Drive and Ida B. Wells Drive, off Lake Shore Drive, overlooking Lake Michigan, the Chicago Landmark is one of the largest fountains in the world. Dedicated in 1927, it is built in a rococo wedding cake style and inspired by the Latona Fountain at the Palace of Versailles in France. It operates daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. from mid-April to mid-October. Water shows occur every hour on the hour and last 20 minutes. During shows, the center jet shoots up vertically to 150 feet. After dusk, shows are choreographed with lights and music. The fountain represents Lake Michigan with four sets of sea horses symbolizing the four states that border the lake--Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. The fountain was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. It remains one of downtown Chicago's most popular tourist attractions, along with Navy Pier and Cloud Gate or the "Bean" in Millennium Park. It is constructed of Georgia pink marble and contains 1.5 million gallons of water. During a display, more than 14,000 gallons per minute are pushed through its 193 jets. The bottom pool of the fountain is 280 feet in diameter. Another trivia item: The fountain's security system is monitored from Arlington Heights, a northwest Chicago suburb.
10. The Rookery Building
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 392 reviews
The Rookery tours are not available at this time. (Updated 6/2/20) Set in the heart of Chicago’s financial district, Daniel Burnham and John Root’s 1888 Rookery Building is a Chicago landmark, containing one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most dramatic interior compositions – a luminous and brilliantly articulated central light court. In 1905, Wright was commissioned to remodel the Rookery light court and lobbies. He realized a stunning balance between Burnham & Root’s ornamental ironwork and his own vision to create a spectacular environment. Morning and afternoon guided tours are offered by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Monday through Friday. Learn about the building’s fascinating history and the unique contribution of one of America’s greatest architects.
Reviewed By 73eileeng - Marlboro, United States
A must stop if you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan as this is the only spot in the Loop that his Wright's stamp on it. He re-designed the lobby and it's quite an interesting effect. You can visit the lobby for free and sign up for tours that take you further into the building.
