Location: Downtown / The Loop
Top Things to do in Downtown / The Loop
The 10 Best Points of Interest & Landmarks in Downtown / The Loop, Illinois (IL)
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. Illinois Artisans, Chicago
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
2. Thirty Five E Wacker
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
3. 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.
4. 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..
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Art on theMART
9. 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.
10. Marquette Building
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 55 reviews
MacArthur's offices are located in the historic and beautiful Marquette Building, a Chicago landmark and one of the city's first skyscrapers. The building is a classic example of Chicago-style architecture. Designed and built by Holabird & Roche in 1895, it was named for the French Jesuit missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette. In 1975, Banker's Life and Casualty Company, owned by John D. MacArthur, acquired the Marquette Building, and in 1976 it was named a National Historic Landmark. After his death in 1978, the building became the headquarters for the Foundation which bears his name. In 2001, MacArthur undertook an extensive restoration of the building, working closely with preservation specialists to return the interior and exterior to its original splendor. There is a free exhibit in the building's arcade, just west of the lobby, at 140 South Dearborn Street. Interactive kiosks detail the building's design, history, and renovation. The exhibit is free and open to the public from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. The Chicago Architecture Foundation provides scheduled tours of the building.
Reviewed By klhchicago - Chicago, United States
The Marquette building is a great snap shot of Chicago's history with architecture. Walk into the lobby and get a brochure from the attendant or simply read the descriptions of Native Americans, French explorer Father Marquette, and much more. There are bronze reliefs and mosaics which are beautiful as well as much of the decoration of the lobby by famous architects William Holabird and Martin Roche. Walk into the back and there is architecture exhibits which explain more about the architecture of some past and present buildings in the city. If you don't want to take an architecture tour but want to learn a little bit without too much time and no money invested this is a great little pit stop
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