Navy Pier

Navy Pier juts 3,300 feet into Lake Michigan from Streeterville. It opened to the public on 15 July 1916, and today it is the city's main lakefront entertainment complex.

The pier's best-known feature is the Centennial Wheel, a 196-foot Ferris wheel that replaced the original wheel in 2016. Rides give views of the skyline and the lake, and the wheel's brighter lights make evening rides popular. The pier also houses the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Chicago Children's Museum, the Crystal Gardens indoor botanical atrium and Flyover Chicago, as well as shops, restaurants and a hotel.

Much of what happens here is free. The pier runs hundreds of public programmes every year, and Polk Bros Park at the entrance hosts concerts and film screenings in the warmer months. Free fireworks are held at various times of year; check the events calendar for dates. Sightseeing cruises leave from the pier, and from May to September a water taxi connects it with other points in the city.

Most people spend two hours or more here with a ride, a meal or a show. Families are the main audience, and the children's museum is a reason to come on its own. Couples often visit in the evening for the wheel, a cruise or fireworks. Summer weekends are very busy, so a weekday visit is calmer, and the wind off the lake can be cold outside summer, so bring a layer.

For contact, the pier lists 1-800-595-PIER. Two on-site garages and valet parking are available, and parking can be reserved ahead. CTA buses serve the pier, with connections from Metra and "L" stations, and there is a Divvy bike-share station in Polk Bros Park. The pier is open all year, and its indoor areas, including the Crystal Gardens atrium, the theatre and the children's museum, make it useful in colder months too. Opening times for individual attractions, restaurants and shops vary, so check the pier website for the day you plan to visit, especially outside the summer season.

The pier is in Streeterville, within walking distance of the hotels and shops of North Michigan Avenue, and it combines well with a visit to 360 Chicago or a cruise from the pier itself.