Illinois attractions

Spanning eight states and 2,448 miles (3,940 kilometers), Historic Route 66 has become a cultural icon, immortalized in song and on the silver screen. This romanticized road trip from Chicago to Santa Monica offers drivers an inside look at classic America—kitschy roadside attractions, diners, historic motels, and plenty of 1950s nostalgia.

With a prime position in downtown Chicago’s Museum Campus, the Field Museum of Natural History is one of the city’s most celebrated attractions. Home to more than 40 million specimens from all over the world—which range from Sue the T. rex, among the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils ever discovered, to ancient Egyptian artifacts—its exhibitions explore the existence of life on our planet.

The oldest—and smallest—stadium in the National Football League, Soldier Field has been a major Chicago landmark for more than a century, and home to the beloved Chicago Bears since 1971. It also hosts the Windy City’s Major League Soccer team (Chicago Fire) and concerts, festivals, and other blockbuster events throughout the year, making the stadium one of Chicago’s major athletic and entertainment venues.

Formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory, 360 Chicago is the second-highest observation deck in the Windy City. Located on the 94th floor of the 875 North Michigan Avenue building, the attraction offers sweeping views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan. Daredevils can choose to enhance their visit with Tilt—moving glass ledges that tilt you directly above the Magnificent Mile.

Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, the Shedd Aquarium is one of Chicago’s most popular attractions. Exhibitions cover everything from exotic ocean habitats to the biodiverse Amazon River Basin and local Great Lakes aquatic ecosystems. You’ll find a variety of marine animals that call this aquarium home, including sea lions, sea turtles, sea otters, and around 1,500 species of fish.

Chicago’s Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is a 14-acre (6-hectare) complex that pays tribute to both natural wonders and human ingenuity. The largest science museum in the Western Hemisphere, it features lifesized working replicas, a 5-story domed movie theater, and more than 35,000 artifacts. The museum is designed to spark imaginations and inspire creativity, and is a great choice for a family day out in the Windy City.

Chicago’s central business district, the Chicago Loop—aka the Loop—is home to many of the city’s most recognizable landmarks, from museums and skyscrapers to parks and outdoor sculptures. Renowned for highlights like Grant Park, City Hall, and the Willis Tower, the Loop attracts both locals and visitors with its culture and entertainment offerings. If the spirit of Chicago lies somewhere, it might just be right here.

Home to gardens, nature and bird sanctuaries, walking and cycling trails, playgrounds, museums, public art, and a free zoo, Lincoln Park is Chicago’s largest and most visited park. Covering 1,200 acres (485 hectares), it stretches for 6 miles (10 kilometers) along the Lake Michigan shoreline north of the Loop. The park offers a welcome escape from the urban bustle, whether it be for a short picnic lunch break or a day spent relaxing and exploring.

Seating around 20,000 spectators, the United Center is one of Chicago’s premier sports and entertainment venues. The arena is home to the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks, and hosts a star-studded lineup of rock and pop concerts, comedy shows, and other live performances each year. Decorated with statues of local sports legends Michael Jordan, Bobby Hull, and Stan Mikita, it’s a must-see for basketball and hockey fans.

An architectural masterpiece in the downtown Loop District, the historic Palmer House Hilton has been a major Chicago landmark and a favorite of dignitaries and celebrities for over a century. Among the longest continually operating hotels in the US, the Palmer House Hilton offers guests access to more than 1,600 luxurious rooms, fine dining, and a full range of amenities.

Towering over Richard J. Daley Plaza in the downtown Loop neighborhood, the monumental statue known as the Chicago Picasso—or simply, The Picasso—was one of the city’s first large-scale pieces of public art. Gifted by the famed Spanish artist himself and installed in 1967, the 50-foot (15-meter) steel form is Cubist in style and offers a range of different interpretations.

Located in the heart of Chicago’s downtown Financial District, this 11-story building was completed in 1888. Though hard to imagine today, the Rookery Building was one of the world’s tallest buildings in the 19th century. At the turn of the 20th century, a then-unknown architect by the name of Frank Lloyd Wright was hired to redo the faded interior. He added gleaming white-and-gold marble, bronze chandeliers, and wrought-iron flourishes that visitors can still admire today.

“The Windy City” might be an overly mild nickname for Chicago, whose harsh winters frequently include snowstorms, icy gusts of cold, and sub-freezing temperatures, making it tough for pedestrians to move around downtown without losing feeling in their toes. One solution is the Chicago Pedway, a series of tunnels and walkways comfortably sheltered below street level and connecting dozens of buildings in the city’s central Loop district.

Completed in 1975, Water Tower Place was one of the first “vertical malls,” with retail, entertainment spaces, apartments, and restaurants spanning a whopping 74 stories. Superstar Oprah Winfrey once occupied a palatial condo on its 56th and 57th floors. Today, skyscraper-sized shopping malls aren’t as rare, and foot traffic here has slowed with the rise of online shopping, but Water Tower Place still remains one of the Magnificent Mile’s most quintessential landmarks.

In a city of skyscrapers, the 45-story Chicago Board of Trade Building (CBOT) stands out. The National Historic Landmark dates back to 1930 and remains a gateway to the city’s financial district as an active trading venue and office space. Fascinating both inside and out, the art deco masterpiece is an essential stop on nearly all Chicago architecture walking tours.

Hugging the shoreline of Lake Michigan for nearly 19 miles (31 kilometers), the Chicago Lakefront Trail is a popular recreational path in the Windy City for walkers, runners, and cyclists. It connects various neighborhoods with green spaces, downtown attractions, and some of Chicago’s best lakeside and skyline views, making it a great place for sightseeing or a workout.

One of the early American movie houses, Chicago’s storied Biograph Theater opened its doors in 1914 and is now home to the Victory Gardens Theater. The historic landmark is best known for its association with the city’s gangster lore: It was the place where notorious bank robber John Dillinger was shot and killed by the FBI in 1934. As a result, it’s a staple of Windy City ghost and gangster tours.

Towering over Dearborn Street in the heart of Chicago’s Loop, the Marquette Building is one of the best surviving examples of the Chicago school of architecture and one of the city’s first steel-framed skyscrapers. It was completed in 1895 by Holabird & Roche architectural firm and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Linked with the Museum Campus and running parallel to Soldier Field, Chicago’s Northerly Island is a 91-acre (37-hectare) man-made island on Lake Michigan. Once the site of an airport, it has since been reimagined as a sprawling park, nature reserve, and entertainment area, with the Huntington Bank Pavilion hosting regular concerts and events.

Located on the edge of Lincoln Park, the Chicago History Museum (formerly the Chicago Historical Society) has celebrated and showcased the Windy City’s rich heritage since 1856. Although it suffered heavy damage during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, it has since been reborn as a valuable home for manuscripts, artworks, and other artifacts. Its vibrant exhibits and events offer an immersive way for Chicago locals and visitors to step into the city’s past.

The largest lake in the world that sits within a single country’s borders, Lake Michigan is most often associated with the city of Chicago, which occupies 26 miles (41.8 kilometers) of its shoreline, including dozens of beaches and several marinas housing thousands of boats. Activities along the shoreline include something for everyone, from kayaking or sailing to sightseeing cruises, biking along the lakefront path, and relaxing in one of the many parks.

Explore 500 years of American literature and learn about writers who have influenced American history, culture, and identity at the American Writers Museum. The first institution of its kind in the country to celebrate American writers, the museum features state-of-the-art and immersive exhibits to educate and inspire visitors. Flip through the Surprise Bookshelf for snippets of works, jot down musings on a vintage typewriter, and delve into local literature in the Chicago Gallery.

The main branch of the Chicago Public Library system, the 10-story Harold Washington Library Center, became the largest public library in the world when it opened to great fanfare in 1991. A welcoming public space for reading, research, and special events, the library is a celebrated South Loop landmark available for all to enjoy.

Completed in 1910, this Hyde Park landmark (known as the “Robie House” for short) is one of the best examples of the Prairie School, the craftsman-influenced architectural movement that spread throughout the Midwest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Along with Falling Water and the Guggenheim Museum, it’s one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most celebrated creations, earning this unique, innovatively imagined home a designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Unveiled in 2004 in the heart of Millennium Park, this futuristic-looking sculpture quickly became one of Chicago’s most popular landmarks. The smooth, stainless steel surface reflects and distorts surrounding buildings and people, adding a trippy dimension to the art installation. There’s space to walk beneath the sculpture’s curved underside, and the gleaming threshold serves as a symbolic entrance to the park. Decades after it first debuted, it remains a must-see Chicago attraction and selfie magnet.

The opulence of Chicago’s Gilded Age is elegantly displayed at the Richard H. Driehaus Museum. Housed in the immaculately restored Nickerson Mansion, the museum showcases art nouveau architecture and interior design in the form of moody chandeliers, Victorian paintings, carved wood paneling, and an impressive collection of Tiffany lamps.

Nestled in Lincoln Park, the Lincoln Park Conservatory is made up of four display houses; the Palm House, the Fern Room, the Orchid House, and the Show House. Built in the late 1800s, the houses grow over 1,000 different types of plants that are used in Chicago Parks. Visitors can explore their interiors, and wander through the scenic botanical gardens that surround them.

Founded in 1890, the University of Chicago is among the premier private research universities in the world. Best known for its achievements in medicine, science, and engineering, it proudly claims more than 100 Nobel laureates among its alumni and faculty. The picturesque campus is located in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, and is publicly accessible, with plenty of museums and architectural highlights worth exploring.

Stretching across 385 acres (155 hectares) and home to millions of plants, the Chicago Botanic Garden is one of the city’s loveliest green retreats. About 20 miles (33 kilometers) north of downtown, the garden has been open to the public since 1972, offering visitors and locals a dash of nature in the city. It comprises 28 different gardens, four natural areas, seasonal displays, and so much more.

This pocket-sized neighborhood has been the center of Chicago’s Chinese community for a century, and today it remains big on character and flavor. Injecting a dose of Asian culture to Chicago’s South Side, Chinatown draws city residents and tourists with its pagoda-like architecture, specialty import shops, Lunar New Year celebrations, and family-run eateries that dish up dim sum, noodles, buns, and other authentic regional specialties.