14 Best Sights in Chicago, Illinois

With Anish Kapoor's giant, polished-steel Cloud Gate sculpture (affectionately known as "The Bean"), the fun fountains, and a Disney-esque music pavilion, this park quickly stole the hearts of Chicagoans and visitors alike when it opened in 2004. The showstopper is Frank Gehry's stunning Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Dramatic ribbons of stainless steel stretching 40 feet into the sky look like petals wrapping the music stage. The 1,525-seat Harris Theater for Music and Dance provides an indoor alternative for fans of the performing arts.

In the park's southwest corner, the Crown Fountain features dozens of Chicagoans' faces rotating through on two 50-foot-high glass block–tower fountains. When a face purses its lips, water shoots out its "mouth." Kids love it, and adults feel like kids watching it. More conventional park perks include the lovely Lurie Garden (a four-season delight) and the seasonal McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, which opens for public skating each winter.

Similar to New York City’s High Line, this abandoned elevated rail line—open since 2015—is now a fun place to walk or bike and take in art all at once. Edgy, splashy and bright murals are depicted along the 2.7-mile route. The route runs through Wicker Park, Humboldt Park, Bucktown, and Logan Square, making it an appealing way to neighborhood hop without getting snarled in the traffic below. Take along some water and sunscreen; on summer days the more exposed stretches of the trail get rather sunbaked. 

It’s tough to top the view of Chicago's skyline from the Point—a scenic, man-made peninsula, which projects into Lake Michigan. Opened in 1937 as part of Burnham Park, this 40-acre peninsula, which was originally called 55th Street Promontory, is entered via a tunnel underneath Lake Shore Drive at 55th Street or the Lakefront Trail. The fawn-shaped David Wallach Memorial Fountain is located near the tunnel. The park's field house is a popular wedding venue, so you may catch a glimpse of a beaming bride during your visit. The Promontory Apartments building—Mies van der Rohe's first residential high-rise, completed in 1949—exemplifies the postwar trend toward a clean, simple style. Note the skylines and belching smokestacks of Gary and Hammond, Indiana, to the southeast.

The work of landscape architect Alfred Caldwell, this serene oasis---comprising a gracefully curving pond and Prairie-style pavilion amid native vegetation---hides in plain sight beside Lincoln Park Zoo’s parking lot, poised to allay weary zoo warriors with a Zen break.

Bordered by Lake Michigan to the east, a spectacular skyline to the west, and the Museum Campus to the south, Grant Park serves as the city's front yard and unofficial gathering place. This pristine open space has walking paths, a stand of stately elm trees, and formal rose gardens, where Loop dwellers and 9-to-5-ers take refuge from the concrete and steel. It also hosts many of the city's largest outdoor events, including the annual Taste of Chicago, a vast picnic featuring foods from more than 70 restaurants.

The park's centerpiece is the gorgeous, tiered Buckingham Fountain (between Columbus and Lake Shore Drives, east of Congress Plaza), which has intricate pink-marble seashell designs, water-spouting fish, and bronze sculptures of sea horses. Built in 1927, it was patterned after one at Versailles but is about twice the size. See the fountain in all its glory between early May and mid-October, when it's elaborately illuminated at night and sprays colorfully lighted waters. Linger long enough to experience the spectacular display that takes place every hour on the hour, and you'll witness the center jet of water shoot 150 feet into the air.

Another Chicago under-the-radar gem, this park was designed by William Le Baron Jenney in the mid-1800s and his work was expanded upon several years later by Jens Jensen. The 1907 Prairie School boathouse is the park’s centerpiece, home to free cultural events and swan pedal boat rentals. The park has a formal garden, tennis courts, baseball fields, bike paths, and the city's only inland beach. In 2019 Humboldt Park temporarily became the subject of local obsession when an immature alligator---likely someone’s illegal pet---was spotted in its lagoon; rest assured Chance the Snapper (as he was lovingly dubbed) was quickly captured and relocated to a Florida gator sanctuary.

This Hyde Park gem was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (co-designer of New York City's Central Park) for the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. It has lagoons, a Japanese garden (named Osaka Garden, for Chicago's sister city) with authentic Japanese statuary, and the Wooded Island, a nature retreat with wildlife and 300 species of birds. There's also a sculpture by Yoko Ono, as well as nearly 200 cherry blossoms trees that explode into bloom in spring. Its 63rd Street Beach is a popular summer destination.

The park that gives Logan Square its name can look a little worse for the wear---the colossal eagle-topped column at its center has seen its fair share of graffiti tagging---but that doesn’t stop locals from setting up shop for the afternoon with a book and a portable hammock. An old-world Norwegian church and restaurants with busy sidewalk patios fringe the square (really more of an oval), imparting a cosmopolitan vibe. Wide, rambling Kedzie and Logan Boulevards---two of the neighborhood’s loveliest assets---radiate outward from the park; pick out your dream mansion on a postprandial stroll.

Named after former Mayor Richard M. Daley's late wife, this park offers a place to play between Lake Michigan and the city's skyline. Opened in late 2014, it includes 40-foot-high rock-climbing sculptures, an Enchanted Forest with a kaleidoscope and mirrored maze, a Slide Crater, a Wave Lawn, and an area strictly for toddlers. A skating ribbon winds around the park, with ice skates available to rent in the winter months, and rollerblades and scooters in the summer.

Part of the Museum Campus, Northerly Island is a man-made peninsula in Lake Michigan. It's home to the Adler Planetarium as well as a 40-acre park, with walking and biking trails and the 12th Street Beach.

Fans of The Wizard of Oz love getting up close with Dorothy, Toto, and all the other beloved characters assembled here in sculpture form. Author L. Frank Baum lived in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century. The park also has a flowery Emerald City Garden and play lot for pint-size visitors.

Four pillars carved with dragon designs adorn the entrance of this beautifully landscaped park, which is named for Chinatown's most renowned civic leader. Wedged within the shadows of railroad tracks and highways, its 17 serene riverside acres include a children's playground, winding walking trails, a fieldhouse, and a boathouse (kayak rentals are available at the last of these in summer). A large yellow-and-red pagoda provides good views of the looming Chicago skyline to the north; March through December, you can also board a water taxi here for a scenic—and cost-effective—ride to the Loop.

If you enjoy music under the stars, the outdoor concerts at Ravinia are a stellar treat. Ravinia Festival, a summer-long series of performances, is the hot-months' home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but the festival also features popular jazz, chamber music, rock, pop, and dance acts. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket or chairs, and sit on the lawn, often for little more than the cost of a movie. Large screens are placed on the lawn at some concerts so you won't miss anything. Seats are also available in the pavilion for a significantly higher price. There are restaurants and snack bars on the park grounds, so if you forget your goodies you still won't go hungry. Concerts usually start at 7 or 8 pm; the park usually opens two to three hours ahead to let everyone score spots and get settled. Weekend-morning concerts are aimed at kids. They feature a "KidsLawn" with an interactive music experience, and on select dates an "instrument petting zoo," arts and crafts, and live performances. During the off-season, check out the Fall and Spring Series of indoor concerts at Bennett Gordon Hall.

This triangular little patch of green, donated to the city in 1870 by politician Charles Wicker, is a neighborhood favorite and home to softball fields, a children's water playground, a dog park, and outdoor movies. The handsome central fountain is a great spot for chilling out and people-watching in warm weather.