A Chicago tradition, Navy Pier (navypier.com), is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and covers more than 50 acres that are home to gardens, shops, rides and dining venues. Navy Pier offers fireworks on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the summer. Other entertainment at Navy Pier includes live theatrical performances at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater or a movie at the IMAX Theatre. You can rent boats or book a lake excursion at Navy Pier's Dock Street. For your first visit to Chicago, plan to spend one to two full days exploring Navy Pier to ensure you get to see and do everything.
Chicago is home to museums featuring history, science, art and marine life, any of which makes for a fun and educational addition to your first trip to the city. Two places you can visit in the same day include the Field Museum of Natural History (fieldmuseum.org) and the Shedd Aquarium (sheddaquarium.org). The aquarium will only take a few hours, after which you can walk across the street to the Field Museum to complete the rest of your day. The Field Museum opened in 1893 and is filled with a variety of scientific, historical and archeological exhibits. Other museums in Chicago include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago History Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Science and Industry and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
Though not as well known as New York or Los Angeles, Chicago had some elite shopping districts and malls. Shop along Michigan Avenue at the 900 Shops along Magnificent Mile (shop900.com), featuring 70 luxury shops including Bloomingdales and Gucci. Explore eight floors of restaurants and stores at Chicago Place (Chicago-place.com). You can also shop at some of the area's malls, including Woodfield Mall, Chicago Ridge Mall and Old Orchard Mall.
Formerly known as the Sears Tower, the 110-story Willis Tower (theskydeck.com) allows you to see the entire city plus a view of four states. Guests are allowed to ride to the Sky Deck on the 103rd floor where there are observation decks and interactive exhibits, including the Ledge. The Ledge is a glass balcony that takes you four feet over the edge of the Willis Tower where you can look straight down and feel like you are floating on air.
