Chicago
This beach at the edge of downtown packs in bodies beautiful to play volleyball or sunbathe in the shadow of skyscrapers. Swimming is permitted in summer when lifeguards are on duty (11am to 7pm). You can rent umbrellas and lounge chairs. The island-themed, yellow-umbrella-dotted cafe provides drinks and DJs.
The beach remains busy in the afternoon despite the creeping shade cast by the hulking Lake Shore Dr condos.
3.58 MILES
Built in 1914, Wrigley Field – aka the Friendly Confines – is the second-oldest baseball park in the major leagues. It’s home to the Chicago Cubs and…
7.99 MILES
The MSI is the largest science museum in the Western hemisphere and a place to completely geek out. Highlights include a WWII German U-boat nestled in an…
1.58 MILES
The second-largest art museum in the country, the Art Institute houses a treasure trove from around the globe. The collection of impressionist and…
1.39 MILES
There's free admission to Millennium Park, the playful heart of the city. It shines with whimsical public art, both permanent and temporary exhibits, and…
1.79 MILES
Willis Tower is Chicago's tallest building (and one of the world's loftiest). Breathe deeply during the ear-popping, 70-second elevator ride to the 103rd…
Field Museum of Natural History
2.51 MILES
The Field Museum houses some 30 million artifacts and includes everything but the kitchen sink – beetles, mummies, gemstones, Bushman the stuffed ape –…
0.99 MILES
Half-mile-long Navy Pier is one of Chicago's most-visited attractions, sporting a 196ft Ferris wheel and other carnival rides ($9 to $18 each), an IMAX…
National Museum of Mexican Art
4.12 MILES
Founded in 1982, this vibrant museum – the largest Latinx arts institution in the US – has become one of the city’s best. The vivid permanent collection…
0.27 MILES
The views from the 94th-floor observatory of this iconic building (formerly known as the John Hancock Center) in many ways surpass those at the Willis…
0.31 MILES
To understand Chicago's sports psyche, peruse the memorabilia-filled cases at this gallery attached to Harry Caray's 7th Inning Stretch restaurant. See…
3. Water Works Pumping Station
0.36 MILES
Built in 1869, the Pumping Station and Water Tower, its companion building across the street, were constructed in Gothic style with yellow limestone. It's…
0.37 MILES
Consider it the Art Institute’s brash, rebellious sibling, with especially strong minimalist, surrealist and conceptual photography collections, and…
0.39 MILES
This 154ft-tall, turreted tower is a defining city icon: it was the sole downtown survivor of the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, thanks to its yellow limestone…
0.39 MILES
Set inside the historic Water Tower, this small gallery showcases Chicago-themed works by local photographers and artists.
0.45 MILES
While he was still working for Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright (who was 19 at the time) designed the 11-room Charnley-Persky House, which sparked a new…
0.46 MILES
The sexual revolution partied hearty for 15 years in the basement ‘grotto’ of this 1899 mansion. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner bought it in 1959 and hung a…