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    Tourist Attractions in Chicago

    Chicago is one of the centers of tourism in the United States, which is visited by several million people a year.

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    About Chicago

    Chicago is more commonly seen as a major industrial and financial core of the United States, and if you believe the old American films, as the lair of the powerful Italian mafia led by Al Capone. However, the modern metropolis is one of the centers of tourism in the United States, which is visited by several million people a year. Chicago is full of parks, museums, modern malls and trendy restaurants. The city is building on the shores of Lake Michigan. It boasts a well-groomed coastal strip and excellent city beaches. Sunbathing on the golden sand against the backdrop of glass skyscrapers, enjoy swimming and the sun, but in five minutes be ready to plunge into the dynamic life of the metropolis - what could be better for an active and inquisitive tourist.

    20 Famous Tourist Attractions in Chicago

    Millennium Park

    Urban green oasis with an area of 100 thousand m2 in the center of Chicago. It was created at the beginning of the XXI century and almost immediately gained popularity for its original design, convenience and beauty of landscapes. Unusual sculptures, art objects and installations are scattered throughout the park. Exhibitions of contemporary art are held on the territory. Under the park there is a railway station and a large underground parking.

    Millennium Park
    Crown Fountain

    Crown Fountain

    The unique fountain in Millennium Park, designed by Jaume Plens, is a real engineering find. The construction is a video installation placed on large screens-facades, from which water jets splash out. The image on the screens is constantly changing and reflected in the water surface of the black marble pool. To implement this solution, quite complex technical research was required.

    Cloud Gate

    Sculpture on the territory of the Millennium Park. Locals have nicknamed it the "mirror bean" because the contours of the structure really resemble a bean bean. The object has become one of the symbols of progressive Chicago, the avant-garde of modern art and the territory of inspiration for trendy artists. The sculpture was designed by Anish Kapoor, a master invited from London.

    Cloud Gate
    Navy Pier

    Navy Pier

    An embankment stretching along Lake Michigan for several hundred meters. The pier was built at the beginning of the XX century for purely practical purposes – providing logistics along the river and lake. Tourist ferries were launched in parallel. Very soon the residents chose this place and began to arrange picnics there. Over time, cafes, landscaped playgrounds, gardens, shops and attractions appeared.

    Magnificent Mile

    Paris has the Champs-Elysees, New York has Fifth Avenue, and Chicago has the Magnificent Mile. This is a shopping street, one of the sections of Michigan Avenue, around which the most prestigious areas of the city are located. In these places, real estate costs fabulous money. Shops, hotels and restaurants are concentrated on the Magnificent Mile, there are always a lot of people here – both residents and guests of Chicago.

    Magnificent Mile
    The Art Institute of Chicago

    The Art Institute of Chicago

    The school and museum were founded in 1879 by the Organization of American Artists. In 1893, the organization received a new building, which still houses it. The museum exhibits a rich collection of Impressionists (Monet, Renoir, Cezanne), as well as works by Picasso, Matisse, Warhol and many other worthy masters. There are also exhibitions of weapons, photography, African art and Asian culture at the Art Institute of Chicago.

    Museum of Science and Industry

    An unusual museum and at the same time a research center of the Western Hemisphere. It is housed in a room built for the opening of the World's Fair in 1893. The exhibits are shown in dynamics, many copies are made in full size. For children, there is a reduced copy of the railway, which functions like a real one, and a doll's palace.

    Museum of Science and Industry
    Natural History Museum

    Field Museum of Natural History

    A museum complex on the shores of Lake Michigan, which houses collections dedicated to the natural history of the planet. The exposition has about 20 million copies, so even a cursory inspection will take several days. The museum space is divided into thematic sections: anthropology, geology, zoology. A valuable relic of the Field Museum is the largest preserved skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex.

    Adler Planetarium

    The Space Theater and museum, built at the expense of retired businessman Max Adler. The first visitors were admitted to the planetarium in 1930. Thanks to the generous cash injections of the former businessman, navigation and astronomical mechanisms were purchased in quite large quantities for the exposition. The Chicago Planetarium is the first planetarium in the United States.

    Adler Planetarium
    Shedd Aquarium

    Shedd Aquarium

    A huge aquarium on the Chicago Museum campus. It is considered one of the largest indoor aquariums in the world. It contains huge whales, sharks, penguins, crocodiles, octopuses and a considerable variety of fish. In addition to marine life, iguanas, snakes, birds, otters, seals live in the Shedd Aquarium — more than 2000 species of animals and 25 thousand individuals in total.

    Chicago Cultural Center

    The complex, where exhibitions, presentations, screenings and other cultural events are constantly held. The Chicago Children's Choir also performs here. The center opened at the end of the XIX century. At first, the Chicago Public Library and the Veterans Union were located here. Later, both organizations moved to other places, and the building received the status of an urban cultural center open to everyone.

    Chicago Cultural Center
    The Chicago Theatre

    The Chicago Theatre

    A cultural monument of the early XX century, one of the most important art centers in Chicago. Since its opening, the theater has been used very widely, concerts, magicians' shows, theatrical productions, comedians' performances took place there. A lot of people always gathered for the performances, as the venue quickly won the people's love. Nowadays, the popularity of the theater remains at a high level, artists from all States come here on tour.

    Willis Tower

    The Chicago skyscraper, which was considered the tallest in the world until 2009 (then the championship passed to the Sears Tower). It should be noted that Chicago has always built the tallest skyscrapers in America. Willis Tower consists of 110 floors, the height of the building is 442 meters, and together with the antennas on the roof – 527 meters. The main architect of this grandiose project was Bruce Graham. The structure up to the 90th floor is supported by a system of powerful internal supports.

    Willis Tower
    John Hancock Center

    John Hancock Center

    A skyscraper of 100 floors, another grandiose "high-rise" of Chicago. Among the locals, the name "Big John" is firmly attached to the skyscraper. The construction was completed by 1970. On the 94th floor there is an observation deck, from where you can look at Chicago from a really "mind-blowing" angle. Inside, the skyscraper is divided into business and residential areas.

    Wrigley Field Baseball Stadium

    The arena for the games of the most popular sport in the USA. The stadium always gathers full stands of fans during numerous cups. For about 100 years, Wrigley Field has been the home ground of the Chicago Cubs. The stadium is an open space with bleachers installed around the perimeter. On the roofs of the surrounding houses, enterprising owners also organized seats for spectators.

    Wrigley Field Baseball Stadium
    Lincoln Park Zoo

    Lincoln Park Zoo

    Zoo on the shores of Lake Michigan, one of the oldest in the New World. It opened in the middle of the XIX century. Now the zoo is one of the most popular attractions in Chicago, it works seven days a week on a very convenient schedule. A comfortable and natural habitat has been created for animals, sometimes it seems that they just wander among the trees and can easily approach visitors.

    Buckingham Fountain

    A picturesque architectural composition on the territory of the Grat Park. The fountain was built at the private expense of one of the bankers. The sculptural group is made in the Rococo style and from a distance resembles a wedding cake. The four layers of this "cake" symbolize the states surrounding Michigan, and the jets of water are the lake itself. In the warm season, light shows are organized here, in which several light sources take part.

    Buckingham Fountain
    Water Tower

    Water Tower

    One of the oldest city buildings, preserved since 1869. The tower survived the "great fire" of 1871, during which almost the entire city was destroyed. Several times they tried to demolish it, but the residents stood up for the construction. There is a belief that the ghost of the caretaker lives in the tower. During the fire, he climbed to the very top and hanged himself to avoid a painful death from the fire.

    Chicago River

    The river connects the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico, the total length of the riverbed is a little more than 250 km. As a result of the rapid industrial development of Chicago in the XIX century, the waters of the river were heavily polluted, after heavy rains and flooding, epidemics flared up in the city. In 1900, the riverbed was redirected to the Mississippi River basin. There are 38 drawbridges spanning the Chicago River within the city limits.

    Chicago River
    Lake Michigan

    Lake Michigan

    The largest freshwater lake in the United States, part of the Great Lakes system. The territory of Michigan is completely located within the United States, unlike other lakes. The reservoir is called the "third coast of the States" after the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, as there are excellent sandy beaches here. You can swim in the lake all summer, even at the end of August, the water remains warm enough.