Downtown Chicago Attractions

There's a lot to do and see in the downtown area of the Windy City. Given their location in the heartland of North America, downtown Chicago attractions offer an amazingly broad offering of global history and culture. World-renowned Lakeshore Drive is the starting point for any tour.

Begin on the north end of the city and visit Lincoln Park, which includes the Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory for nature lovers, the Chicago History Museum, and the park’s landmark statue of General Ulysses S. Grant. Moving south, spend some time at American Girl Place, home of the American Girls Collection of dolls, accessories, and so much more.

Head out onto the historic Navy Pier, now home to the Chicago Children's Museum, an Imax theater, the amusement rides at Navy Pier Park, and be sure and stop in at the unique Smith Museum of Stained Glass. Come back into the center of Chicago and ride to the top of the Sears Tower, tallest building in North America. Then visit the capitalist heart of the city at the Chicago Board of Trade, Chicago Stock Exchange and the Federal Reserve.

Nearby is the great Art Institute of Chicago, home to one of the world’s premier collections of African and Amerindian artifacts, plus dedicated assemblies of Textiles, Architectural Drawings, Decorative Arts exhibits, as well as a stunning display of traditional European paintings. As if that isn’t enough, the Field Museum of Natural History houses one of the world’s finest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeletons, in addition to so much more.

Finish this incredible excursion on the south end of Lakeshore Drive, home to the Museum of Science and Industry. MSI offers 14 acres of exhibits housed on the site of the 1893 World’s Fair, which include a human-created 40-foot-tall tornado and the Nazi submarine U-505 captured on the high seas in 1944, now an interactive and very popular exhibit. Downtown Chicago attractions are world leaders in fun, learning, and culture.