Chicago Travel Guide - 25 Things to Do!

today we're going to show you 25 things to do in chicago the third most populous city in the united states with over 50 million visitors a year if you like architecture attractions museums parks great food and plenty of outdoor activities you'll love chicago this is magellan and this is greyhound where we make videos about epic road trips kayaking hiking and other outdoor adventures chicago illinois is located alongside lake michigan with the chicago river running through its heart it prides itself on its architecture after the great chicago fire in 1871 when a large portion of the city burned down chicago took the opportunity to reimagine itself drawing in some of the world's lead architects at the time the city rebuilt like a phoenix hence one of its nicknames as the second city and was showcased in the world's fair in 1893. here is our list of 25 things to do there navy pier is a massive waterfront destination and family-friendly tourist attraction situated on lake michigan that also gives you a front row seat to chicago's iconic skyline with over 50 acres of space here you will find plenty of shops restaurants outdoor beer gardens hotels entertainment venues pavilions and boat tours galore it's also a hub for several of the things you can do on our list in addition to featuring the shakespeare theater and the crystal gardens indoor botanical garden most people visit navy pier for our next thing to do the centennial wheel a 200 foot ferris wheel it's easily the most visible attraction not only in navy pier but from many other parts of chicago this version replaced the old ferris wheel in 2015 and gives you sweeping views of the city skyline and lake michigan don't forget to ride the historic carousel right underneath it as well while i navy pier take in the fireworks which run every wednesday and saturday evening from memorial day to labor day they can be seen from other locations throughout the city and you can even kayak to the pier and enjoy the show next consider a boat tour of lake michigan navy pier is host to several companies that will provide you with tours from as simple as day sightseeing to more elaborate lunch and sunset dinner cruises sit back relax and enjoy the views of chicago's majestic skyline where you can see some of its most famous towers such as the john hancock tower the sears tower and the aeon center to name just a few you'll also get views of lake michigan up close and personal with the chicago harbor lighthouse and will pass by the adler planetarium and shed aquarium don't pass this opportunity up if you're nearby because this is definitely one of the best ways to see this guy line if you liked going out on lake michigan and enjoyed the skyline you need to do one of our favorite tours in the city the chicago river architecture tour for this you can either take a boat tour out of navy pier or find yourself one of several kayak tour guides along the river both will provide you with a historic guided tour of the city's stunning architecture we've done the boat tour once but we really enjoy kayaking it ourselves check out the video we made where we had no boat traffic for this tour you'll get to see buildings up close such as the famous wrigley building trump tower the merchandise mart which had its own zip code at one time the riverwalk many of chicago's bascule bridges and wolf point has all of this adventuring made you hungry yet if so it's time to eat some chicago deep dish which is usually prepared in a pan upside down cheese on the bottom sauce on top while many locals prefer tavern style pizza over deep dish it's hard not to want to try this extremely filling staple don't come too hungry though since it takes around 40 minutes to cook blue malnouries and giordano's are some of the more well-known places to eat deep dish our next stop is the magnificent mile or the mag mile for short which runs a full mile up and down michigan avenue it's a district known largely for shopping hotels and dining it's also a great stretch to walk for a different perspective of chicago's renowned towers such as the john hancock building and the tribune tower the views over the chicago river at the mag miles end are pretty spectacular too while you're on the mag mile be sure to check out the chicago water tower and the chicago avenue pumping station two of the few remaining buildings that survived the great chicago fire in 1871. the chicago water tower was built in 1869 and is the second oldest water tower in the united states you can go inside for free or relax in the surrounding park area also while you're on the mag mile you should check out the billy goat tavern which has underground access near the wrigley building and the tribune tower if you're familiar with the cheeseburger cheeseburger cheeseburger skits on saturday night live with bill murray john belushi and dan aykroyd this place was the inspiration for it and was frequented by bill murray himself it's also where the curse of the billy goat originated in 1945 when the owner was removed from a world series cubs game at wrigley field after his pet goat was bothering fans and he declared that the cubs would not win anymore for non-baseball fans they did not win for another 71 years it's open daily from 6 am has a bar and closes anywhere from 1am to 3am once you're done with the mag mile you can stroll down chicago scenic river walk nearby a 1.25 mile stretch in downtown chicago as you descend the stairs to your left you can check out the underpass where the joker's tunnel chase scenes were filmed for the dark knight the riverwalk as its name implies runs along the chicago river through the heart of the city and ends at wolf point with views of river point park if you took the river cruise you will recognize this area as you walk you can take in all of the amazing architecture again walking under the bascial bridges while enjoying yourself at the many waterfront cafes wineries and bars make sure to snag yourself an available chair to relax fyi there are stairs to street level at many points that you can use or you can return how you came our next stop is one of the most popular attractions in the city skydeck chicago the highest observation deck in the united states located on the 103rd floor of the willis tower still steer sour to the locals which is the third tallest building in the united states the sky deck gives you panoramic views of the city if you're feeling really brave you can go out on the ledge two glass balconies extending 4.3 feet from the edge and see what's standing at 1 353 feet off the ground feels like we made a video about this too that we'll link above with no offense to the other baseball team in town the white sox and their newer park you have to catch a game at wrigley field built in 1914 wrigley field is the second oldest ballpark in baseball after fenway park in boston and is the home of the previously goat cursed chicago cubs with its ivy covered outfield walls iconic red marquee entrance and hand-turned scoreboards this is a must-do for baseball fans no matter where you sit it feels like you're intimately a part of the game at hand make sure to set aside some time before the game to check out the statues of past cubs legends and while you're at a game make sure you eat a chicago dog which is quote dragged through the garden end quote a beef frank on a poppy seed bun filled with sweet pickle relish yellow mustard onions a dill pickle spear a tomato slice celery salt and sport peppers and no ketchup you will get looks if you ask for it some places don't even offer it as an option for a condiment you can also get these at places like portillos al's beef the infamous wiener circle and jean and jude's which throws fries on top of theirs while at some of these places you can also get what is known as an italian beef sandwich thinly slice roast beef on a french roll with jardinar or sweet peppers or both served aju you can even ask them to dip the roll for you as well you can see why they have to wrap it like three times with paper our next stop is grant park also known as chicago's front yard a large stretch of park in the loop area of the city that is somewhat comparable to central park and new york city it consists of several smaller parks and gardens such as millennium park the field museum campus george salty garden north and south gardens and houses the art institute of chicago [Music] buckingham fountain is also here but it was not running when we went maybe we were there too early but it looks spectacular day or night there's also a statue of president abraham lincoln sometimes called the seated or sitting lincoln which used to be showcased on the metropolitan museum of art in new york city this funny enough is not even the most famous statue of lincoln in chicago millennium park is a smaller park within grand park and contains one of chicago's most iconic spots cloud gate but named the bean by locals the bean is a piece of public art by anish kapoor that was unveiled in 2004 and reflects its surroundings be that on the skyline the sky above or any people nearby other than winter is usually busy with many people taking photos are you thirsty yet while in chinatown you should check out its fantastic craft beer scene enjoy breweries and brew pubs like goose island off color revolution and half acre to name just a few get yourself a beer inside outside on a patio or garden add some food to the mix and take a break from all of your adventures if you're looking for places to buy beer there are franchises like bini's and tons of local bottle shops all over the city so back to grant park head over to what is known as the field museum campus where you can visit the field museum of natural history built in 1893 and named after its benefactor marshall field it features over 40 million artifacts and tons of exhibits and remains one of the largest natural history museums in the world if you're eager to learn about geology botany or anthropology or you just like looking at dinosaur collections this is the place for you nearby the field museum is the adler planetarium which opened in 1930 as the first planetarium in the united states in addition to various theaters where you can learn about astronomy there are tons of exhibits as well behind the planetarium is the doane observatory which houses a large telescope open to the public lincoln park is chicago's largest park and home to the nature museum chicago history museum and the lincoln park zoo it has many bike trails jogging paths beaches playing fields and statues like this one at founding father benjamin franklin but its most prominent statue is you guessed it the abraham lincoln statue also known as the standing lincoln completed in 1887. if you love biking or just walking our next stop is a must for you the lake front trail which is 18 miles of paved bike path and pedestrian trails alongside lake michigan features numerous beaches parks and gardens you can start at either the southern part and south shore park or the northern part near kathy osterman beach and ardmore avenue along the way you'll pass through linkin park navy pier grand park and museum campus with amazing views of the skyline in both directions we made a video about this bike ride that we'll link above are you hungry again eat cheese curds i love cheese curds they are yummy we know they are more of a wisconsin thing but chicago is just 45 minutes away from america's dairyland and you'd miss out if you didn't grab any here get them fresh and squeaky in farmer's markets to satisfy your spouse's monstrous cheese appetite or get them fried in a restaurant or pub with a nice crunch and gooey interior our next recommendation is to take the l short for elevated train chicago's primarily above ground mass transit system it's the third busiest metro system in the united states behind new york city and dc and it can take you to many places throughout the city for a small fare get yourself a ventra card and not only will you be able to ride the trains with ease but you can also use it to hop on chicago's robust bus system as well this is a perfect alternative to the extremely limited and expensive parking in chicago and gives you a different perspective of the city you can also rent nearby lift bikes to get around let's say you do really like to drive though and you have limited time lakeshore drive which runs parallel to the lakefront trail and lake michigan is a perfect way to cruise and enjoy the architectural skyline and lake many of the previous destinations we've mentioned can be accessed along this drive but you'll have to find a garage to park our last thing to do is to enjoy a sunrise or sunset find yourself a park or beach take in the views of lake michigan which are absolutely stunning or enjoy a view of the city skyline in particular from adler planetarium and those are our 25 things to do in chicago let us know in the comments what your favorite spots are be well everyone hit that like and subscribe and we'll see you on our next adventure you

Channel: Magellan and Greyhound

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Keywords: Chicago Travel Guide - 25 things to do and see, chicago travel guide, 25 things to do and see, navy pier, centennial wheel, fireworks, lake michigan boat tour, river architecture tour, deep dish pizza, the magnificent mile, billy goat tavern, skydeck chicago, chicago riverwalk, wrigley field, grant park, lincoln park, the bean, lakeshore drive, lakefront trail, field museum, adler planetarium, hot dog, italian beef, chicago water tower, beer, chicago things to do

Id: AE0mfx2sVjU

Length: 16min 37sec (997 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 20 2021