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This terrific city is located on the
shores of Lake Michigan, so you have the beautiful view of the water
from many locations. It is home to top sports teams, the sympathy
orchestra, live theater, celebrated architecture, wonderful restaurants,
outstanding museums, the Magnificent Mile and the Navy Pier.
You can view the city from 1,000 feet above at the
John Hancock Observatory or the Sears Tower Skydeck. The John Hancock
observation deck gives one of the
best views you can have of
Chicago's downtown
area. The
Sears Tower Sky deck, in 2008, is Chicago’s most visited and highest
observatory with 110 stories.
For a skydeck scavenger hunt for the kids click here:
Scavenger Hunt
The double decker
street tour bus is a great excursion. It takes about two hours and
will give you a real feel for the layout of the city. There are
approximately 13 stops along the tour at major tourist attractions and
you can get off visit the site and then get back on the next bus that
comes along. We really enjoyed this tour and would highly recommend it.
Be sure to get an early start so that you can make the most of your
ticket.
In addition,
Chicago has FREE double decker buses that circle the city. They are
color coded based on their route. Make sure you find out in
advance the bus that you need to get you to your destination.
The Magnificent Mile is
a grand boulevard with exclusive shops, museums, restaurants and ritzy
hotels. All the big names in shopping are present here, from
Disney and Niketown to Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue. The south
end is bordered by the Michigan Avenue bridge and at its northern end by
Oak Street Bridge. The Magnificent Mile is a unique street that you
shouldn't miss on your visit to Chicago.
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The Museum Campus, located near Soldier
field, is home to The Field Museum, Adler Planetarium and Shedd
Aquarium. On the city’s north side you will find the Lincoln Park Zoo,
which is one of the oldest zoos in the country. Just west of Chicago is
the home of the Brookfield Zoo which features over 2,000 animals.
The Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise is Chicago's most
popular river tour. It offers a unique perspective of some of
Chicago’s architecturally
significant sites. Many of the buildings along the river were designed
with the river in mind, and have a different perspective than when
viewing them from the street side.
You can
marvel at Chicago’s soaring towers while enjoying
this 90-minute, narrated river cruise. The boats have both open-air and
indoor climate controlled seating. This tour spotlights more than 50
architecturally significant sites where you will discover a new
perspective on the city.
Launch
time frequencies change seasonally, but tours generally start every 30 -
60 minutes between
11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., and 10:00 a.m - 5:30 p.m. on weekends between
June and September.
I totally enjoyed this tour but do feel that it may
not be appropriate for small children. They will love the boat but may
become bored sitting quietly to listen to the narrator. You will
be able to get terrific skyline pictures from this tour.
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