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Located on Lake Michigan, just East of Chicago’s Downtown, Navy Pier has been a Chicago landmark since it first opened in 1916. Originally designed as both a shipping and recreational facility, the Pier also served as a military training site during two world wars, a venue for concerts and exhibitions, and the temporary home for a once-fledgling University of Illinois’ Chicago campus. Today, Navy Pier showcases a unique collection of restaurants and shops in addition to unequaled recreational and exhibition facilities.
The Family Pavilion is anchored by the 50,000-square-foot Chicago Children’s Museum and Navy Pier’s 440-seat IMAX Theater. It is also home to 40,000 square feet of exciting restaurants and retail shops. Just beyond, visitors discover the Crystal Gardens, a 32,000-square-foot indoor botanical park, which provides a year-round center for family activity and special receptions. The South Arcade is home to numerous shops, restaurants, and attractions, including Time Escape, Amazing Chicago, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
Navy Pier Park is an outdoor landscaped area which features attractions such as a permanent 150-foot-high Ferris wheel, a musical carousel, an old-fashioned swing ride and an 18-hole miniature golf course. Navy Pier Park also includes the 1,500-seat Skyline Stage, which features musical performances ranging from classical to pop, blues and jazz to eclectic, rock and reggae, as well as dance, theater, comedy and film. Dock Street runs the length of the Pier’s South Dock and is reserved for pedestrians, bicyclists and joggers. In season, four performance areas feature entertainment ranging from jugglers, mimes and stilt walkers to comedians, singers and musicians. Chicago’s dinner cruise ships continue to operate from Dock Street. And, on select summer evenings, fireworks entertain the Pier’s evening visitors.
Festival Hall serves exposition and special event needs, with more than 170,000 square feet of exhibit space, and also houses the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows, which is a permanent display of 150 stained glass windows housed in an 800-ft.-long series of galleries along the lower level terraces of Festival Hall. The East End of Navy Pier offers the city’s best view of the spectacular skyline and lakefront, and it is the perfect place for lunch or a sunset stroll.
See our article,
A Visitor Guide to Navy Pier
Chicago.
Official
Navy Pier Web Site
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