Locals and tourists alike have a ton to see downtown, including skyscrapers, museums, parks and more of the best things to do in the Loop
Millions of people come to Chicago each year and are content to spend the entirety of their visit in the Loop. While there's much more to our city, we'll admit that there is something captivating about the towering skyscrapers and pieces of public art that populate the dense downtown area. Explore the world's best museum by visiting the Art Institute or relax in the city's "front yard" as you stroll through Grant Park. Make like Ferris Bueller, take a day off and enjoy some of the best things to do in the Loop.
RECOMMENDED: Our complete neighborhood guide to the Chicago Loop
It doesn’t spew water in winter, but with its four Art Deco–style seahorses, Georgia pink marble and holiday light and music show, this fountain built in 1927 is still a sight to behold. From May through Labor Day, 20-minute shows every hour on the hour feature 14,000 gallons of water spouting from 133 jets. In summer, see the nighttime colored light shows, capped off with a center jet shooting 150 feet of water in the air.
Known mostly for its architecture tours, programming and bauble-filled design shop, the Chicago Architecture Foundation is worth visiting for its exhibits alone. In addition to creative rotating displays, galleries boast a highly accurate model of Chicago: Around 1,000 buildings in 400 city blocks glow under simulated sunshine.
Founded to house the biological and anthropological collections assembled for the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, this massive natural history museum still packs ’em in with more than 30 permanent exhibitions covering 300,000 square feet. Inside the permanent displays, you can see glowering dinos, marvel at ancient artifacts from a royal Egyptian tomb, undergo a lesson in cannibalism in the “Pacific Spirits” gallery or take a stroll through the newly rehabbed Halls of Gems and Jade.
Spanning 319 acres of lakefront property, Chicago's "front yard" is filled with notable landmarks like the Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute and Museum Campus. In the summer, Grant Park's sprawling terrain plays host to festivals like Lollapalooza and the Taste of Chicago.
Discover Time Out original video
