Navy Pier

Navy Pier is a roughly 50-acre pier extending into Lake Michigan from Streeterville, at 600 E Grand Ave in Chicago, Illinois. Originally opened in 1916, it has been reworked into a lakefront entertainment district with free entry. The main draw is the Centennial Wheel, a large Ferris wheel that gives rotating views of the skyline and the lake. Other attractions include the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Chicago Children's Museum, the Crystal Gardens indoor botanical atrium, amusement rides, shops and a range of restaurants and food stands. Boat operators run sightseeing and architecture cruises from the dock, and sailing and speedboat rides operate in summer. On summer evenings the pier hosts fireworks, typically on Wednesday and Saturday nights, which draw large crowds along the lakefront. The pier's east end offers some of the best views of the city skyline, particularly at sunset when the buildings light up. Most visitors spend two to three hours, longer if they take a cruise or a show. Crowds are heaviest on summer weekends and fireworks nights, and lightest on weekday afternoons and during the colder months, when some outdoor attractions close or reduce hours. For photographs, the end of the pier and the Wheel's gondolas provide the strongest skyline views. Access is by CTA buses 29, 65 and 124, by the free Navy Pier trolley in summer, or on foot about 20 minutes from the Grand station on the Red Line.