Grant Park
Three hundred and nineteen acres that Chicago's founders marked in 1839 as land to "forever remain vacant of buildings" — a pledge the 19th century did not keep.
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Built partly from debris dumped after the 1871 Great Chicago Fire and later extended by landfill into Lake Michigan, Grant Park holds Buckingham Fountain, Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum Campus — all strung between Michigan Avenue and the lakefront. Chicago calls it its front yard, and the scale earns that.
What to look for
- Buckingham Fountain — one of the park's named centerpieces, sitting within the original parkland
- The eastern edge along Lake Michigan — ground you're standing on was reclaimed from the lake through successive landfill campaigns
- Millennium Park — a distinct zone contained inside Grant Park's 319 acres, to the northwest corner near Randolph Street
The park runs from Randolph Street (north) to Roosevelt Road (south), with Michigan Avenue on the west and Lake Michigan on the east; governed by the Chicago Park District.
Grant Park is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Chicago, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Chicago pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Chicago
- Willis TowerIt held the world's tallest title for nearly 25 years after opening in 1973 — and the Skydeck is still the highest observation deck in the United States.
- Art Institute of ChicagoFour paintings you've seen your whole life — Nighthawks, La Grande Jatte, The Old Guitarist, American Gothic — hang in the same building.
- John Hancock Center (875 N Michigan Ave)A moving platform pivots you 30 degrees outward over the Magnificent Mile — 1,128 feet of nothing beneath your feet.
- Aon CenterWhen it opened in 1973 as "Big Stan," this 83-floor tower was the fourth-tallest building on Earth — and clad entirely in marble.
- United CenterThe Bulls hardwood floor is literally assembled over the Blackhawks ice and taken apart game by game — two teams, one frozen surface, shared by puzzle.
- Soldier FieldThe NFL's oldest stadium lost its National Historic Landmark status because of the renovation meant to save it.