Navy Pier in Chicago - top tourist attraction

Jutting out into Lake Michigan, Navy Pier has been the city's most popular tourist attraction since its renovation, with a variety of shops, restaurants, bars, food and souvenir stands, rides, movie theaters, theaters and more.

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Stretching over 3,300 feet, it was the largest wharf in the world when it was built in 1914.

Originally a purely commercial port, the port turned to more tourist activities in the late 1930s before World War II called it back to more military functions. It wasn't until the mid-1970s that Navy Pier returned to a tourist and cultural role, hosting its first concerts and festivals.

Navy Pier in Chicago

Rebuilt in the 1990s, the pier now covers 50 acres, dotted with parks, gardens, cultural institutions and shops: restaurants, bars, souvenir shops, carousels, concert stages and halls, theaters - the Shakespeare Theater is the only theater devoted exclusively to the works of Shakespeare - IMAX theaters, museums - including the Children's Museum.

At the end of its shopping street, the pier is home to Navy Pier Park, an amusement park with a variety of rides for the little ones. Navy Pier's landmark is a 135-foot Ferris wheel, which offers visitors some of the best views of Chicago's skyscrapers from its gondolas.

Navy Pier is the starting point for many themed cruises that focus on the architecture of the city and its most famous skyscrapers: 30- to 90-minute cruises aboard historic sailing ships (the Tall Ship Windy has 11 sails), large-capacity motorboats, dining cruises, entertainment cruises, dance cruises, concerts and more.

At its end, Navy Pier offers one of the best panoramic views of the Chicago skyline. Enjoy a drink at dusk as the sun sets behind the dark silhouettes of the Windy City's iconic skyscrapers.

Twice a week during the summer (Wednesdays and Saturdays), fireworks are launched over the pier.