Navy Pier

Description: Built in 1916, Navy Pier initially served as a storage and docking facility for large ocean vessels.

Today it is one of the city's top tourist attractions. You can take boats out onto Lake Michigan and admire the city skyline. The pier is also home to numerous restaurants, a museum, a movie theater and the Ferris Wheel, which is visible from afar. In the summer, between Memorial and Labor Day, fireworks are held every Wednesday and Saturday. Everything you need to know about a visit to the pier and the exact fireworks times can be found at the official webpage.

In 1979, Navy Pier was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Our rating: There is almost always a lot going on here. The many attractions simply attract many people. We took a tour of Lake Michigan from here. That was beautiful and fun. The many, huge skyscrapers of the city provide a great photo motif. 

The pier itself was just too busy for us. So we didn't have quite as much fun walking around here and exploring everything. But the many people were certainly also due to the good weather and the holiday weekend. The pier is certainly worth a detour.