Millennium Park, Chicago

Always a classic place to visit in Chicago! There's 'Cloud Gate', more commonly known as 'The Bean', there's ice skating, good food, all sorts of cool sculptures, artwork, interesting people, areas to play for kids and adults alike... The list goes on. Plus, you're right near all sorts of great shopping, only a few minutes walk from navy pier, etc. If you've never been here, I highly recommend it at least once during your visit. Is it a tourist trap? Sure! But sometimes the reason a place is so popular is because it's actually worth visiting, and for me, this is one of those places.

Millennium Park was beautiful. Living in the suburbs my whole life I never really walked through millennium Park. It is absolutely amazing and I love the atmosphere. It's a very clean park and such amazing scenery. The gardens are awesome. The fountain is incredible. The bean. It's just awesome and anyone who wants a nice walk should check it out.

To be honest, it's nothing too special. It's a big bean where you can see yourself. It is iconic of downtown Chicago, so that's the only reason we visited. There is one cool spot if you go inside the middle of the bean where you can see an infinite spiral of your view, which I guess is cool. Overall, very touristy but that's not always a bad thing. It has an ice skating rink around the area too and lots of shops and restaurants. You won't get bored. Maximum time you need is an hour here.

Everyone thinks of the Cloud Gate when they think of Millennium Park, but there is so much more to see. You can spend a whole afternoon or morning walking around the park taking great pictures, seeing the sights, enjoying the sculptures. It's central location is a quick ride to just about any attraction in the Chicago area. My wife and I walked there from our hotel several times and would stop and eat on the way or back. Wear comfortable shoes and enjoy the sights!

This might be one of the best places to experience Chicago. You've got the lake to the east and the towering skyscrapers to the West. Most of the sculptures in the park are pretty magnificent. The skate rink in the winter is definitely a nice touch. I've previously rented bicycles at the park. Had the opportunity to ride them all the way down from the Navy Pier to the Shedd Aquarium. Also you don't need a bike to walk from the park to the art museum which is right next door and one of the best in the United States. I haven't had the opportunity to see any musical or theater performances at the park but it looks like it great space which is not too large considering the size of the city. Having visited the downtown attractions over the last 40 years I would put this number one on the list of places to visit. Not that there aren't a number of great tourist attractions, but this is the one that really sold my wife on Chicago when visiting in the summer.