Navy Pier is a popular destination in the city. It is located at 600 East Grand Avenue and can easily be reached by CTA buses#2, #29, #65, #66, or #124. The pier hosts a multitude of events and I’ve been multiple times over the four years I’ve lived in the city. Over the summer it’s popular for it’s firework shows off the lake that happen on Wednesday’s at 9:30pm and Saturday’s at 10:15pm. The pier gets packed for these, so if you want a good spot get there early or head somewhere else within view of the lake to see them. At work at the beginning of the year we would watch them from the roof, but my first week in the city I watched them from Museum Campus and sat on the grass by the Shedd Aquarium/Adler Planetarium.
At the pier itself there is a ton to do. The main building is a lot like a mall full of vendors and restaurants as well as a Children’s museum and indoor garden. There is also a Stained Glass Window Museum. I’ve been to conferences and events at the pier as well which tend to happen at the further end of the pier past the stained glass museum. They hosted the Red Moon Chinese New Year event this year and every year they also host Snow Days, a snow sculpture competition. The Seadog tours also leave from this spot.
The Pier also has shows, an IMAX Theater and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and the Pepsi Skyline Theater which houses the Cirque Shanghai for the summer. There is also different games, rides and attractions such as a ferris wheel, a funhouse maze, a carousel, a light tower ride, a mini golf, remote control boats, and a wave swinger. I recently went up in the Ferris Wheel which gives a beautiful view of the city.
