This month, our featured Chicago event is its famous Navy Pier, also known as Chicago's lakefront playground. Located on the shores of Lake Michigan, Navy Pier has been a Chicago Landmark since it opened in 1916. Originally designed as both a shipping and recreation facility. The Pier also served as a military training site during two world wars, as a venue for concerts and exhibitions, and as home to The University of Illinois-Chicago campus from 1946 through 1965. The park was recently renovated in July of 1995 as a world-class recreation and exposition center.
Navy Pier offers visitors a unique mix of family-oriented events and entertainment, encompassing more than 50 acres of parks, gardens, shops, restaurants and attractions.
Visitors enjoy performances at the 1,500-seat outdoor magnificent Skyline Stage, the city's premier lakefront performance venue; scenic rides on the giant 150-feet-high Ferris wheel and old-fashioned musical carousel in Navy Pier Park; tasty treats at the Pier's restaurants or in the Navy Pier Beer Garden; breathtaking dinner cruises, tour boats and visiting vessels; fabulous large-screen movies at Loews Cineplex Navy Pier 3D Imax Theatre; interactive exhibits at Chicago Children's Museum; and strolls along Dock Street, a pedestrian promenade which in the summer months features more than 40 vendors and entertainment daily. The Pier also features the Crystal Gardens, a six-story, glass-enclosed botanical garden; and a historic Grand Ballroom, with an 80-foot domed ceiling.
General Pier Summer Operating Hours are:
Sunday - Thursday 10
a.m. -10p.m.
Friday & Saturday 10 a.m.-12 a.m.
For more information contact Navy Pier directly by calling:
312 595-PIER
Or visit their website: