Navy Pier - Chicago’s Lakefront Playground!

Chicago’s Navy Pier Nearby Hotel Boat Rides & Dinner Entertainment

A landmark since 1916, Navy Pier is Chicago's playground on Lake Michigan with 50 acres of attractions, entertainment, parks, promenades, gardens, shops, restaurants, live music, fireworks, exhibition facilities, and family events. Ride on the 15-story tall Ferris wheel. Catch a movie at the IMAX® Theatre. Visit three floors of hands-on fun at the Chicago Children's Museum inside the Family Pavilion. Experience cruise boat rides departing from Navy Pier's South Dock. Kick back and enjoy live entertainment - dancers, acrobats, theater, blues, jazz, and rock 'n roll - at the Pepsi Skyline Stage. Call 312-791-7000 or visit www.navypier.com.

Family Fun at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Experience some outdoor family fun at Navy Pier, offering lakeside attractions like as150 - foot - high Ferris wheel, a musical carousel, an old-fashioned swing ride, and an 18 - hole miniature golf course. Enjoy outdoor performances and concerts at the Skyline Stage pavilion and exciting boat cruises on Lake Michigan. Towering above Navy Pier, the historic Ferris wheel - built for Chicago's 1893 World Colombian Exposition - has 40 gondolas and its massive spokes are illuminated at night by thousands of sparkling lights. Take a 7-minute ride on the Navy Pier Ferris wheel and savor amazing views of the Chicago skyline and lakefront.

Navy Pier History - Musical Carousel. Designed exclusively for Navy Pier, the musical carousel is a whimsical work-of-art that recreates the Pier's golden age of the 1920s. The carousel's 36 hand-painted animals, including horses, chariots and a playful frog, represent styles found throughout the history of carousels and delight children of all ages. The hand-painted rounding boards at the top of the 44 - foot carousel depict scenes from Navy Pier's vivid history.  [Top]

Navy Pier Boat Rides and Dinner Cruises. Hop aboard pleasure boats docked along Navy Pier's Dock Street for unforgettable Lake Michigan adventures. Several vessels - from schooners to sightseeing boats - offer dinner cruises with live entertainment, thrilling speedboat rides on Lake Michigan and water taxis to lakefront attractions. Enjoy 90-minute cruises, charters and trips on Tall Ship Windy, Navy Pier's 148-foot, four-masted American schooner. Passengers are encouraged to help raise and trim her 11 sails and turn the ship's wheel. Spirit of Chicago offers the liveliest parties on Lake Michigan with lunch, brunch and dinner sightseeing cruises that include skyline narration and live cabaret entertainment and DJs. Enjoy elegant dinner and midnight cruises with fine dining and live entertainment on Odyssey or Mystic Blue.

Navy Pier Sightseeing Boat Tours. Cruising 25 knots, the 70-foot-long Seadog vessels - four of the fastest speedboats in the country - offer exciting 30-minute adventures and 75 - minute architectural tours with 15 feet of cool spray shooting from their sterns. Take a 30-minute skyline tour from the west end of Navy Pier on a Shoreline Sightseeing boat and experience the majesty of Chicago's lakefront. Shoreline Sightseeing also offers water taxis between Chicago attractions and thrilling architecture cruises from Ogden Slip that travel the Chicago River viewing over 40 masterpieces of modern architecture. Shoreline offers private event charters on four vessels, including "Star of Chicago" and the brand new "Evening Star".   [Top]

Entertainment at Navy Pier. Navy Pier offers lakefront entertainment, shopping and dining for the entire family. Enjoy explosive 2D and 3D films at the 440 - seat Navy Pier IMAX Theatre featuring a six - story, 60 x 80 - foot screen - Chicago's largest flat movie screen. Explore the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier, where a universe of creative activities and exhibits delight children of all ages. This interactive, educational oasis is one of the most popular children's museums in the country. Experience the plays of William Shakespeare at Navy Pier’s beautiful 7 - story, courtyard-style Chicago Shakespeare Theater - permanent home for Shakespeare in the heart of Chicago.

Music & Magic at Navy Pier. From spectacular fireworks to seasonal celebrations, Navy Pier is Chicago’s entertainment playground. Enjoy musical and theatrical performances by The Buccaneers, Navy Pier's mascot Patch, Pier Pranksters, jugglers, magicians, and costumed characters. And, Navy Pier produces dozens of special events and cultural celebrations featuring traditional music and dance from around the globe. During the summer, fireworks explode above the lakefront on Wednesday and Saturday nights, and the Beer Garden presents Chicago's live music scene with rock, blues, salsa, soul, and R&B on the Bud Light Stage. Catch exciting live music, enchanting shows and summer concerts at the Pepsi Skyline Stage.

Shopping & Dining at Navy Pier. Navy Pier is a vibrant shopping and dining destination as diverse as Chicago itself! Dine at one of the wonderful restaurants along the lake, such as Bubba Gump and Billy Goat Tavern, or sample some mouthwatering Chicago cuisine at the food court in the year - round Family Pavilion. Enjoy a fun shopping spree at the retail shops in the Family Pavilion or along the Arcade. You’ll find everything from bikes to shirts, sunglasses to souvenirs, fashion to furniture.  [Top]