City: Chicago, IL

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (312) 742-1168

Address: 201 E. Randolph St.

Description: It might have opened four years and many thousands of dollars beyond its original 2000 goal, but Millennium Park was still an instant hit. Who knew that a silver, 110-ton object now known as “The Bean” would become one of Chicago’s most recognizable icons? Officially titled Cloud Gate, artist Anish Kapoor’s sculpture spans 33 feet high and 66 feet across and is a favorite photo-op among the many architectural and artistic elements in this 24.5-acre downtown green space. No less impressive is star-chitect Frank Gehry’s ribbons of brushed stainless steel that curl in and out of each other to create the Jay Pritzker Pavilion—branching out overhead is a complex trellis of steel pipes that carry the sound system to the expansive area of lawn seating. Free concerts and other events take place here throughout the warm-enough months. And perhaps the most fun of the public art pieces is Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain, a pair of 50-foot-high glass block towers that face each other across a very shallow reflecting pool. The towers are embedded with video images of people’s faces that represent a cross-section of Chicago’s communities. From spring through fall, the towers stream and spout water, providing giddy city splashing for kids and grown-ups too. For quieter times, stroll the lovely Lurie Garden, bring a bag lunch to sit at the Wrigley Square and peristyle; browse the changing public art installations; or cross over Lake Shore Drive on the Gehry-designed pedestrian bridge. Indoor concerts, dance, music, and family programs are scheduled throughout the year at the Harris Theater. There’s also a bike rental facility, daily kids activities during the summer, and ice skating during the winter. A second bridge designed by Renzo Piano connects the park to the Art Institute’s Modern Wing across the southern end of the park. Free (Harris Theater ticket prices vary). Open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.