Page 26 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guides - Chicago

24 ❯❯ Top 10 Chicago Highlights

Navy Pier

Back in 1995, Chicago’s Navy Pier was a drab slab of concrete
projecting into Lake Michigan, formerly used as a military
and freight terminal. But a huge effort to attract locals and
tourists resulted in the installation of a variety of attractions
on the waterfront – for kids as well as adults – that draw
over nine million people annually, making
this Chicago’s most visited attraction. The
Pier underwent extensive renovations for
its 100th anniversary in 2016.
Musical 4
Carousel
A quaint merry-go-
round of 36 hand-
painted horses and
chariots next to the
Ferris Wheel repli cates
a similar ride installed
on the Pier in the 1920s.
Centennial
5
Wheel
It’s hard to miss the Pier’s
196-ft- (60-m-) high ferris
wheel (right), installed
Wave Swinger
1 in 2016 to replace its
Each of the 48
smaller predecessor.
chain-suspended chairs The slowly revolving ride
on this colorful, old- seats eight in each of its
fashioned thrill ride lifts 42 enclosed cars. Daytime
riders 14 ft (5 m) in the rides offer fine lake views,
air, and spins them until while at night, light shows
the skyline blurs (above). projected onto the wheel
create colorful displays.
IMAX®
2 New Food
Theatre
Experience
The six-story movie 6
Chicago
theater offers celluloid Replacing run-of-the-mill 7
fare ranging from boardwalk fare, the Pier's Children’s
scientific documen taries newly revamped food Museum
to Disney features. Sound court includes several Kids love this hands-on
and vision head sets aid satellites of Chicago- museum (below) that
3-D movie fun. based restaurants such educates through play.
as the two North Side Under-twos get dedi cated
Polk Bros Park
3 favorites, DMK Burger spaces, including a water
room (see p52).
Bar and Fish Bar.
Navy Pier's front
yard is marked by a
dramatic fountain with
around 250 programmable
jets that mimic the
movement of water,
schools of fish, or flocks
of birds. In winter, the park
converts into an ice rink.
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