Navy Pier

While Navy Pier is charming year-round, summer is when it shines brightest. The waterfront breeze cuts through the Chicago heat, boats fill the marina, and fireworks light up the sky on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Spring brings tulip blooms, fall brings golden leaves and lake mist, and winter turns the pier into a snow-globe wonderland with indoor gardens and light displays.

If you prefer fewer crowds, weekdays in late spring or early fall offer that perfect mix of pleasant weather and open space.

- Built in 1916, Navy Pier was originally called “Municipal Pier.” It was renamed in honor of the U.S. Navy personnel (those who served in World War I).

- During WWII, the pier functioned as a naval training center—aircraft carriers even docked here to help train pilots.

- The Centennial Wheel was built in 2016 to celebrate the pier’s 100th anniversary, replacing the previous wheel from the 1990s.

- More than 9 million people visit Navy Pier each year, making it one of the top-visited leisure attractions in the United States.

- In the 1950s, the pier briefly hosted classes for the University of Illinois at Chicago—yes, students actually attended school with a view of Lake Michigan.

Imagine a pier that’s lived many lives: cargo port, military base, college campus, and now, a cultural hub. That’s the journey of Navy Pier. When it opened in 1916, it was a marvel of engineering and civic ambition. But the decades brought change, decline, and reinvention.

By the 1990s, Navy Pier was reborn—not as a working dock but as Chicago’s open-air living room. Over time, the city added green spaces, public art, performance venues, and attractions like the Centennial Wheel and Chicago Children’s Museum.

It didn’t try to become a theme park or a shopping mall. It became something uniquely Chicago: bold, welcoming, and perfectly perched between city and lake.