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Millennium Park is one of the top spots to visit in Chicago, packed with fun (and free!) things to do. Facing Lake Michigan on the edge of the Loop, Chicago’s showpiece green space shines with whimsical public art, but where do you start amid all these landmark artworks?
Perhaps with the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the swooping silver band shell designed by Frank Gehry? Or maybe Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain with its human gargoyles? Or why not Anish Kapoor’s silvery sculpture, Cloud Gate – aka “the Bean” – in Grainger Plaza? Or maybe someplace away from the crowds, like the veiled Lurie Garden, abloom with prairie flowers?
Right in the heart of downtown Chicago, Millennium Park is the perfect place to relax, explore, and soak up the city skyline views. This guide will walk you through the park’s history, its must-see attractions, and all the best things to do in Millennium Park.
Millennium Park wasn’t always the beautiful space it is today. The area was once an unkempt rail yard before civic planners got their way. Millennium Park was originally slated to open in the year 2000 to coincide with the Millennium celebrations, hence the name, but construction delays and escalating costs pushed back the inauguration.
With costs far exceeding the original $150 million budget, the project seemed headed for disaster, but private donations from families such as the Pritzkers and Crowns and corporate donors such as Boeing provided an additional $200 million to complete the project.
All in, the final bill came to $475 million, but it was worth it. Today, the park is one of the largest green roofs in the world, constructed on top of hidden parking garages and a commuter train station.
Millennium Park is filled with activity year-round. From interactive sculptures to scenic bridges, here are the highlights to make time for on any visit.
The park’s biggest draw is “the Bean” – officially titled Cloud Gate – Anish Kapoor’s 110-ton, silver-drop sculpture. It reflects both the sky and the skyline, and everyone clamors around to take a picture and touch its silvery smoothness. The best vantage points for photos are at the sculpture’s northern and southern ends. For great people-watching, go up the steps on Washington St, where there are shaded benches.
The Bean wasn’t always so well-loved. Kapoor was still polishing and grinding the 168 stainless-steel plates that create the sculpture’s mirrored surface when the city first unveiled the sculpture to the public in 2004. The surface was supposed to be seamless – and it is now – but soon after its debut, it went back under wraps so the artist could finish the job. It didn’t re-emerge until 2006.
To keep the Bean gleaming, park staff hose the sculpture down
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