18 Best Downtown Chicago Illinois Fun Places To Visit 2024

Chicago is surely a top destination with fancy architecture, art museums, river walks, aquatic museums, and scientific discoveries. Chicago downtown has tempted numerous people worldwide and has the best attraction and fun places to swear by. 

There is no shortage of tourist attractions in Chicago, this city promises to be adventurous for people of every age group. From contemporary museums to modern epic art, there are infinite spots actually to fall tourists on a happy lease. In this article, you can find the most fun things to do in downtown Chicago and 18 epic fun places to visit in Downtown Chicago. Without any further ado, let’s jump to this adventurous route of fun and gay.

Things To Do In Downtown Chicago

You might be planning to have the best holidays in Chicago with your friends and loved ones. Well, this part of the US has an exciting adventure to enchant its visitors. You can have a peaceful morning walk at the Riverside Walks and begin with praying at Holy Name Cathedral. Later you can comfort yourself with food at Madison Street or get the authentic taste of Chicago’s French Market, or just go to town on an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant, it’s all up to you.

360 degrees is a must to visit places with loved ones, following which you can take your excited kids to have some adventure on Chicago’s Children’s Museum, Navy Pier wheels, and gardens. There are a lot more rides, gardens, parks, and eateries to enjoy in Downtown Chicago, Illinois. 

You can never end up asking the question, “What to do in Downtown Chicago?” rather found countless fun things to do in Chicago after coming across the best 18 options in the article. 

Chicago streets are appreciated in the whole U.S. for its food stalls, where people gobble up famous food that is both innovative and classic. Madison Street or Randolph Street has numerous restaurants where fragrances waft from the chef’s kitchen to please tourists and ramblers. After a walk on Chicago Street, you will significantly find four signature dishes: Deep-dish-pizza, street popcorn, Italian beef, and hotdogs famous all across the street.

Although you must have had pizza multiple times in your lifetime, the deep cheese pizza with multiple fillings is worth dying for. The authentic Chicago-style pizza has a thick slice, sauces across, and melted cheese, with various toppings to choose from. 

If you are thinking about what to do next in downtown Chicago, have a look at the colorful aquatic life, which is full of wonders and sights.

The world’s largest indoor aquatic aquarium, which conserves up to more than 32,000 aquatic animals. It is recognized by IUCN SSC(International Union for Conservation of Nature, Species Survival Commission). This global leading aquarium is one of the best Chicago tourist attractions due to its daily amazing shows, walkthrough tunnels, touch tanks, VIP animal visits, and much more. You can also come with your service pet to explore the aquatic world and species together. 

Are you interested in watching a real Chicago through a 1,000ft tilting glass? Well, 360 degrees, a remarkable place on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building gives amazing views. “Phenomenal and unforgetting” is the repeated phrase shared by the visitors here. The adrenaline rush is guaranteed with thrilling views and you can also have divine drinks from CloudBar.

A theatre that was earlier a 19th-century Marshall Field department store but is now home to the Blue Man group with three main characters. With 635 seats and an awestruck setup, you will love the Blue Man Group’s visual performance. They are all painted blue and are majorly described as “ground-breaking” and “visually stunning” by the visitors. Their performance is an amazing blend of music, visual effects, and theatrical. If you wanna see a combination of science, theatres, arts, and music together, there is no other better place to visit.

Do you wanna have calm music evenings in Chicago? Are you flattered by live musical shows? Being one of the best blue clubs, Buddy Guy, an eighth Grammy award winner, sparkles the club with a breath-taking memorable performance. Well, you can also taste the music of several other musicians and singers like Dave Specter, Ray Fuller, Nigel Mack, and many more. It is open all seven days a week. It is the best place to celebrate birthdays in the US.

An art institute built in 1879, which promises to showcase art pieces of various artists all across the world. If you are an art lover, the serene work of different cultures, races, and artists will surely leave you pleased. Present in the heart of the city in Grant’s Park, there are countless treasure paintings, which are worth buying and collecting. Turn your trip into a cultural end with this best art exhibition on South Michigan Avenue, which displays a varied collection of notable artists. 

1,200 acres of green space that is capable of replenishing your energy with nature rides, beaches, and facilities like golf, swimming, boating, skating, and much more. Being one of the famous attractions in the city of Chicago, it houses 1,000 animals and a lot more space for shoreside too. This tranquil place has varied displays, trees, and nature all around, but will leave you tired of its beauty.

Have you ever slipped into a museum that leaves you with mysterious questions? Well, the Museum of Illusion is a place that is filled with rooms of physics fun. All you can imagine is an adventure the minute you enter the exhibition. Your two hours in the museum will certainly be busy with illusions of gravity, energy, and science as a whole. The entertainment activities inside are worth spending time for people of all age groups. 

If you are a person who turns the most mundane moments of life into fun, Shit Fountain can be another adventurous Downtown Chicago spot to visit with friends. The metal defecate showcases the dog excretion, which is built over a sandstone pedestal by artist Jerzy S. Kenar to remind dog owners to be careful about their dog’s defecation. The whimsical statement over the fountain, “Shit Fountain,” does not rage the community around. Instead, it has become one of the attractions in the town.

Are you a basketball fan, who has slogged hours watching National Basketball matches? During your visit to downtown Chicago, you can pay your respect to one of the popular National players, Michael Jordan by visiting his statue. The statue was unveiled on November 1, 1994, on national television. It is inscribed with Jordan’s achievements and the lines “The best there ever was, The best there ever will be”. The 12 feet tall statue weighed 2,000 pounds. Being a public space you can easily take selfies here, and place them on your social accounts to gather likes. 

An unusual cloud-like metal elongated to give the shape of a mercury bean. The cloud gate is situated at the AT & T plaza in Millenium Park. A hundred-ton public sculpture that is worth taking selfies for. The curved surface gives an amazing distorted version of the one standing near it. 

It is considered one of the top destinations in Chicago, which has other excellent attractions nearby like Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the Crown Fountain, and Lurie Garden. The place is accessible to everyone with numerous exhibitions, green parks, architecture, a media room, and unique spaces.

This market is a hidden gem where diversified Italian, Korean, and Vietnamese food can be easily found. The Chicago French market comprises local vendors passionate about bringing top-quality healthy products from the outlying areas. A European-inspired marketplace that is present below Ogilvie Transportation Center, and has almost everything to offer. From smoked meats to gifts, snacks, and pastries, this is the most convenient location to rest your souls with healthy food and drinks. 

Located at Chicago’s front door, Buckingham Fountain is one of the landmark historic buildings, The Buckingham Fountain is huge in size. Inspired by Latona Fountain, it operates from the month of May to mid-October. The architecture of the fountain is fascinating and gathers mass attraction during the night colored-light shows. If you are stumbled by the thought “What to do in Downtown Chicago?”, visit this huge rococo wedding cake-styled fountain, for night peaceful rambles. 

If you are visiting downtown Chicago Illinois, and wondering which place to visit, I suggest you rest on the boat cruise, and cherish the serene side of the city. You can take the cruise down through either the Chicago River or Lake Michigan and register yourself for unforgettable sightseeing moments on the cruise boat. Pick among various educational or sightseeing cruises, and add thrill to the nights by watching Navy Pier Light.

A 1.25-mile-long path along the river to wonder, a riverside walk that provides a fascinating view of waterways to the ramblers. It is also lined with restaurants, cafes, parks, and bars resulting in the best social landmark in downtown Chicago. The lake corners can be full of chaos and fun altogether. You can have calm evenings in the city’s colourful light and ramble across the path to watch the city’s unprecedented beauty.

It is quite evident that kids too want a place to have fun instead of just being dragged across the whole city with their parents. Make this vacation memorable for them by bringing them to the Chicago Children’s Museum which is present at the Navy Pier. It houses many fun and learning activities that your children must enjoy. Children from every age group, from toddlers to ages 9 and up, can explore the various rides.

A fun place in Downtown Chicago that is filled with amazing sites like parks, gardens, eateries, and much more. Surprisingly, Navy Pier was initially built in 1916 as a shipping facility but now has turned into the best tourist attraction in the city. Either you can choose to get thrilling vibes on the Dutch wheel or enjoy outdoor attractions like Light Tower Ride, Teacups, Pepsi Wave Swinger, and Remote Control Boats. The one-acre botanical garden, Children’s Museum, and IMAX theatre are the best indoor options as well.

A holy place in the adventurous city of Chicago to focus on the divine beauty too. Holy Name Cathedral in Downtown Chicago is a must-place to visit and remember god. Much fascinating is the architectural beauty of this church, which brings biblical vibes. The great Chicago fire of 1871 couldn’t destroy the magnificent beauty and charm of this place. Visit the church to charm your eyes and count your blessings while staring at the church’s beauty.