Navy Pier
No matter the season, Navy Pier is a fun place to spend a few hours, especially with kids in tow. Opened in 1916 as a commercial-shipping pier and part of Daniel Burnham's Master Plan of Chicago, it stretches more than a half a mile into Lake Michigan. Redesigned and reopened in 1995, Navy Pier underwent another major transformation for its 100th anniversary in 2016, which included the opening of the Polk Bros Park, the Fifth Third Bank Family Pavilion, and the Peoples Energy Welcome Pavilion. Other popular activities and venues on the pier include tour boats and cruises, the Centennial Wheel, the Chicago Children's Museum, and the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
