Located in Midwest along the shores of the Great Lakes, the city of Chicago is well known for its beauty, dining, house music, beautiful architecture, comedies, shopping, cultural attractions and electronic dance music. In fact, most tourists tend to flock to the Windy City just to take in all the architectural wonders and the booming restaurant scene.
Even though Chicago is beautiful during the day, nothing beats the spectacular view once the sun goes down. The city has a booming nightlife with various places to visit and has one of the most breathtaking downtown scenery in the whole world that is attractive to both the young and old in equal measures.
Whether you are looking for a nice jazz spot to chill out at or in simply taking in the sights from up above, there has never and will never be a shortage of things to do in Chicago at night. Below are some of our favorites.
Helicopter tour of Chicago at Night
Go on a helicopter tour of Chicago at night and circle over the city’s shimmering skyline. The 20-minute ride will allow you a chance to listen to the professional pilots entertaining commentary as you fly oversights such as Shedd Aquarium, Wills Tower, Millennium Park, Lincoln Park and the panoramic view of the shorelines of Lake Michigan.
And while you can see these beautiful architecture walking around both during the day and at night, nothing beats seeing these fantastic landmarks from the air as they’ll allow you to appreciate their true beauty especially at night when your mind is calm and relaxed after a long day. Besides, you can go for the helicopter tour with friends, family or children and give them one of the best nights of their life.
360 Chicago View
Formerly known as the John Hancock Observatory, the deck of the 360 Chicago observation is located 1000 feet above the Magnificent Mile that is on the John Hancock Building. It gives an amazing 360 degrees view of Chicago’s skyline and Lake Michigan Avenue all from the 94th floor.
You will be able to learn about the known history of the city as well as a full view of the stunning neighborhoods coupled with the breathtaking architecture. The place also incorporates masterpiece restaurants and bars where you can get to enjoy a glass of wine as you get wowed by the city’s features. The place offers a ride of sorts where you stand in front of a bank or window that has bars on either side that you grab on to as the windows and floor “tilt” forward until you are facing down about 35 degrees toward the sidewalk. This is one of the most unforgettable adventures you can ever have.
Night Walk
Who said romantic stuff have to be quite the thing? Well, of course, they need to be, but there are simple pleasures that let you create memorable moments. One of such is going for a night walk along the Chicago Riverwalk. The lakeshore provides an amazing place to go for a night walk as it’s dotted with beaches, has more than 15 miles of urban green space and plays home to the aquarium, museums, Soldier Filed and the planetarium.
During summer, the place brims with both locals and visitors as it’s the centerpiece of Chicago. Besides, it also has some amazing restaurants that you can dine in along the line of the river.
Millennium Park
Are you a lover of old-fashioned movies? Well, pack some snacks and drinks in a cooler and carry along your folding chair or blanket and head over to the Millennium Park to catch a movie. During summer, the city puts up screens in all parks across
Chicago and shows films from the Golden Age of Hollywood to the most recent hits. If you’re looking for a chilled way of relaxing at night and you are in Chicago during the summertime, have a look at the schedules and make plans to spend an evening at the Millennium Park for your favorite show.
Sightseeing Bus Tours
Chicago is a wonderful city to see at night, but its a big city, often cold, and hard to get around on foot. Bus tours are a great option for this, and there are many options for this, many of them pretty affordable.
Many companies have preset packages, others allow you to decide where you go. Big Bus Chicago is one option with many pre-set packages, while Chicago Party Bus Pros allows you to rent a single bus for you whole tour group, and decide where exactly you go.
Alder Planetarium
The Alder Planetarium is a museum that is dedicated to the science of astronomy and just out into Lake Michigan on the North East point of the Northerly Island. The museum has pretty amazing stuff to see and keep you engaged. However, the Doane Observatory telescope takes the shine. You are able to experience telescope viewings at night that are accompanied by staff astronomers.
The telescope is so powerful that you are able to have clear views of close enough galaxies and celestial neighbors that are trillions of miles into the deep space. The viewing schedules are available on their website. Have it in mind however that the telescope viewings depend on the weather.
Night Comedy
Chicago has been known as one of the city’s that has brought out some of the biggest names in the comedy scene such as Amy Poehler, Steven Carell, and Steven Culbert. As such, it’ll be hard to visit Chicago and leave without going for a night comedy show either at Electrifying Theatre or Second City. Besides, the tickets are also quite affordable and can be a good way to laugh and unwind after a long tiring day. And who knows, you may be lucky and catch some of your favorite celebrities doing a live performance.
Chicago is one fun city to visit in the US. It doesn’t matter whether you are there for work, fun or both. The city has so many attractions from soaring skyscrapers, vast city parks, plenty of sightseeing venues and bountiful museums. It’s easy to see why most people fall in love with one of the biggest cities and tourist destinations in America.
Chicago being a gigantic city simply means that it can be hard for visitors and tourists to know what’s worth checking out. This is understandably so given that there are plenty of places to visit and sights to see. However, with a good Chicago tour guide company, you can be sure to get the best of the city whether you want to go to the museum or visit the park.
Visit the Theater (Hamilton!)
If you are a theater person and would love to spend the evening out eating popcorns while enjoying a good film, be sure to grab yourself tickets to Hamilton in Chicago. Besides, if you are a comedy lover, you can go enjoy a night comedy show at Second City or Electrifying Theatre. And we didn’t forget the party people. Chicago is full of so many clubs that come to life at night.
The city is full of so many high-end clubs that you and your crew can visit and enjoy some great music or bust some great moves. If you love the outdoors, the Chicago Riverwalk can be a good place to go for a walk. Alternatively, you can go to the Millennium Park or visit some of the biggest museums.
Night Clubs
For most people, visiting a new town or city means sampling the club nightlife as well. Well, what would Chicago be without nightclub? There are plenty of high-end nightclubs that are well-known in the city where you can get to enjoy all the things you have ever had on your bucket list as a must do in Chicago. From the Primary Nightclub that has impressive dance floors, the electro styles found in the Smart Bar to other notable clubs such as The Mid and The Underground.
Chicago is definitely home to some well-respected nightclubs that if you can, should visit as you stay in the great city.