Grant Park

The Basics

Firmly established as a public park by the early 1900s, Grant Park is today Chicago’s preeminent green space. Often described as Chicago’s version of NYC's Central Park, Grant Park houses numerous museums, gardens, and major attractions. Visit the Museum Campus—comprised of the Adler Planetarium, Field Museum of Natural History, Shedd Aquarium, and more—Maggie Daley Park, Millennium Park, Buckingham Fountain, and The Art Institute of Chicago. Petrillo Music Shell is a destination for concerts, festivals, and other events.

Grant Park is a highlight on numerous Chicago tours, including hop-on hop-off bus, Segway, bike, and walking tours. Save time by booking tickets to its museums in advance of your travels.

Things to Know Before You Go

• The Chicago Lakefront Trail links Grant Park with several other public parks and is popular among cyclists and walkers.

• Grant Park hosts a number of baseball diamonds, tennis courts, a dog park, and a skate park.

• Millennium Park, housed within Grant Park, is home to some of the city’s most popular public artworks, including Cloud Gate (aka, The Bean).

How to Get There

Given its central location, Grant Park can be reached by multiple forms of transportation.On the El, take the Brown, Green, Orange, Purple, or Pink lines to Washington/Wabash or Adams/Wabash. The park is also served by South Shore Line and Metra Electric District trains, as well as numerous bus lines. Alternatively, travel by bike, taxi, or on foot.

When to Get There

Grant Park itself is open daily, 6am–11pm, though the hours of the museums and other institutions within the park vary. Grant Park is especially popular on warm, sunny days, though it’s a destination-worthy landmark year-round.

Festivals at Grant Park

To experience Grant Park when it's buzzing, visit for any of Chicago’s most popular annual events, including the Taste of Chicago (July), Lollapalooza (August), the Chicago Jazz Festival (late August–early September), and the Chicago Marathon (October).

Ways to explore

Grant Park is a highlight of numerous Chicago tours—including hop-on hop-off bus, Segway, bike, and walking tours—and landmarks like Buckingham Fountain and the Cloud Gate sculpture (aka The Bean) are staples of any city sightseeing itinerary. The park is a favorite destination for culture enthusiasts, with the Museum Campus—comprising the Adler Planetarium, Field Museum of Natural History, and Shedd Aquarium—and the Art Institute all located within its confines. Save time by booking museum tickets in advance or purchasing a Chicago CityPASS to visit these world-class collections. You can see the park from the water on a boat tour skirting Chicago’s lakeshore.

Accessibility

The park and its main sights and parking garage are fully accessible to wheelchairs.

Age limits

This public green space is ideal for kids, with playgrounds, sports fields, traffic-free trails, and family-friendly museums.

What to pack

Camera and battery pack, sun hat

What to wear

Comfortable shoes, layers

Not allowed

Each area and attraction has its own set of rules, but smoking, scooters and other motorized vehicles, barbecue grills, and pets are not allowed in most of the park.

Amenities

Public restrooms, snack bars, water fountains, sports facilities, walking paths

Address

Grant Park lines much of the lakefront in downtown Chicago and is easy to reach on foot or by bike from the main Loop attractions, or via public transportation.

Driving

Grant Park is accessible via DuSable Lake Shore Drive to the east and Michigan Avenue to the west. There are three large paid parking garages located beneath the park: Grant Park North, Grant Park South, and Millennium Park Garage.

Public transportation

Take the Green, Orange, Brown, Pink, or Purple CTA elevated lines to the Adams/Wabash exit or the red or blue lines to the Jackson exit. Alternatively, take buses 3, 4, 6, 7, 14, 126, 146, 147, or 151 to the park all year round, or buses 10 and 130 in summer.

Best times to visit

Grant Park is open daily from 6am to 11pm. Visit during the day for the green spaces and museums, or in the evening for a concert.

Best days to visit

The park is liveliest on weekends, when concerts, festivals, and other events are held and locals gather.

Best months to visit

Summer brings the open-air concerts, food and music festivals, and cultural events that center Grant Park on the city’s calendar of events.

Special events

The big annual events held in Grant Park include the Millennium Park Summer Film Series, Lollapalooza, Grant Park Music Festival, Chicago SummerDance, and Chicago Jazz Festival in July and August; Taste of Chicago in September; and the Chicago Marathon in October.