Welcome to Grant Park!
Welcome to Grant Park!
Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park
Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park
Museum Campus in Grant Park
Museum Campus in Grant Park
"Agora" on Museum Campus
"Agora" on Museum Campus
The Great Lawn at Millennium Park
The Great Lawn at Millennium Park
Boeing Galleries in Millennium Park
Boeing Galleries in Millennium Park
Skate Park at Grant Park
Skate Park at Grant Park
Location:

331 E. Randolph St. (Columbus Drive)
Chicago, IL 60601

Supervisor: Khristina de la Cruz (Maggie Daley Park)
Phone Numbers: Main (312) 742-3918

 

Hours

Park Hours
Day Time slot Comment
Sunday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Monday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Tuesday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Wednesday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Thursday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Friday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm
Saturday: 6:00 am-11:00 pm

Description

Proudly referred to as "Chicago's Front Yard," Grant Park totals 312.98 acres and is a public park located in Chicago’s central business district in the Loop Community area. Grant Park’s most notable features include Maggie Daley Park, Buckingham Fountain, the Art Institute of Chicago, and a portion of the Museum Campus that includes the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium. 

A city centerpiece much like New York’s Central Park, Grant Park is home to some of Chicago's most iconic landmarks and attractions. The park includes Museum Campus, the site of world-class museums the Art Institute of Chicago, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Shedd Aquarium and the Adler Planetarium. Grant Park's centerpiece is the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain, built in 1927 to provide a monumental focal point while protecting the park's breathtaking lakefront views.

Grant Park is also home to baseball diamonds, tennis courts and breathtaking gardens. The park plays host to some the city's largest food and music festivals, including The Taste of Chicago — a large food and music festival held around the Independence Day holiday — and The Grant Park Music Festival. Grant Park is also the site of the start and finish lines for the Chicago Marathon and Lollapalooza, a popular outdoor music festival. 

Grant Park has been the site of many large, historic civic events. In 1911, it hosted the major Chicago International Aviation Meet. In 1968, it was the scene of clashes between Chicago Police and demonstrators during the Democratic National Convention. In 1979, Pope John Paul II delivered an outdoor mass to a large crowd in the par,k, and in the 1990s, championship celebrations for the Chicago Bulls were staged here. The park was also the location for President Barack Obama's Election Day victory speech on the night of November 4, 2008.

Named for U.S. President and Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant, Grant Park was developed as one of Chicago's first parks and expanded through land reclamation. The park was the focus of several disputes in the late 1800s and early 1900s over open space use. It is bordered on the north by Randolph Street, on the south by Roosevelt Road, on the west by Michigan Avenue and on the east by Lake Michigan. 

Grant Park offers many different attractions in its large open space. The park is generally flat. It is crossed by large boulevards and pedestrian bridges are used to connect Millennium Park and Maggie Daley so that patrons may cross S. Columbus Drive with ease. There are also several parking garages underneath the park, near Michigan Avenue.
 

Notable Features of Grant Park

Maggie Daley Park
The former Daley Bicentennial Plaza site was transformed into a magnificent Lakefront recreation center now called Maggie Daley Park. The park features an ice skating ribbon, a fieldhouse, a massive playground apparatus and a climbing wall. The Skating Ribbon at Maggie Daley provides a skating experience unlike any other. With the City’s skyline as a backdrop, park patrons can skate along a ribbon of ice integrated into the landscape for a multisensory, “alpine in the city” experience. The ribbon's winding path provides twice the length of a lap around a traditional skating rink. Complementing the ribbon are places to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate, rent skates and scale the climbing wall. In the summertime, the ribbon is used for roller-skating and scooters, gallery exhibitions and special events.

The Field House in Maggie Daley Park is the central hub for indoor and outdoor programming throughout the seasons. Traditional Chicago Park District programming such as Day Camps is offered, as well as specialized activities that utilize the new park features, including the climbing park and skating ribbon. Some rental spaces are available in the field house for special events.

Buckingham Fountain
The center piece of Grant Park is Buckingham Fountain, one of the world's largest fountains. The fountain, built in a rococo wedding cake style, was dedicated in 1927 as a gift to the city from Kate Sturges Buckingham in memory of her brother Clarence. The fountain operates seasonally, generally from May to October, with water displays every 20 minutes and a light and water display from 9:00-10:00 p.m.

Congress Plaza
Congress Plaza is located in the center of Grant Park on its west side. The two semicircular plazas, created by East Congress Plaza Drive and bisected by East Congress Parkway, contain gardens, fountains and artwork, including the large bronze warrior statues, "The Bowman" and "The Spearman" that are positioned like gatekeepers to the park.

Petrillo Music Shell
The Petrillo Music Shell is home music performances and large, annual events, including the Chicago Jazz Festival, Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza. Located at 235 S. Columbus Drive, the music shell's area encompasses the entire block bounded by Lake Shore Drive to the east, Columbus Drive to the west, East Monroe Street to the north and East Jackson Street to the South. The structure was relocated to this site in 1978 from the south end of the park. The amphitheater and paved surface for public seating is in the southwest corner.

Museum Campus
Chicago's Museum Campus is a 57-acre addition to Grant Park's southeastern end. The Museum Campus is the site of three of the city's most notable museums, all dedicated to the natural sciences: Adler Planetarium, Field Museum of Natural History, and Shedd Aquarium. A narrow isthmus along Solidarity Drive, dominated by Neoclassical sculptures of Kosciuszko, Havlicek and Copernicus, connects to Northerly Island where the planetarium is located. The Museum Campus falls within three parks, Grant, Burnham and Northerly Island.  The Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium are in Grant Park.

Art Institute of Chicago
Built in 1893 and sitting on the western edge of Grant Park, the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the premier art museums and art schools in the United States. The Institute is known especially for the extensive collection of Impressionist and American art, such as "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" and "American Gothic."

Hutchinson Field
Much of the southern end of Grant Park is given over to Hutchinson Field, an open space for large events and a dozen baseball or softball diamonds.

Chicago Lakefront Trail
The Chicago Lakefront Trail is an 18-mile multi-use path along the coast of Lake Michigan. It is popular with cyclists and joggers. From north to south, it runs through Lincoln Park, Grant Park, Burnham Park and Jackson Park.

Marinas and Harbors
There are two pleasure and leisure boat marinas on Lake Michigan, which are accessed from Grant Park. Monroe Harbor provides 1000 mooring cans, tender service, and facilities in the expansive harbor east of the park. It is the home of the Chicago Yacht Club and the Columbia Yacht Club. DuSable Harbor (formerly Chicago Harbor), northeast of the park, offers 420 boat docks and a harbor store. Both harbors may be accessed off Lake Shore Drive near Monroe Street.

The Skate Park in Grant Park
The Chicago Park District transformed 1.86 acres of open space at the southwest corner of Grant Park into a new recreational space with an outdoor event/art exhibit space and a multi-use recreation area with wheel-friendly elements for scooters, rollerblades, skate boards and BMX bikes. The skate park's design elements include multi-skill level concrete ramps, grinding rails and handrails, bench seating and native landscape plantings, among other site amenities.  

History

Grant Park's beginnings date to 1835, when foresighted citizens, fearing commercial lakefront development, lobbied to protect the open space. As a result, the park's original area east of Michigan Avenue was designated "public ground forever to remain vacant of buildings."

Officially named Lake Park in 1847, the site soon suffered from lakefront erosion. The Illinois Central Railroad agreed to build a breakwater to protect the area in exchange for permission for an offshore train trestle. After the Great Fire of 1871, the area between the shore and trestle became a dump site for piles of charred rubble, the first of many landfill additions.

From 1896-1931, the South Park Commissioners acquired land for the park.  In 1901, the City transferred the park to the South Park Commission, which named it for Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), 18th President of the United States. Renowned architect Daniel H. Burnham envisioned Grant Park as a formal landscape with museums and civic buildings. However, construction was stalled by lawsuits launched by mail-order magnate Aaron Montgomery Ward, who sought to protect the park's open character.

Finally, in 1911, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in Ward's favor. New landfill at the park's southern border allowed construction of the Field Museum to begin, and the park evolved slowly. In 1934, the South Park Commission was consolidated into the Chicago Park District, which completed improvements using federal relief funds. 

In 1974, the Chicago Park District acquired more property to expand the park.  Property was donated in 2003 and the City transferred land in 2014 for additional expansion of Grant Park.

In the mid-1970s, the Chicago Park District replaced the old park lot with the Richard J. Daley Bicentennial Plaza, a complex that provided a new 3700-car underground garage with major recreational facilities.  Dedicated to Chicago’s former Mayor Richard J. Daley (1902 - 1976), the facility included a new field house for indoor recreational programming as well as several outdoor amenities such as tennis courts, an ice-skating rink, picnic areas, and Grant Park’s first playground.

In 2014, the Chicago Park District began transforming the northeastern part of Grant Park, including the former Richard J. Daley Plaza, into “Maggie Daley Park,” a park within Grant Park.  The Park District hired Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, an internationally renowned landscape architecture firm to design the new park space.  Serving as a counterpoint to the symmetry and formality of Grant Park, the design incorporates curvilinear forms, dramatic topography, and many whimsical elements. 

Advisory Council

Contact: Leslie Recht,   President
Meeting Details:

3rd Wednesday of the month except July and December at 6:00pm

Please contact the Grant PAC for details.

Parking/Directions

For directions using public transportation visit www.transitchicago.com.

Map & Facilities

Christopher Columbus Memorial

Grant Park - Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co. | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)648-5000

Idee di pietra - Olmo | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Spirit of Music | Artwork

Clarence F. Buckingham Memorial Fountain

301 S. Columbus Dr.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312) 742-3918

Grant Park - Clark St. Sports | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)456-2605

In Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic | Artwork

Spirit of Music Gardens

Congress Median Garden

Grant Park - Completely Nuts | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(847) 875-9597

John Alexander Logan Monument

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Clarence F. Buckingham Memorial Fountain - Wow Chicago | Concession

Congress Pkwy & Columbus Dr
Chicago, IL 60605
United States

:
(331) 223-8213

Spirit Totems | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Congress Plaza Gardens

Grant Park - Dippin Dots | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(219) 508-6692

Joseph Rosenberg Fountain

8th Street Fountain

Tiffany & Co. Foundation Celebration Garden

Congress Triangle Garden

Grant Park - Relish Chicago Hot Dogs | Concession

Michigan & Jackson
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312) 620-3299

Large Interior Form | Artwork

Aaron Montgomery Ward Bust

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Untitled | Artwork

Core-loc Armoring Devices | Artwork

Grant Park - Juicy Jays | Concession

Monroe & Lakeshore drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)787-9475

Lions | Artwork

Abraham Lincoln, Head of State | Monument

Untitled 2002-2003 | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Cubi VII | Artwork

Grant Park - Kim & Carlo's Chicago Style Hot Dog | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312)969-0462

Magdalene | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Agora | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Art Institute of Chicago

111 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
United States

:
(312) 443-3600

Dusable Harbor

111 N. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312) 742-3577

Grant Park - Kim & Carlo's Chicago Style Hot Dog | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312)969-0462

Magma | Artwork

Aqua Interlude and Reflection | Artwork

The Field Museum

1400 S. Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
United States

:
(312) 922-9410

Eagle Fountains

Grant Park - Ms. B's Italian Ice | Concession

Monroe & Columbus Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(708)560-1225

Man with Fish | Artwork

Artists and Automobiles | Artwork

Shedd Aquarium

1200 S. Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
United States

:
(312) 939-2438

Homebound | Artwork

200 N Breakwater Access
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:

Equestrian Indians | Artwork

Grant Park - Ms. B's Italian Ice | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(708)560-7225

Monroe Harbor

:
(312) 742-7643

Atrappe Soleil | Artwork

Big Beaver Totem Pole

Museum Campus Nature Gardens

1200 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
United States

:

Flying Dragon | Artwork

Grant Park - Royal Scoops | Concession

500 S Lake Shore Dr
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(314) 393-3383

North President's Court

Columbus Dr. & Congress Pkwy.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

Brachiosaurus Replica | Artwork

Grant Pickleball Courts

820 S. Columubs
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

:

Logan Garden

Balbo Ave. & Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

Grant Park - Stefani's | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312)846-9698

Olmec Head | Artwork

Buckingham Fountain Flower Gardens

Fountain Figures | Artwork

Grant Park - SummerDance | Concession

601 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)667-3000

Paris Metro Entryway | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Central Station Fragments | Artwork

Fountain of the Great Lakes | Artwork

Grant Park - T & M Foods Inc. | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)807-6448

Reading Cones | Artwork

Chicago Horizon | Artwork

Grant Dog Friendly Area

951 S. Columbus Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

Grant Skate Park

Sir Georg Solti Bust

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Chicago Stock Exchange Arch

Grant Park - Big Bus Tours | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312) 217-6819

Habakuk (homage to Max Ernst) | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

South President's Court

Columbus Dr. & Congress Pkwy.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

Cubi VII
Cubi VII | Artwork Show on Map
Magdalene
Magdalene | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Clark St. Sports | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)456-2605
Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - SummerDance | Concession

601 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)667-3000
Show on Map
Dusable Harbor

111 N. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312) 742-3577
Show on Map
Magma
Magma | Artwork Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Completely Nuts | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(847) 875-9597
Show on Map
default image
Clarence F. Buckingham Memorial Fountain - Wow Chicago | Concession

Congress Pkwy & Columbus Dr
Chicago, IL 60605
United States

:
(331) 223-8213
Show on Map
Spirit Totems
Spirit Totems | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - T & M Foods Inc. | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)807-6448
Show on Map
Eagle Fountains
Eagle Fountains Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Dippin Dots | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(219) 508-6692
Show on Map
8th Street Fountain
8th Street Fountain Show on Map
Grant Skate Park Show on Map
default image
Monroe Harbor
:
(312) 742-7643
Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Relish Chicago Hot Dogs | Concession

Michigan & Jackson
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312) 620-3299
Show on Map
Aaron Montgomery Ward Bust
Aaron Montgomery Ward Bust

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
Untitled
Untitled | Artwork Show on Map
Habakuk (homage to Max Ernst)
Habakuk (homage to Max Ernst) | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
default image
North President's Court

Columbus Dr. & Congress Pkwy.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Juicy Jays | Concession

Monroe & Lakeshore drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)787-9475
Show on Map
Untitled 2002-2003
Untitled 2002-2003 | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
Idee di pietra - Olmo
Idee di pietra - Olmo | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
Logan Garden in Grant Park
Logan Garden

Balbo Ave. & Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Kim & Carlo's Chicago Style Hot Dog | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312)969-0462
Show on Map
Agora
Agora | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
building view of the art institute of chicago
Art Institute of Chicago

111 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
United States

:
(312) 443-3600
Show on Map
Clarence F. Buckingham Memorial Fountain on a sunny day with the Chicago skyline in the background.
Clarence F. Buckingham Memorial Fountain

301 S. Columbus Dr.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312) 742-3918
Show on Map
Paris Metro Entryway
Paris Metro Entryway | Artwork

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Kim & Carlo's Chicago Style Hot Dog | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312)969-0462
Show on Map
View of the Field Museum
The Field Museum

1400 S. Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
United States

:
(312) 922-9410
Show on Map
John Alexander Logan Monument
John Alexander Logan Monument

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Ms. B's Italian Ice | Concession

Monroe & Columbus Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(708)560-1225
Show on Map
Outside view of the Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium

1200 S. Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
United States

:
(312) 939-2438
Show on Map
Grant Dog Friendly Area

951 S. Columbus Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

Show on Map
Sir Georg Solti Bust
Sir Georg Solti Bust

337 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Ms. B's Italian Ice | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(708)560-7225
Show on Map
The Homebound Artwork on display at DuSable Harbor.
Homebound | Artwork

200 N Breakwater Access
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Big Bus Tours | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312) 217-6819
Show on Map
default image
South President's Court

Columbus Dr. & Congress Pkwy.
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Royal Scoops | Concession

500 S Lake Shore Dr
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(314) 393-3383
Show on Map
Big Beaver Totem Pole
Big Beaver Totem Pole Show on Map
Museum Campus Nature Gardens

1200 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
United States

:
Show on Map
Lions
Lions | Artwork Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Chicago Trolley & Double Decker Co. | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(773)648-5000
Show on Map
default image
Grant Park - Stefani's | Concession

1400 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60601
United States

:
(312)846-9698
Show on Map
default image
Grant Pickleball Courts

820 S. Columubs
Chicago, IL 60602
United States

:
Show on Map