Fun and Adventure on Chicago's Historic Navy Pier

My husband and I visited Chicago once before and saw many of the city's iconic sights--see all my prior posts about Chicago at this link. This time we wanted new experiences and went to the Navy Pier. The photo above is a view of the pier jutting out into Lake Michigan from the nearby Hancock Building--more about that on a future blog post.

The historic 3,300 foot long Navy Pier was originally designed in 1916 for shipping and recreational purposes, but it has evolved over the years into a premier entertainment center. It is the Midwest's # 1 tourist destination and attracts over 8 million visitors a year! (All photos and photo collages in this post will enlarge if clicked on)

We entered through the main entrance located at 600 E Grand Ave in Chicago, Illinois. 

Inside this building, there were various shops, restaurants, and a greenhouse, and the entrance to the Chicago Children's Museum. 

Outside the building, we saw the 150 foot high Ferris Wheel that was modeled after the world's very first Ferris Wheel constructed for the Chicago 1893 World Columbian Exposition, and the "Wave Swinger" that towers forty feet over a pond of water and swings riders fourteen feet in the air!

My husband and I had to take a ride on the Ferris Wheel! We enjoyed the spectacular views of the Chicago waterfront from our gondola car during the one revolution the Ferris Wheel makes.

By this time we worked up an appetite for lunch and decided to eat at the Billy Goat Tavern and Grill located on the pier.

There is a lot of history revolving around the Billy Goat restaurants, as you can read on these placards inside. (click to enlarge collage)  The staff really does yell out "Cheezeborger" when you order, and they also say "Double Cheezeborger is Better!"

Even so, we opted for the single cheeseburger and ate it outside on the restaurant's patio, so that we could enjoy the view and the beautiful weather.  It was a very tasty cheeseburger wrapped in its big bun!

Magically, our time on Navy  Pier seemed to have made my husband taller and it made me smaller--smile!

There are many other attractions and entertainment events on the Navy Pier--click here to see a list and event schedule--but two that we were attracted to deserve blog posts of their own.  One was the Richard H. Driehaus Museum of Stained Glass and the other was a Tall Ship Windy schooner ride on Lake Michigan. Come back soon to see both posts!