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Oaklee's Guide Landing Page
- Navy Pier
- 600 E. Grand Ave. Chicago, IL 60611
- phone: 312-595-PIER
- navypierinfo@mpea.com
- www.navypier.com
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- Appropriate for:
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- Ages: All Ages
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Navy Pier
From awesome fireworks to the giant Ferris wheel to a thrilling AeroBalloon ride, family fun is looking up at Navy Pier! Historic Navy Pier is Chicago’s lakefront playground and the ultimate place to stay and play this summer. Come explore the best in air, land and water excursions, plus the return of the long-awaited Tall Ships festival all in one unforgettable destination – Navy Pier.
Summer signals the start of Navy Pier’s spectacular lakefront fireworks. These brilliant displays of color are set to soundtracks guaranteed to make you dance and sing all summer long! Also returning to the skies is the AeroBalloon. Float 35 stories above Navy Pier and capture unique views of Chicago’s magnificent skyline in this helium-filled, eco-friendly balloon.
For more outdoor fun, visit Pier Park, Navy Pier’s amusement park on the lakefront. From miniature golf to the musical carousel to the towering Ferris wheel, fun comes in all sizes at this park!
Cirque Shanghai, Chicago’s summer circus, returns to dazzle audiences once again with a world premiere all new acrobatic show “Cloud 9” at Pepsi® Skyline Stage® on Navy Pier through September 6. This theatrical spectacle is perfect for the whole family.
Animated sequels return to the big screen this summer and in 3D on the larger-than-life IMAX Theatre.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater debuts its world premiere family musical The Emperor’s New Clothes, June 30 – August 29. This fast-paced, stylish musical based on the classic fairy tale is a perfect fit for the whole family!
Mark your calendars for six days of once-in-a-lifetime, August 24 – 29. Navy Pier welcomes over 20 majestic Tall Ships from around the world during Pepsi® Tall Ships® Chicago 2010. Take part in this unique family-friendly festival which includes ship-viewing, on-deck tours, sailing excursions, live music and entertainment, nightly fireworks and so much more! Spend an entire day or two to create memories that will last a lifetime. Great hotel packages are available at Affinia Chicago, Navy Pier’s Official Hotel. For more information about hotel packages and all of our summer events, visit www.navypier.com
The Pepsi® Tall Ships festival kicks-off with an opening day Parade of Sail on Lake Michigan when these ships sail towards Navy Pier. The Parade of Sail begins at 4:00 p.m., as the ships set sail from near Northerly Island, sail past Navy Pier to North Avenue Beach, then return to the Pier to dock. Purchase Festival Admission/Viewing Tickets for prime viewing along Navy Pier's East End Plaza. Be there for the official Opening Ceremony at 5 p.m., as the Parade of Sail provides a beautiful backdrop. For a truly memorable experience, YOU Can Sail on a Tall Ship During the Parade of Sail, serving as a crew member with an incredible water view of the fleet as it passes Navy Pier!
Various ticket options give visitors different ways to enjoy the festival, including the opportunity to view, board or sail-away on a Tall Ship for 60-minute or 90-minute sailing excursion on Lake Michigan. Out of town and looking for a hotel package? Great hotel packages are available at Affinia Chicago, Navy Pier's Official Hotel.
This Week's Featured Ship
All 20 tall ships are worth viewing and boarding. Each week, we'll feature a different vessel that you and your family will not want to miss!
STV Unicorn
Flag: USA
Homeport: Clinton, New Jersey
Rig: Topsail Schooner
Sparred Length: 118'
Rig Height: 96'
STV Unicorn sails the sea as the only all-female crewed tall ship in the world. The hull of this 118-foot topsail schooner is crafted from the metals of captured German U-boats salvaged after World War II. She trawled the North Atlantic's fishing grounds for 32 years. When her fishing days were over, a Dutch skipper bought and converted her into a sailing ship. Today, she serves as floating laboratory, offering leadership training to young women.Navy Pier Hours of Operation
Memorial Day – Labor Day
Sunday – Thursday: 10am – 10pm
Friday & Saturday: 10am – Midnight
Fireworks at Navy Pier
Summer heats up again with Sizzling Fireworks at Navy Pier!Join us all summer long as our spectacular fireworks displays light up your nights with color and sound on Saturday nights at 10:15 beginning May 29 and Wednesday nights at 9:30 beginning June 16. Visit www.navypier.com for the show schedule. Dates and times subject to change.
LIVE Entertainment all summer long at the Navy Pier Family Pavilion Stage!
A talented and energetic cast of characters invite the entire family to enjoy “live” interactive performances on the indoor Family Pavilion Stage. The lineup features The Buccaneers, Navy Pier’s mascot Patch the Pirate Dog and his friend Pickle and variety performers including jugglers, magicians and more. In between shows you can meet your favorite Navy Pier characters!
Daily performances May 26 through September 6
Patch & Pickle: 11am, 12:30pm & 2pm
The Buccaneers: Noon, 3pm, 4pm, & 5pm
Variety Showcase: 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm & 4:30pm
UP, UP and AWAY on the Navy Pier AeroBalloon!
This anchored, helium-filled, state-of-the-art balloon returns to Navy Pier this summer. Beginning in May, you can float 35 stories above Navy Pier and experience spectacular 360-degree panoramic views of Chicago’s stunning skyline. Convenient flights daily. For more information, visit www.navypier.com.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater hosts its world premiere Family musical
The Emperor’s New Clothes!
The Emperor and his daughter Sam can’t seem to get along, but with the help of some colorful characters and not so colorful threads, the two come to see themselves—and each other—for who they really are.
Performances June 30 – August 29. For more information, visit www.navypier.com or for tickets, call 312.595.5600.
Chicago Children’s Museum – the place where play and learning connect!
Kids can build a dam in WaterWays, create a flying machine in Inventing Lab, enjoy an "outdoor" adventure in Treehouse Trails, build a skyscraper in Skyline, or create arts and crafts in the Kraft Artabounds Studio workshops. Math, science, reading, the arts and cultures come alive at the Chicago Children’s Museum all year-round.
Cirque Shanghai returns to Navy Pier for a FIFTH summer season May 28 – September 6!
“Hat juggling”, ladder balances and a daredevil motorcycle troupe riding in a steel globe are just a few of the feats that are waiting to thrill you and your family in the “all new” production of “Cirque Shanghai: “Cloud 9.” This summer circus is the perfect way to spend an afternoon.
Performances Wednesdays through Sundays. Visit www.navypier.com for more information.
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- Driving Directions:
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BY CAR.
* From the north, take Lake Shore Drive (US 41) to the Grand Avenue exit.
* From the northwest, take the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94) to the Ohio Street Exit, south on Orleans to Illinois Street and proceed east.
* From the west, take the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290) to Columbus Drive, north to Illinois Street and proceed east.
* From the southwest, take the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) to Lake Shore Drive (US 41), north to Illinois Street and proceed east.
* From the south, take the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90/94) east to the Stevenson Expressway (I-55) to Lake Shore Drive (US 41), north to Illinois Street and proceed east.
* From the southeast, take Lake Shore Drive (US 41) north to the Illinois Street exit.On METRA
Metra commuter rail is a convenient travel alternative. On weekends and select holidays, up to 3 children under 12 travel free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult. The CTA's #124 bus provides convenient and direct service from Ogilvie Transportation Center and Union Station to Navy Pier. For Metra fare and schedule information, call 312.836.7000.
CTA bus By City Bus
The CTA provides seven bus lines with more than 200 buses serve Navy Pier daily on the #29 State St, #65 Grand Ave, #66 Chicago Ave. and the #124 Navy Pier Express (serving Metra lines the Millenium (Randolph St.), Ogilvie and Union Stations). During weekday rush hours, the #2 Hyde Park Express, #120 Northwestern/Wacker Express (serving the Ogilvie Transportation Center), and the #121 Union/Wacker Express (serving Union Station) run every fifteen minutes from 9 am to 12am throughout the summer and 9am to 10pm the rest of the year. All buses are equipped with bike racks and are ADA accessible. For more information, call the CTA at (312) 836-7000 or visit www.transitchicago.com.
Trolley by TrolleyBeginning on May 15, 2010 through Labor Day (September 6, 2010) free trolleys will be provided daily during Navy Pier operating hours. Service is provided between Navy Pier and State Street along Grand Avenue and Illinois Street. Pick-up points are indicated by "Navy Pier Trolley Stop" signs posted along the route. After Labor Day, the trolleys will no longer operate except on Special Event Days.
Taxi - auto By Taxi
Navy Pier has three convenient taxi drop-off and pick-up points. One is at the west end of Navy Pier, serving Dock Street and the Family Pavilion. At the mid-point, Entrance 1 serves the west end of Festival Hall, RIVA, and WBEZ Radio. Entrance 2 serves the east end of Festival Hall, the Grand Ballroom and the Navy Pier Beer Garden.
By Sightseeing Bus
Three sightseeing bus lines stop and pick up at Navy Pier's front entrance. They include American Sightseeing and Gray Line Chicago, (312) 251-3100/3107; and Chicago Trolley Company, (312) 663-0260.
By Boat-Water TaxiIn the summer months, Shoreline Sightseeing operates several 42-seat water taxi boats between Navy Pier and the Museum Campus. In addition, a Shoreline Shuttle taxi service operates between the Pier and the Loop (near Sears Tower and Adams Street) via the Chicago River. Daily shuttle service operates from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All-day taxi passes and special group rates are available. For more information, call (312) 222-9328.
