voco Chicago Downtown

Discover a state-of-the-art collection of architecture, landscape design and art that provide the backdrop for hundreds of free cultural programs including concerts, exhibitions, tours, and family activities. In Millennium Park, you’ll find a new kind of town square – a lively, spectacular gathering spot located in the heart of the city and a destination for Chicagoans and visitors alike.

Navy Pier is one of Chicago's top attractions, welcoming in excess of 9.3 million visitors a year. Stretching six city blocks into Lake Michigan, this year-round destination truly comes to life over the summer months, with free admission, waterfront access and public programming that spans all interests. Pier Park attractions include the amazing Centennial Wheel, the Pepsi Wave Swinger, carousel and more. Just so you know, the Centennial Wheel soars to nearly 200 feet, with climate-controlled gondolas for the most comfortable Ferris wheel ride ever. Access any number of Chicago tours from Navy Pier, including Chicago Big Bus Tours, Vertiport Helicopter Tours and Architecture River Tours. You can also rent bicycles to explore the lakefront on your own.

Founded in 1879, the Art Institute is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. It houses the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art outside the Louvre among its more than 300 thousand pieces of art. Works span thousands of centuries, from Etruscan pottery and Ancient Greek reliefs to Pablo Picasso's The Guitarist and Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks.

The landmark Chicago Theatre is likely the city’s most iconic venue, and its famous C-H-I-C-A-G-O marquee lights up State Street every evening. Located in Chicago’s Loop, The Chicago Theatre hosts everything from concerts and comedians to film premiers and special events. Its convenient downtown location is close to hotels, restaurants and parking. Auditorium and lobbies are available to rent for special events, and the venue also has a private 250-seat downstairs theatre. The Chicago Theatre can easily accommodate, fashion and television shows, up-fronts, benefits, concerts, plays, award ceremonies, corporate meetings, dinners on stage, receptions, graduations and weddings.

Cloud Gate is British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in Millennium Park, also known as The Bean. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect Chicago’s famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected from a variety of perspectives.

theMART is the world’s largest commercial building, wholesale design center and one of Chicago’s premier international business locations. Encompassing 4.2 million gross square feet, theMART spans two city blocks and rises 25 stories, and is visited by an average of 25,000 people each business day. It attracts thousands of affluent consumers to its luxury kitchen and bath, home furnishings and outdoor furnishings showrooms each year, and is home to 15 major trade and consumer shows and hundreds of meetings and special events. theMART has become one of the most sought after office locations for dozens of companies, including creative advertising firms, high-quality government agencies and innovative technology companies. In fact, theMART is home to several of the most well-known tech companies in the country alongside many start-ups. During the months of March thru December, theMART transforms into Art on theMART, the newest addition to Chicago’s vibrant public art scene and the largest digital art projection in the world! Utilizing 34 projectors, Art on theMART showcases a rotation of artists' digital work across 2.5 acres of theMART's façade.