Chicago’s Navy Pier in December

If you visit Chicago at any time of the year, Navy Pier will be at the top of your “must see” list along with 8 million other visitors since it is Chicago’s number one tourist attraction. Navy Pier has a long and varied history. It was originally built in 1916 to be used as a cargo facility for lake freighters and known as Municipal Pier #2. The 1930′s saw it become a playground with recreational facilities. Fun in the summer with picknicking areas, dining pavilions, dance hall, auditorium and more. During World War II, Chicago leased the pier to the U.S. Navy for training use and the name of Municipal Pier #2 was changed to Navy Pier in honor of this service. The University of Illinois began using Navy Pier in 1946 as a two-year undergraduate problem to educate returning veterans.

Today this 1,010m/3,300′ long pier on the Chicago shoreline of Lake Michigan is a magnet for locals and tourists. Rebuilt in the ’90′s, Navy Pier has shops, a ballroom, concert stage, fast-food, restaurants and exhibition halls.

Ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and I just spent two days downtown in my beloved City of Chicago and walked over on a cold but sunny day to see what was going on at Navy Pier. What was going on? WOW! Bank of America Winter WonderFest at Navy Pier was in full swing and jammed with families enjoying the rides, attractions and entertainment. Admission to the event is free but it is necessary to purchase wristbands to participate in most of the rides and attractions. There are Regular wristbands ($16.00 each) and Premium wristbands ($19.00 each – includes ice skating). This spectacular Holiday Event just began its 9th Season and is decorated with sparkling lights, ornaments and trees along with dozens of rides, music and live entertainment. Some of the many attractions for children to enjoy:

- Sledding indoors on SnowFlake Hill;

- Decorating holiday sugar cookies in Pepsi’s Create-A-Cookie Cottage;

- The Galaxy Gumball Jumper;

- Matterhorn Climb & Slide with five levels of vinyl webbing;

- The Ice Trail. A ropes obstacle course stretching 27.5 feet in the air, to maneuver across the beams;

- The Chicago Blackhawk ice skating arena;

- A Ferris Wheel, merry go round, much, much more and that was only on the inside of Navy Pier’s Bank of American Winter Wonderfest.

Other inside entertainment? The IMAX theater where Disney’s “A Chrstmas Carol” was currently playing. The Children’s Museum with different exhibits and activities. If you visit Navy Pier on a Sunday during December, stop by and enjoy Hispanic and Latino performance groups that reflect Chicago’s growing Spanish-speaking communities thanks to a partnership between Navy Pier and Que Buena 105.1 Radio.

After enjoying all the inside fun, dress warm and head outside (as we did) for a gorgeous walk along the length of Navy Pier towards Chicago Shakespeare Theater complex, and past the well known Navy Pier Ferris Wheel. The gigantic 150-foot high Ferris wheel takes 7-minutes and is modeled after the first Ferris wheel built for Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Each gondola seats up to six passengers and moves very S-L-O-W-L-Y. Passengers were boarding two of the tour boats available for dining cruises on Lake Michigan. The Spirit of Chicago and Odyssey cruise all year round. Take a ride in the Summer on one of the other sightseeing boats are available. There are Architectural tours of Chicago, the 30-minute Sea Dog II speedboat tour, and the Tall Ship Windy, Navy Pier’s resident four-masted schooner to have fun while marveling at Chicago’s skyline.

Almost at the eastern end of Navy Pier, we turned around and were once again taken aback by the sight of Chicago’s incredibly beautiful skyline. I love Chicago…my kind of town…