The Millennium Park Campus is the middle of Chicago. Locals and visitors alike assemble hither to picnic in the grass, cool off in the fountain, catch free concerts and movie screenings, and then much more all throughout the year.

There's a well-nigh-countless listing of things to see and exercise here, and in that location's something for everyone — nature lovers, art and architecture aficionados, kids and families, music buffs, fitness fiends, and more than. We've narrowed it downward to merely 10 of the tin't-miss things to do at Chicago's Millennium Park Campus.

ane. Splash around in Crown Fountain

Families playing in Crown Fountain, Millennium Park
Photo: Clayton Hauck

The first fourth dimension I saw Crown Fountain I was equal parts entertained and diddled away. This whimsical example of public art/video sculpture brilliance was designed past Catalan creative person Jaume Plensa and executed by Krueck and Sexton Architects, making its debut in July 2004. The interactive fountain is composed of a black granite reflecting pool positioned between a pair of 50-foot (15.2 meter) glass brick towers that use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to display digital videos. From May through October, the faces of Chicago locals spout water from their pouting lips, showering paddlers with cooling spray.

ii. Take a selfie with The Edible bean

Cloud-Gate-The-Bean

It'southward hard not to fall in love with Cloud Gate, aka "The Edible bean."Forming a glistening archway into Millennium Park, visitors stroll under the monumental structure and gaze inquisitively upon their distorted reflections. No wonder it's #1 for selfies!

Cloud Gate The Bean Millennium Park
Photo: Judy Giannetto

Cloud Gate was created betwixt 2004 and 2006 past Indian-built-in British artist Sir Anish Kapoor, who was inspired by the qualities of liquid mercury. The sculpture is, in fact, made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together and then highly polished to obscure whatever visible seams, making your selfie equally as flawless.

3. Find a moment of zen at Lurie Garden

Lurie - Garden Shot - Article

Ok, it'due south rare that I have time to grab my Kindle and escape into the realms of fiction. But when I exercise, my go to spot is fallacious Lurie Garden. Dotted with benched hideaways and a tranquil 5-foot-wide canal along which to sit down, bird life thrives in the middle of the metropolis, perching on prairie grasses and patiently watching for random crumbs to fall from the lunches of unsuspecting visitors.

Opened in July 2004, the 2.5 acre (x,000 square meter) garden is equanimous of perennials, bulbs, grasses, shrubs and trees that form dense, sheltering hedges and wide expanses of colorful movement.

Lurie Garden - Art Institute Modern Wing
Photograph: Judy Giannetto

​If sitting and reading isn't your thing, lectures, workshops and free guided walks are scheduled throughout the summer months.

four. Rock climb at Maggie Daley Park

Maggie Daley Park screams fun – and you don't have to be a kid to appreciate it. Take the BP Pedestrian Bridge from Millennium Park to accomplish this lakeside haven, designed past landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.

Maggie Daley Park-3
Photograph: Abel Arciniega

The kickoff matter you lot'll notice is rollerbladers (and ice-skaters in the wintertime) gliding down a quarter-of-a-mile (40 km) skating ribbon, that meanders through trees, lawns and a three-acre Play Garden – the type of place that fulfills every kid's wildest dreams (think The Enchanted Forest with upside trees, the Slide Crater with a Tower Bridge to climb, and The Harbor where total-sized play boats nestle amongst the greenery).

Yet, my favorite features of Maggie Daley Park are the two forty-pes rock-climbing walls. This is, in fact, Chicago's beginning and merely climbing park.

It really doesn't affair whether yous're an absolute beginner or Spiderman-level expert – if you'd like to climb, there'southward a surface that'southward made just for you. The 19,000 foursquare human foot climbing area is divided into iii climbing types: bouldering, atomic number 82-harnessed and meridian rope. Between 25 and 100 climbers can scale the walls at any one time. Best of all, it's absolutely free … oh, and yous get great views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago metropolis skyline from 40 feet up!

5. Grab luncheon at the Plaza at Park Grill

Park Grill at Millennium Park ©Adam Alexander Photography
Photo: Adam Alexander Photography

People flock to the Plaza at Park Grill, and information technology's pretty like shooting fish in a barrel to see why. Chicago's largest outdoor dining venue sits in the shadow of Cloud Gate and at the foot of the Pritzker Pavilion, commanding views both of Millennium Park and the iconic Chicago skyline. It features a large walk-upwardly bar, a casual menu (312 Beer Tin can Craven anyone?) and a live music line upwardly, including "Music Paired With Beer" on Fridays from 4:xxx – six:30 p.m.

6. Listen and picket at Jay Pritzker Pavilion

Gospel Fest

Seeing a evidence at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion is an hypnotic feel. Above you floats a brushed stainless steel awning that casts an artistic network of shadows across the pavilion'southward Groovy Lawn. Created by notable architect Frank Gehry, the acoustically perfect bandshell is encased in sheets of brushed steel that resemble an aerodynamic tiered headdress.

Chicago Jazz Festival
Photo: DCASE

Every summer the Metropolis of Chicago hosts a Summertime Film Series and Summertime Music Series at the pavilion, which is also the main stage for historic free music festivals, most notably the Chicago Dejection Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival and the Grant Park Music Festival , the nation's only remaining free outdoor classical music serial. Throughout the summer months, music emanates from Pritzker Pavilion as an exhaustive listing of festivals and concerts accept hold of the lakefront.

Fifty-fifty on serenity days at Jay Pritzker Pavilion, it'southward the perfect place to stretch out on a coating, unpack a picnic, and watch the sun become down.

7. Catch a show at Harris Theater for Music & Dance

Harris Theater at Millennium Park

While the Jay Pritzker Pavilion hosts outdoor concerts, movies and shows, Harris Theater provides a jaw-dropping indoor venue for the performing arts. Seating approximately 1500 theater, music, and dance lovers, Harris regularly features acclaimed local companies such as theJoffrey Ballet,Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, andChicago Opera Theater. It'due south as well responsible for hosting notable national and international performers, including the New York Urban center Ballet, which chose Harris Theater for its first visit to Chicago in more than 25 years.

Harris Theater at Millennium Park

Designed past Hammond Beeby Rupert Ainge Architects, the architecture of the Harris Theater is every fleck as unique every bit Millennium Park itself. The above-ground entrance is comprised of towering drinking glass walls, while the phase is located mostly underground. A gorgeous roof terrace commands views over the park, and is available for private events. Cheque out upcoming performances here.

viii. See outdoor fine art at the Boeing Galleries

Chakaia Booker

The Boeing Galleries consist of a Due north Gallery and a South Gallery in which site-responsive, outdoor exhibitions take place throughout the year.

Boeing Gallery Millennium Park
Photo: Judy Giannetto

Dotted with benches, the galleries are designed for sitting, contemplating and appreciating progressive sculptural installations, past examples of which include Chakaia Booker, Jaume Plensa and Jean-Luc Mylayne.

Boeing Galleries

Fittingly, you lot'll come across the Boeing Galleries on your walk to the Nichols Bridgeway and #9 on my list of favorite things.

9. Visit modern masterpieces at the Art Institute of Chicago

Art Institute Modern Wing

I honey the Art Institute of Chicago Modern Wing, non but for its drove of 20th and 21st century art, but for the clean-lined beauty that is the architecture of Renzo Piano. My favorite feature is undoubtedly the Pritzker Garden on the chief level. As minimalist and airy as the interior (the perfect backdrop for 2d art), tall, skinny pillars rising upward, mimicking the sinewy trees that blueprint the space. It's a tranquil spot, and the ideal place to contemplate the likes of Henri Matisse, Vasily Kandinsky, Constantin Brancusi and Rene Magritte. Which brings me to another Modern Wing favorite – Magritte's famous Time Transfixed (1938).

Magritte

ten. Indulge in culinary art at Terzo Piano

Terzo Piano

On the upper level of the Art Institute of Chicago'due south Mod Fly you'll find Terzo Pianoforte, a fabulous eating place offering a curated menu of elevated Italian-inspired delicacies. Menu items alter with the seasons, dictated in part by the locally sourced, farm-to-table ingredients bachelor at any given time of year. Led by noted chef, Tony Mantuano ofSpiaggia fame, dishes currently on the menu include swordfish salad, rabbit cannelloni and charred octopus.

Things to Do - Alfresco Dining Photograph: Jeff Kauck

The interior is glimmering white, adhering to a minimalist aesthetic that's an platonic properties for the food and cocktails that assume the qualities of 3D art. However, If you're fortunate to visit over the summer months, definitely book a tabular array on the Bluhm Family unit Terrace. Rotating fine art installations are only part of what makes this terrace so special. Y'all'll also take the benefit of a commanding view of Millennium Park and the Chicago skyline from your spacious table.

Bonus tip: Check out the complimentary Chicago Cultural Center

Kerry James Marshall Mural Chicago Cultural Center
Photo: Metropolis of Chicago

Across the Street from Millennium Park on Michigan Avenue, but technically function of the Millennium Park Campus, the Chicago Cultural Heart is architecturally stunning and hosts a calendar-packed schedule of free things to practice. From guided tours and midday classical concerts to idea-provoking fine art exhibits and an Oral History Projection, it's definitely worth the visit. Check out all the free things to do here.