Grant Park

Located just inshore from Lake Michigan in the heart of the Loop, Grant Park offers many things to many people. The park is a sensory delight for visitors and Chicagoans alike, offering breathtaking views of the signature skyline; Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate sculpture, affectionately known as "the Bean", in Millennium Park; the dazzling light shows at Buckingham Fountain; and the sweet smell of barbeque and other delicious aromas that permeate the park during Taste of Chicago. Grant Park is truly Chicago's front yard.

Grant Park hosts many hugely popular events throughout the year, among them the Taste of Chicago, Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival and more recently the popular Lollapalooza Music and Cultural Festival. The annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon, which brings tens of thousands of runners from all over the world, begins and ends in Grant Park as well.

Originally named Lake Park in 1844, this 319 acre greenspace was renamed in 1901 in honor of Ulysses S. Grant. Its official designation declared that the space east of Michigan Avenue and south of Randolph Street would remain "public ground forever to remain vacant of buildings." With the lone exception of the public-minded and culturally important Art Institute of Chicago, Grant Park has indeed remained "vacant of buildings."

That is not to say that Grant Park is devoid of activities for Chicago visitors and residents. On the contrary, Grant Park is a year-round venue for diverse free public programming of all kinds, from weekly summer dance lessons and live music and dance at Chicago Summerdance to ice skating in Millennium Park and Daley Bicentennial Plaza during winter months. Sports-minded and health-conscious visitors may also take advantage of Grant Park’s 16 softball fields; 12 tennis courts; miles upon miles of walking and jogging paths; and yoga, aerobics, and morning workout sessions.