Millennium Park - Plan Your Visit

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Millennium Park has free admission and is open daily from 6 am to 11 pm.

Directions and Parking

Make your travel to Millennium Park a snap with simple directions and convenient parking.

Driving Directions

Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the east, Randolph Street to the north and Monroe Drive to the south.

From The North:

If traveling from the North on the Kennedy Expressway or Edens Expressway (Interstate 90/94), exit at Monroe Street and drive East to Michigan Avenue.

If driving on the Outer Drive (North Lake Shore Drive/Highway 41), exit at Randolph Street or Monroe Street and drive West to Michigan Avenue.

From The South:

If traveling from the South on the Dan Ryan Expressway (Interstates 90/94), exit at Congress Parkway and drive East to Michigan Avenue and then North to Monroe Street. If driving on Lake Shore Drive (Highway 41), exit at Randolph Street and drive West to Michigan Avenue.

From The East:

If traveling from the East on the Indiana Toll Road (Interstate 90), take the Chicago Skyway to the Stony Island exit, follow Highway 41 (Lake Shore Drive) to downtown Chicago, exit at Monroe Street and drive West to Michigan Avenue.

If coming in from the East on Interstate 90/94, continue on the Dan Ryan Expressway, exit at Congress Parkway, drive East to Michigan Avenue and then North to Monroe Street.

From The West:

If traveling from the West on the Eisenhower Expressway (Interstate 290), which becomes Congress Parkway, drive East to Michigan Avenue, and then turn North (left) to Monroe Street.

Parking Garages and Bicycle Parking

Convenient parking is located in the Millennium Park Garage, Grant Park North, Grant Park South and East Monroe Garages. For more information or directions for any of these parking garages, visit www.millenniumgarages.com or call 312.616.0600.

Parking is available for bicycles in the McDonald’s Cycle Center, a state of the art facility located in the northeast corner of Millennium Park. For information, visit chicagobikestation.com or call 888-BIKE-WAY (888.245.3929). Bike racks are also located on the concrete pad on the east side of the Pritzker Pavilion, as well as along Michigan Avenue and upper Randolph Street.

Public Transportation

Public transportation is one of the easiest and most economical ways to get around downtown. 

CTA

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) operates a network of buses and elevated / subway trains throughout Chicago. The CTA's website has a number of how-to guides for first time riders.

From the Green, Orange, Brown, Pink and Purple Line Express elevated lines, exit at the Madison/Wabash or Randolph/Wabash stations and walk two blocks east. From the Red and Blue Line subways, exit at Monroe or Washington stations and walk two or three blocks east. The park is also served by buses 3, 4, 6, 14, 20, 56, 60, 124, 151,157 and 173. During weekday rush periods only the Park is also served by buses 26 and 148.

For more travel information, visit www.transitchicago.com or call the Travel Information Center at 1-888-YOUR-CTA or 1-888-CTA-TTY1 (TTY).  

METRA

Metra's suburban commuter rail system has 11 lines with 239 stations radiating from downtown Chicago to the six-county area of northeast Illinois. For regional transit schdeules and fares, and a map of downtown stations, visit METRA's website at http://metrarail.com.

Millennium Park is located directly above the Millennium Park Station at Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street, with access to the Metra Electric District and South Shore Line trains and the downtown pedway system.

Travel from Chicago's other downtown METRA stations is a snap with Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) buses and trains! For help planning your trip to Millennium Park from Chicago Union Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center, LaSalle Street Station, or Van Buren Station, visit www.transitchicago.com or call the Travel Information Center at 1-888-YOUR-CTA or 1-888-CTA-TTY1 (TTY).

Group Visits and Bus Drop Off Information

Gather friends and family and head to Millennium Park for a fun-filled day!

Group Visits

Drop by and enjoy the many free offerings of Millennium Park! The Park does not require advance notification for group visits.

Bus Drop-Off Information

Motor coach and school bus drop off is on Upper Randolph Street, east of the turn-around by the Harris Theater. Buses may then proceed to Lower Randolph to wait for their group. The garages that serve Millennium Park can generally accommodate vehicles up to 6'8". Certain areas can accommodate vehicles up to 8'2". For more information, please call the Millennium Garages at 312.616.0600.

Accessibility

Every aspect of Millennium Park has been designed to be fully accessible to all patrons.

The following services are available:

• Wheelchair loans in the Millennium Park Welcome Center, 201 E. Randolph Street. Wheelchairs may be returned to any Millennium Park Security Guard after the Welcome Center has closed
• Integrated spaces for wheelchair seating at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion
• Wheelchair accessible restroom facilities
• Assisted listening devices at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion Sound Booth
• Service animals are permitted in the Park
• Audio tour scripts are available in the Millennium Park Welcome Center for the hearing impaired

Key accessible design elements include:

• Ramps adjacent to Michigan Avenue main staircases that start and stop at the same place as the top and bottom landing of the staircase. This allows a person in a wheelchair to get to the same place as an able bodied person without traveling great distances away from the staircase.
• The staircase at Columbus and Monroe is adjacent to an elevator.
• The BP Bridge never exceeds a 1:20 gradual slope. Slopes greater than 1:20 require handrails, edge protection and flat landings every 30'. These slopes also take physical exertion to push oneself up and greater control to go down. Disabled children rarely have the upper body strength to accomplish this. The Bridge was also designed so the spacing between the floorboards does not exceed 1/4". This ensures that the front wheel of a chair cannot get caught and tip over.
• The Crown Fountain was designed without edges or deep water areas so a wheelchair can easily enter the fountain area and participate with full inclusion.
• The Jay Pritzker Pavilion has wheelchair seating spaces throughout the seating area. There are assistive listening devices available for the hearing impaired and 5% of the aisle seats have removable armrests for easy access by a person transferring onto the seat or people who use walkers and canes. In addition, the grass is cut to meet ADAAG guidelines for access - short cut with firm and stable soil foundation to allow a wheelchair to go onto the lawn area.

Tours

Learn more about the history, art and architecture of Millennium Park on a guided or self-guided tour. 

Millennium Park Greeter Tours

Available May 24 to October 14, 2013
Daily, 11:30 am and 1 pm
Meet at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Visitor Center, 78 E. Washington St.

Take a free 45 minute tour with a Millennium Park Greeter and learn more about the art and architecture of the Park. No advanced reservations are required. Space is limited to 10 people on a first-come-first-served basis.

Lurie Garden Guided Walks

Available May 5 to September 22, 2013

Fridays 11 am to 1:30 pm and Sundays 10 am to 1:30 pm
Meet in the Lurie Garden at the south end of the boardwalk.

Led by Lurie Garden volunteers, take a free 20 minute guided walk and learn about the Garden’s design, its native plants and how it all applies to the home garden.

Tours for Large Groups

Walking tours are offered for large groups through the Chicago Architecture Foundation. To purchase tickets, visit www.architecture.org or call 312.922.3432.

Dining In The Park

Pack a picnic, visit our concessions tent or dine at the Park Grill while you enjoy the Park under the sun or stars.

Park Grill

Dine at the Park Grill, a 300-seat restaurant located in the McCormick Tribune Plaza at Michigan Avenue and Washington Street, all year long. In the warm-weather months, an outdoor patio is added for an exceptional view of the city skyline. For reservations, call 312.521.7275 or visit their website.

Park Concessions

Refreshments are available for purchase for evening concerts from the concession tents located to the east of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Alcohol sales in the Millennium Park concession tent end one half-hour prior to the end of the concert. Refreshments are also available for purchase from concession carts located on the Chase Promenade.

Picnic in the Park

Bring your own food and drink and plan a picnic on Millennium Park’s Great Lawn or at Running Table, artist Dan Peterman’s 100’ long picnic table made entirely of recyclable materials, located on the Chase Promenade.

Millennium Park Rules and Safety

Please observe these general Millennium Park rules to ensure that everyone’s visit is enjoyable.

Millennium Park was created for the enjoyment of Chicago residents and visitors.

While in the Park, please respect the rights of others by allowing free and open access to all areas of the Park at all times, including the following:

•  For most public performances, alcohol may be consumed in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion seating area and Great Lawn. For ticketed events, concert rules are determined by an outside vendor, which may prohibit guests from bringing alcohol into the Park.

•  Please walk your bicycles through the Park. Bicycle parking is located at the McDonald’s Cycle Center, a heated indoor facility located in the northeast corner of the Park, and at bike racks located on the concrete pad on the east side of the Pavilion, as well as along Michigan Avenue and upper Randolph Street.

•  Skating, rollerblading or skateboarding is not allowed in the Park.

•  Photography, video or recording devices are strictly forbidden at all concerts in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

•  To protect the Great Lawn and its irrigation system, tents, flags and poles of any kind are not allowed to be inserted into the ground. Balloons, open flame candles and barbeque grills are also prohibited in the Park.

•  Visitors are prohibited from bringing any animals into the Park other than service animals, as defined by Illinois law.

As a friendly reminder, programs and artists are subject to change without notice.