Sights:

1. Petrillo Music Shell

235 S. Columbus Dr.
In summer, the shell is home to the Grant Park Symphony and showcases other free music festivals, including the annual Chicago Blues Festival and the Chicago Jazz Festival.

2. Millennium Park

bordered by N. Michigan Ave., N. Columbus Dr., E. Randolph St., and E. Monroe St. 312/742-1168; www.millenniumpark.org
This 24.5-acre park was conceived in 1998 to cover up parking lots and railroad tracks. Thanks to Mayor Richard M. Daley, it's now a space for the arts with a sculptural Frank Gehry-designed outdoor music venue and the reflective Cloud Gate sculpture by Brit designer Anish Kapoor.

3. Buckingham Fountain

301 E. Columbus Dr. and 500 S. Congress Pky. in Grant Park
The fountain, a work of , Edward H. Bennett, is surrounded by statues of four sea horses to symbolize the four states that touch Lake Michigan: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Every hour on the hour beginning at sunset, there is a 20-minute light-and- music display.

4. Lake Michigan

5. Grant Park

337 E. Randolph St. between Michigan Avenue and Lake Michigan, 312/742-7648; www.chicagoparkdistrict.com
Named in 1901 for General and President Ulysses S. Grant, this park's beginning predates its namesake; in 1835 a group of Chicagoans lobbied to keep the open space clear of development. Although museums abound there now, the park still maintains its open character, keeping the statue of Abraham Lincoln and the Buckingham Fountain in clear view.

6. John G. Shedd Aquarium

1200 S. Lake Shore Dr., 312/939-2438; www.sheddaquarium.org
One year after the Shedd Aquarium opened in 1929 with only freshwater marine life, 1 million gallons of seawater were delivered by train from Key West, Florida, making it the first inland aquarium to have a permanent saltwater collection.

7. Adler Planetarium

1300 S. Lake Shore Dr., 312/922-7827; www.adlerplanetarium.org
The planetarium's unique position, on a small island accessible by causeway, offers the best views of the Chicago skyline. Visitors can ride through the universe here in the world's first StarRider theater-virtually speaking, of course.

8. Soldier Field

1410 S. Museum Campus Dr., 312/235-7000; www.soldierfield.net
Home to Chicago's football team, the Chicago Bears, this stadium officially opened in 1924 with 45,000 seats. Seventy-nine years later, the stadium received a world-class makeover; it now holds more than 211 events a year, including benefit walks and runs.

9. Field Museum of Natural History

1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., 312/922-9410; www.fieldmuseum.org
With a focus on anthropology, botany, , geology, paleontology, and zoology, this museum was originally named the Columbian Museum of Chicago and was located in Jackson Park. The name was changed to the Field Museum, not only to honor its major benefactor Marshall Field, but also to better reflect its subject matter. It moved to Grant Park in 1921.

10. Look up to see the Sears Tower

11. Sears Tower

233 S. Wacker Dr.,; www.thesearstower.com
Reaching a height of 1,450 feet, this 110-story building is the tallest in North America. Its antenna, which takes the building to a soaring height of 1,725 feet, lights up with different colors for various holidays, such as pink on Mother's Day and orange on Halloween.

12. Art Institute of Chicago School and Museum

111 S. Michigan Ave., 312/443-3600 www.artic.edu
This building not only houses the school, it also encases the museum with a collection ranging from miniatures to 13th century paintings to architecture and design. For your next jog, download its latest Musecast (podcast) to hear artists, curators, and musicians speaking of galleries, special exhibitions, and programs going on within those walls.

— Alicia Carr