Chicago has done an amazing job with this park. Beautiful plantings, awesome architectural ampitheatre that seems to have music going every time we are there, fountains to actually cool off in...

Definitely go both during the day and at night. The view of the city behind the faces fountain is incredible.

This park is so beautiful and innovative on so many levels. Your kids can play of a splash ground with two tall screens that douse you with water. Really fun! It's a great place to take a walk or see a concert, too. You walk through many sculptures like the bean, and you can walk to grant park, next to the museum complex and soilder field. You can also relax on the great lawn. I cannot even describe how modernly designed this park is. Seriously, you're gonna have to see it for yourself.

I live in the city and work downtown and am very lucky to be able to walk over to the park on my lunch hour. It's a modern green space in the middle of a bustling sometimes overwhelming downtown area that offers something all year round. In the winter I go to ice skate ( for free) and will continue even after a most unfortunate stumble last winter where I broke my arm : (. In the summer every day at noon they offer music at the Pritzker Pavilion and in the evening they offer amazing shows, they are all for free. Bring a blanket, some food and a bottle of wine and cozy down for the evening with an amazing view of the city - you'll forget all about that similar annoying north shore venue that is over crowded with rich pretentious people. The sound is amazing, the people friendly and the space rich with culture. The rest of the park is filled with different gardens and trails, there is a pretty cool ped bridge that walks over Columbus drive to another part of the park where you can continue to walk to the lake. There is also a new ped bridge that allows you to walk directly into the Modern Wing of the Art Institute. The restaurant is decent but I have only dined there one time and in the summer there is an outside bar as well. I can't forget the Bean and the interactive fountain but I mostly go for some peace and serenity and in the summer the shows. Enjoy Chicago's gift to everyone!

Plan to spend a few hours at this beautiful park. The flowers are always abundant. The Bean and the water/wall are a lot of fun. It's a nice park to bring a lunch, sit and people watch, or you could sit at the restaurant within and visit the shops after you've eaten. While there, don't forget to cross the main highway toward Lake Michigan and visit the Buckingham Fountain; it's absolutely beautiful. Bring your camera and enjoy!