Grant Park - Buckingham Fountain, Chicago

4 more images

the museum campus is one of the major things to do in the huge grant park and south loop area and is located in the southern section of the grant park area near the soldier's field and is near the southern lakefront area. It has quite a number of museums and attractions dedicated to natural sciences like the Adler Planetarium, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Field Museum of Natural History. Again I will make a separate things to do tips of each apart from this general tip. The area is landscaped with greenery and flora as well as jogging paths and walkways. A picturesque promenade along Solidarity Drive, a narrow isthmus links Northerly Island to the mainland. The drive itself is lined with a number of grand bronze monuments commemorating Koœciuszko, Havlièek and Nicholas Copernicus, the last of which is a replica of a famous 19th-century work in Warsaw by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.

4 more images

is one of the major highlights in walking or strolling the huge grant park area and is right in the middle of it at provides a panoramic bonanza plus is one of the largest outdoor fountains with amazing water sprays in the world! It was donated to the city by Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother, Clarence Buckingham. The fountain itself represents Lake Michigan, while each sea horse symbolizes a state bordering the lake. The statues were created by the French sculptor Marcel F. Loyau. The design of the fountain was based on the Bassin de Latome and modeled after Latona Fountain at Versailles and was was designed with sculptures by Jacques Lambert. The fountain runs from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day from mid-April to mid-October. During a water display that runs for 20 minutes every hour on the hour, the center jet shoots up vertically to 150 feet (46 m). At dusk, a light and music show coincides with the water display. The last show of the night begins at 10:00 p.m. Each display last for 20 minutes.

4 more images

this huge park is a landmark is chicago and is a sprawling area fronting the lake michigan area (known as the lake front as locals would say) and is named after Civil War Hero and former President and Illinois Native Ulysses S. Grant in 1901, it was original named as Lake Park. It is bordered on the north by Randolph Street, on the south by Roosevelt Road, on the west by Michigan Avenue and on the east by Lake Michigan. Actually, many of the famed chicago attractions are located in this very huge park like the Buckingham Fountains and Millenium Park and the Adler Planetarium to name a few but I will have separate things to do tips for the others. It can be crowded in weekends as there are many activities going in this park and is the site of the victory speech of the current President Barack Obama and other activities like the major Chicago International Aviation Meet in 1911. It was the scene of clashes between Chicago Police and demonstrators during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Pope John Paul II said an outdoor mass to a large crowd here in 1979. Championship celebrations for the Chicago Bulls were staged here during the 1990s. More tips to follow!

1 more image

The Fountain which is located in Grant Park is consider one of the biggest fountain in the world and most popular attractions in Chicago. The four sea horses on its sides represent the four states that touch Lake Michigan: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
The fountain operates from Apr to Nov (10am to 11pm each day). Every hour for 20 minutes the fountain produces a major water display and accompanied by lights and music at dusk.

A lot of people want to view this iconic Chicago landmark because of the association with the film "Married with Children". I personally never watched it but this fountain is quite spectacular. From April to Mid October for 20min every hour ending at 11pm there is a water display jets of water jump 150ft into the air accompanied by a light and music display. The fountain looks like a wedding cake but was designed as Lake Michigan with 4 sea horses. These symbolise the 4 states which touch the Lake Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana & Michigan. The fountain is made out of Georgia pink marble and first opened in 1927. The designer was inspired by Louis XIV's garden in Versailles.

2 more images

Buckingham Fountain had a major multi million dollar facelift in 2008/2009 and was reopened in April 2009.

Buckingham Fountain is one of the most recognizable symbols of Chicago, both because of it's lakefront/Grant Park location and it's appearance at the beginning of "Married with Children" which has given it the nickname of the Bundy Fountain.

The fountain is active from mid April to mid October, depending on the weather, from 8 am to 11 pm daily.

Every hour on the hour for 20 minutes the fountain has a major water display with the center jet shooting 150 feet into the air. Beginning at dusk, the hourly major water display is accompanied by a light and music display. The final display of the evening begins at 10:00 p.m. I've heard that they shoot fireworks off from there on New Year's Eve but have never personally seen it.

At one time the fountain was actually operated by computer from Atlanta but the computer was moved to Chicago in 1994 when the fountain was renovated.

The fountain was a gift to Chicago from heiress (family fortune was in grain elevators and banking) Kate Buckingham in 1927 in memory of her late brother, Clarence. A $300,000 trust fund was established at the time for repair and upkeep. A $2.8 million restoration was done in 1994; the funds came from the Buckingham Fountain Endowment Fund.

It is built of Georgia pink marble and patterned on the Latona Basin in the gardens of Louis XIV's palace at Versailles. It was designed by Edward H. Bennett who also helped design Wacker Drive and the Michigan Avenue bridge; the four bronze sea horses symbolize the four states that touch the lake: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

1 more image

The fountain is one of the cities most impressive sights, watching the 133 jets shoot water to a height of 135ft. During the day it's an ideal place to relax from the heat & the crowds of the city. At night hundreds of spotlights create a show set to music & light on the hour from dusk to 11pm (April to October).

The four pairs of seahorses in each corner represent the four US states that border
Lake Michigan.

2 more images

In the summer Grant Park is an awesome place to go for a jog and have a beautiful view of the Lake- if you're adventurous enough you can jog to Soldier Field and back, with Buckingham Fountain in the center of it all.