[VIDEO] Explore Chicago: Day Visit Buckingham Fountain: A Chicago Landmark

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I am an early morning person so even when I am on vacation, I like to start early and use the most of my time. I spent almost a week in Chicago end of Sept 2023 to first week of Oct 2023. It was my first solo trip after pandemic. I was a bit late in the game I know but I was too busy with work and life that I do not have any chance to go anywhere outside of Canada.

I stayed in Arlo Hotel which is the Loop area, very a good location close to most attractions and plenty of food options around the area. I was lucky to be close to the food places that I have on my list to visit. Nothing fancy, I am not the fancy dining kind of person. I am happy and satisfied with simple food, I am more on the eperience of going there than eating a truck load of food. Although if you can then by all means why not 🙂 I get “food coma” as I call it when I see so much food in front of me and I end up not eating at all. So for me, less is more.

I started with a nice breakfast at “Wildberry Pancake” house which is only few minutes away from Arlo Hotel, I would say abut 10 minutes or less. Contrary to what I was saying earlier about eating small amount, this place serves large portion of food that is good for sharing. I oredered an omelette with toast and oh my Lord, it was huge. Looks could be deceiving, but it was really a ahuge portion, at least for me. I wasn’t able to finish it all, I ate half and I had to leave the rest which made me feel bad. I do not not normally leave food but I will be walking all day and I do not want to carry it with me.

Wildberry Pancake House

After breakfast I start walking to my 2nd itinerary (because breakfast is always first) which is the Buckingham Fountain at Grant Park, and that my friend is what this post is all about, not the food 🙂 Sorry, I get distracted with food, I had to share that breakfast with you. Ok, moving on, let’s see what we have in the Grant Park. Let’s go!

Facts About Chicago

  • Chicago is the largest city of Illinois and third largest city of the United States after New York City and Los Angeles.
  • Chicago has various nicknames including “Chi-town”, “Windy City”, “Second City,” the “City of Big Shoulders”, and “American of big cities”.
  • A unique downtown Chicago feature is its multi-leveled streets, the most well-known of which is Wacker Drive. This double-decker street comprises an upper-level riverfront boulevard and a lower-level roadway for commercial and through traffic.Chicago’s downtown area is known as “The Loop,” which refers to the area encircled by the Chicago Transit Authority’s elevated (‘L’) train tracks.The CTA operates the nation’s second largest public transportation system. In an average year, the CTA provides more than 450 million bus and train rides.

Facts About Buckingham Fountain

  • Opened to the public in 1927, Buckingham Fountain was commissioned by avid art collector and philanthropist Kate Sturges Buckingham as a memorial for her brother Clarence.
  • The design was inspired by one of the ornate fountains at the Palace of Versailles in France, built for Louis XV.
  • The enormous size is meant to symbolize the enormity of nearby Lake Michigan
  • It uses as much as 15,000 gallons of water per minute.
  • Every 20-minutes, it has a water show featuring the fountain’s center jet shooting water 150 feet into the air
  • The fountain is active from May through mid-October

Source: Choosechicago.com

General Information

  • Address: 301 S Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, United States
  • Website: http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/
  • Hours of Operation: The fountain is active from May through mid-October

Located at 301 S Columbus Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, United States, the Buckingham Fountain is a sight to behold during both the day and night. As one visitor noted, the fountain is indeed impressive during the day, but it becomes truly enchanting when illuminated at night. The changing lights transform the fountain into a mesmerizing display, creating a distinctly different atmosphere after dark.

For those interested in planning a visit, it’s worth noting that the fountain area itself may not require an extensive amount of time to explore, with approximately 10-15 minutes being sufficient for a visit. Visitors can also explore the nearby Grant Park and consider a leisurely 35-minute walk to Navy Pier from the fountain. Those interested in catching the enchanting lights display should aim to visit around 7:00 PM, although it’s recommended to verify the timing on the official website before planning the visit.

To fully appreciate the beauty of the fountain, consider watching the featured video titled “Buckingham Fountain at Night” from the Chicago Video Playlist, linked here: Buckingham Fountain at Night.

These details aim to provide an overview of what to expect when visiting the Buckingham Fountain, offering insights into its allure during the day as well as its captivating lights display at night. Whether one prefers the fountain in its daytime grandeur or is drawn to its illuminated spectacle, the Buckingham Fountain offers a distinct experience for visitors to enjoy.

It was quite a walk from Wild Berry Pancake House but it was a welocme walk for me after eating that large filling breakfast. I love, love, love walking around when I am on vacation. Aside from the fact that I often get lost before I find my destination, I sometimes find something interesting along the way that is not on my itinerary, which is nice. They say if you want to see and explore places when on vacation, explore on foot and see the allys. stop by at cafe along the way or simply sit and admire the view. That’s actually what I did.

I managed to find the Buckingnham Fountain without any issue, it was an almost straight walk from where I was. It was Friday (I think) morning and the sun was up and shining brightly. The temperature was quite hot from what I was used to but hey, I cannot complian with that. Back in British Columbia, it was all rain, rain, rain so that extended Summer heat was nice.

I’ve seen photo and video of this fountain when i was doing the research, those did not do any justice to how it actually looks like in person. This fountain is massive and grand looking. Situated in the center and surrounded by building around it makes it the focal point of evertyhing. The photo below was taken from the back side because I wanted to capture the bildings around it. When you stand on the side with the building, the view will be the water area which is nice but there were tents blocking the view from the previous activity that they had here. So I guess, this is a better angle to take the shot of it.

What is there to see and do?

It is a huge park, but there is really nothing much to do here. Walk around .. there’s nothing much going on in this area. People visit this place mostly to see the Buckingham Fountain. There is Gant Park which is close to this area or you can go to Navy Pier from Buckingham Fountain. It’s about 35 minutes walk.

There is water show featuring the fountain’s center jet shooting water 150 feet into the air and this happens every 20 minutes, try to catch that if you can.

I did not see any food stands in the area that us close enough unless you cross the street where those buildings at the are located. So if yo plan to stay longer or with kids, bring something to eat or drink. Not only that it saves you time looking for place to get a snack, it will also save you a lot of money. Food are quite expensive.

How long do you need to allocate for the visit?

Probably 10 -15 minutes is more than enough. I went here during the day and also at night to see the lights display. It is nice seeing it in both time of the day but for me visiting it at night is the best. The fountain looks even more stunning with the changing lights. Want to see how it looks like? Watch the video below. Now, let’s talk about the lights display.

Lights Display at Night

If you have time to spare and go back at night, do so. At 7:00PM, the lights display start and it was a sight to see. The vibe and the beauty is different from seeing it during the day. I stayed for about 30 minutes so fully see the entire cycle of the lights changing. I have a video for that, have a look.

Ok, that is all I have for this visit. Thank You all, until next time. Byeee!

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Categories: Attractions, Travel, Travel Video, Video

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