[VIDEO] Explore Chicago: Experience Buckingham Fountain’s Light Display

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Couple of years ago, I went on a 3 weeks girls trip with my friends. We visited Paris, Italy, Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan and Greece, all these in 3 weeks time. It was a lot of fun but also exhausting. We visited so many places, museums, attractions and tried different food. It was fun memory to remember. One memory I had was visiting the Louvre. I’ve done a bit of a research before we visited and one thing for sure I told myself I have to do is to see the Louvre at night when it is lighted. I am a sucker for lights display, for me it just feels mesmerizing and sometimes magical. Lights gives a different vibe and look, it is just a diffrent experience. 

So whenever I go to a place with lights display, I try to add it in my itinerary. It doesn’t even have to be a lights display, even walking in downtown at night is a must thing for me to do when in vacation. For my Chicago vacation, I visited Navy Pier at night, walk around DT at night, walk the Riverwal and viisted Crown Fountain at night, and also did a Night Architecture Boat Tour on top of the day boat tour. That is how serious I am with nigth vibe of the city. I captured all this in a short video, so have a look when you have time. I have them all included in my Chicago posts. 

When I went to Chicago, I visited Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park. I’ve shared my day visit in my previous post but in this post, I want to share with you my evening visit. Buckingham Fountain is quite a walk from where I stay but I really have to see this fountain at night.

I stayed most of the day in Navy Pier to pass the time and from Navy Pier it was a 35 minutes walk to the Buckingham Fountain. It was a nice liesurely walk by the Lake Front Trail by the water which I really like. I wasn’t sure what time the lights display, I just assumed when it gets dark. It was late Summer to early Fall and 6:00PM is already dark at that time. The lights display started at exactly 7:00PM, and it was worth the wait.

The moment the lights started to open, I couldn’t help but stand up to get closer. It was beautiful. there was not a lot of people, it was a bit quite and I was able to enjoy the lights display. The display run for few minutes, maybe 15 -20 and then it repeats again. I stayed to watched the full cycle so that I can capture the change of colors.

I left at around 8:00PM and at that time there were more people in the park. People walking by cannot helped themselves bu stop to admire the display. It was a lovely evening and it was worth the wait to watch the lights display. One free activity that you can do when you visit in Chicago, so why not? Go for it!

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.

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 and let me know what you think.

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

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Categories: Attractions, Chicago, Travel, Travel Video, When in USA

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