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Magnificent Mile & Gold Coast

Squatters, Skyscrapers and Old Money

43stops
5.0miles
3h 10mwalking
$2.99in the app

Half of the ground on this walk was lake water 150 years ago. Sand, rubble and one stubborn squatter turned it into land, and the land became the most expensive address in the Midwest. Shoppers came for the Magnificent Mile, the grand avenue north of the river, and the rich built their mansions a few blocks away, on the quiet streets of the Gold Coast. This walk takes you from the end of Navy Pier up Michigan Avenue, past the water tower that survived the Great Fire and the hotel bar that opened the day Prohibition ended, through a tunnel to a beach downtown, and past a Playboy mansion and a cardinal's house with 19 chimneys to the best skyline view in the city.

Nearest water taxi
Navy Pier · Shoreline Water Taxi · 9 min walk to the start
Nearest 'L' station
Grand Red · 29 min walk to the start
Map of the Magnificent Mile & Gold Coast walking route with its 43 stops
The route of the Magnificent Mile & Gold Coast walk. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The first 3 stops

Try these stops for free in the app. The full stories and directions are waiting for you there.

  1. 1Navy Pier

    In World War II this pier was the home port of two aircraft carriers on a lake.

  2. 2Centennial Wheel 🎟

    The Ferris wheel was born in Chicago.

  3. 3Jardine Water Purification Plant

    Look north from the pier at the long, low building on the shore.

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40 more stops to discover

In the app, Magnificent Mile & Gold Coast will be $2.99 for the full 5.0 mi route: every stop's photos and stories, and GPS guidance that tells you when you've arrived.

Coming soon to the PaveTrail app. The Chicago walks are on their way; New York's 26 walks are in the app now.

Also on this walk: Cap Streeter, Chicago Water Tower, 875 North Michigan Avenue and more

Sights

  • 860-880 Lake Shore Drive
  • 875 North Michigan Avenue
  • Archbishop’s Residence
  • Astor Street
  • Cap Streeter
  • Charnley-Persky House
  • Chicago Avenue Pumping Station
  • Chicago Water Tower
  • Division Street
  • DuSable Lake Shore Drive
  • Fisher Studio Houses
  • Fourth Presbyterian Church
  • Gray
  • InterContinental Chicago
  • International Museum of Surgical Science
  • Lake Point Tower
  • Madlener House
  • Museum of Contemporary Art
  • North Avenue Beach
  • Oak Street Beach
  • Patterson-McCormick Mansion
  • The Allerton
  • The Comedy Bar
  • The Drake
  • The Original Playboy Mansion
  • The Peninsula
  • The Pump Room
  • Viagra Triangle
  • Wooden Alley

Food and drink

  • Butch McGuire’s
  • Devil Dawgs
  • Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse
  • Gino’s East
  • Hendrickx
  • Starbucks Reserve Roastery
  • The Original Pancake House
  • Three Arts Club

Shops

  • American Girl Place
  • Oak Street
  • The Magnificent Mile

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Magnificent Mile & Gold Coast · Coming soon to the appAll Chicago walks