Tourist office Chicago
Choose Chicago, the official destination marketing organisation for the city, names no walk-in visitor centre of its own on its website. The one visitor information centre in the city that it does name is at Macy's on State Street. Staffed points run by other bodies give tourist information in person, among them the Millennium Park Welcome Center, the Chicago Cultural Center information desks, the Navy Pier Guest Services desk and the Travelers Aid information desks at O'Hare International Airport.
Where to find the tourist offices in Chicago
Choose Chicago points visitors to its free Chicago Visitors Guide, which can be viewed online or requested in print. Staffed points run by other bodies help in person, from a department store in the Loop to O'Hare International Airport.
Macy's on State Street Visitor Information Center
Location: 111 North State Street, Floor 1 of the Macy's store in the Loop
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 21:00, Sunday 11:00 to 20:00, the store hours; no separate hours for the visitor centre are published
Partner point run by Macy's: free maps, brochures and multilingual maps, and concierges who help plan itineraries.
Millennium Park Welcome Center
Location: 201 East Randolph Street, in Millennium Park
Opening hours: Memorial Day to 1 October 09:00 to 19:00; off season 09:00 to 17:00; open until 21:00 on nights with an event in the park
Not run by Choose Chicago: a City of Chicago point, where front of house staff give wayfinding help and courtesy wheelchairs can be borrowed.
Chicago Cultural Center information desks
Location: the Randolph Street and Washington Street lobbies of the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 East Washington Street
Opening hours: building open daily 10:00 to 17:00; closed on New Year's Day, St. Patrick's Day Parade Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day
Not run by Choose Chicago: desks staffed by security and volunteers of the City's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Navy Pier Guest Services desk
Location: the front of Navy Pier, 600 East Grand Avenue, between Giordano's and Chef Art Smith's Reunion
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday 11:00 to 21:00, Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 22:00
Not run by Choose Chicago: run by Navy Pier, Inc., a not-for-profit; staff answer general questions about the pier and nearby attractions.
Travelers Aid information desks at O'Hare International Airport
Location: seven desks in Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 5 of O'Hare International Airport, including Gates B6, C18, F4 and K2
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00
Not run by Choose Chicago: run by Travelers Aid Chicago, of the non-profit Heartland Human Care Services; volunteers answer questions about the airport and the Chicago area.
Explore Chicago in detail
Explore Chicago in detail
The Chicago guide on Tourist Office collects the essentials for visiting Chicago in one place, starting with a one day route from the Willis Tower Skydeck and the Art Institute of Chicago through Millennium Park and the Chicago Riverwalk to the Wrigley Building and Navy Pier.
It then ranks the sights worth the time, from the Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium to Wrigley Field and the Museum of Science and Industry, picks out free places such as Buckingham Fountain and Lincoln Park Zoo, and lists the concerts and games coming up.
Public holidays in Chicago to plan around
On a public holiday, offices, museums and transport in Chicago may close or switch to holiday hours. Two calendars set the days. The 11 federal holidays under 5 U.S.C. 6103 apply to federal offices. The City of Chicago publishes its own 2026 list of 13 days when City offices are closed: the same 11 dates plus Lincoln's Birthday on 12 February and Pulaski Day on 2 March.
National holidays in the United States 2026
- 1 January New Year's Day
- 19 January Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- 16 February Washington's Birthday
- 25 May Memorial Day
- 19 June Juneteenth National Independence Day
- 3 July Independence Day, observed on the Friday as 4 July falls on a Saturday
- 7 September Labor Day
- 12 October Columbus Day
- 11 November Veterans Day
- 26 November Thanksgiving Day
- 25 December Christmas Day
Local holidays in Chicago 2026
- 12 February Lincoln's Birthday, local
- 2 March Pulaski Day, local
The Chicago Cultural Center, whose lobbies have information desks, is closed on seven days in 2026: New Year's Day, St. Patrick's Day Parade Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. On seven other holidays it stays open, with only its Renaissance Court closed.