Chicago River, Chicago: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

The Chicago River flows through the center of Chicago in a Y-shaped configuration, its three branches—North, South, and Main Stem—converging near Wolf Point in the Loop. In 1900, engineers reversed the river's flow away from Lake Michigan using the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, one of the largest civil engineering projects of the era. The Chicago Architecture Center's boat tours along the Main Stem pass beneath over 40 movable bridges and alongside buildings by Mies van der Rohe, Bertrand Goldberg, and Jeanne Gang. Each St. Patrick's Day, the Plumbers' Union dyes the river bright green. is just one of many options in Chicago. Major attractions worth considering include 360 Chicago Observation Deck (Formerly John Hancock Observatory), Adler Planetarium, and Field Museum.