The Magnificent Mile

The Magnificent Mile is the stretch of North Michigan Avenue between the Chicago River and Oak Street. For decades it was the city's luxury shopping street, and it's still the first place most visitors walk. It's also changed a lot since this page was first written in 2010. The pandemic emptied a lot of storefronts, and Macy's, the Gap and, in May 2026, Saks Fifth Avenue all left. A local brokerage put the vacancy rate at 28.5 percent at the end of 2025, according to Block Club Chicago.

The good news is that the street is filling back up, mostly with stores built for younger shoppers and for people who'd rather do something than buy something. When Uniqlo came back in March 2026, more than 500 people were in line before the doors opened. Walk it for the architecture and the river, shop what interests you, and don't expect every block to look busy.

What follows goes from south to north, the way most people walk it.

The river end

The Mile starts at the DuSable Bridge, which most older guides still call the Michigan Avenue Bridge. It was renamed in 2010 after Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city's first non-Indigenous settler. It's a two-level bascule bridge, the kind so common here it's known as a "Chicago style" bascule. Work started in 1918 and it opened on May 14, 1920. Fort Dearborn, the Army post built in 1803, stood on the south bank, and the carved reliefs on the bridge towers tell its story, including the 1812 battle.

The southwest bridge tower is the McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum, run by Friends of the Chicago River. In season it's open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and you can see the gears that lift the bridge. In spring and fall the bridge goes up so sailboats can pass between the lake and their winter storage upriver, and the museum takes reservations to watch a lift from inside.

The river runs away from the lake, which surprises people. Engineers reversed it in 1900 to keep sewage out of the city's drinking water. Every year around St. Patrick's Day, it's dyed bright green.

On the north bank you'll see two of the city's best-known buildings. The white terra cotta Wrigley Building went up between 1920 and 1924 as the chewing gum company's headquarters. It's floodlit at night, and it's the best photo on the street after dark. The Wrigley company sold it to a group of investors in 2011.

Across the avenue is the Gothic Tribune Tower. The Chicago Tribune and WGN radio both moved out in 2018, and the tower has since been turned into luxury condos. The best part is still free to see. Walk along the base and look for the stones and fragments built into the wall, taken from places like the Taj Mahal, the Parthenon, the Great Pyramid and the Alamo, each labeled with where it came from.

Right on the river at 401 N. Michigan is Apple Michigan Avenue, a glass box with steps that lead down to the riverwalk. Even if you don't need a phone, it's a good place to sit and watch the boats. A short walk away, down the stairs at 430 N. Michigan, Lower Level, is the Billy Goat Tavern. More on that below.

Ohio Street to Chicago Avenue

This is where most of the new shops are. The Starbucks Reserve Roastery at 646 N. Michigan opened in November 2019 and is the largest Starbucks in the world, with coffee roasting in the middle and several floors of bars and seating. It's touristy and busy, and it's worth a look anyway.

Uniqlo is back at 600 N. Michigan, in the old Under Armour space, and Chicago YIMBY reports that an American Eagle flagship and a gaming venue called Urban Playground are moving into the same building. Mango opened its first Chicago store on the avenue in late 2025. Fans line up at the Harry Potter Shop at 676 N. Michigan. Levi's is moving into a two-story space at 663 N. Michigan, and Nike may move down the street.

Saks Fifth Avenue closed its seven-story store at 700 N. Michigan in May 2026 after nearly a century on the avenue, and it's the biggest empty space on the street for now. Hershey's Chicago, which the old version of this page sent you to, is gone too. British chocolate maker Hotel Chocolat has taken over the old Ghirardelli shop just around the corner from the avenue, with a café.

Water Tower and the north end

At Chicago Avenue you reach the Water Tower, a limestone tower built in 1869 that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. It became the symbol of the city's recovery. Most of the Pumping Station across the street is still a working pumping station, and the rest is a theater. Lookingglass Theatre performs inside the old building at 163 E. Pearson St. If there's a show on when you're in town, it's one of the more unusual places in the city to see a play.

Across from the Water Tower is Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan, the vertical mall that opened in 1976. It's had a rough few years. Macy's, its anchor, closed in March 2021, and the Gap and Banana Republic followed. About 30 percent of its specialty shops are empty. Owner MetLife announced a $170 million renovation in April 2026 that will fold the shops into the lower three floors around a new atrium, with offices and medical tenants above. Construction runs from 2027 into 2028 and the mall stays open.

For now, the main reasons to go in are the LEGO store, the Chicago Sports Museum and American Girl. American Girl's two-level store is at the Chestnut Street corner, with a doll hair salon and a café where kids have lunch with their dolls. If you're traveling with a child who's into it, book ahead.

A block north of the Water Tower is 875 North Michigan Avenue, the black 100-story tower that everyone still calls the John Hancock Center. The insurer's name came off in 2018. The 360 CHICAGO observation deck is on the 94th floor, and its TILT platform tips you out over the city at a 30-degree angle. Tickets start around $30 when you book online. The Signature Room restaurant on the 95th floor closed in 2023, and 360 CHICAGO bought that space in 2024. Our observatory page has more, and our city pass page explains when a pass saves money.

The Mile ends at Oak Street and the Drake Hotel. Oak Street itself, west of Michigan, is the high-end boutique block. East of it is the tunnel to Oak Street Beach (see our beaches page).

The Lights Festival

The big event of the year is the Wintrust Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, held every year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Lights Festival Lane, with music and photos with Santa, opens at 11am. The parade steps off from Oak Street at 5:30pm and lights more than a million lights on the avenue's trees block by block as it heads south. Fireworks follow at 7:30pm. Get a spot on the curb by 4pm and dress for the cold. See our Christmas events page for what else is on.

Where to eat and drink nearby

• Billy Goat Tavern, 430 N. Michigan, Lower Level. The old newspaper bar under the avenue. Order a double cheezborger and don't ask for fries.
• Gino's East, 162 E. Superior St. Deep dish a block off the avenue. It takes a while to bake, so order as soon as you sit down. Our pizza guide has other options.
• Eataly, 43 E. Ohio St. Two floors of Italian food, counters and a market, and a reliable lunch for a group that can't agree.
• The Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton Pl. Afternoon tea in the Palm Court has been a Gold Coast tradition for close to a century, and the Coq d'Or bar is a dark, old-school spot for a martini.
• NoMI, on the seventh floor of the Park Hyatt. A splurge, with windows looking right at the Water Tower.

For bars, see our list of unique bars in Chicago. For a place to stay, try our hotels near the Magnificent Mile, and for the wider area, the guide to the Gold Coast, the Magnificent Mile and Streeterville.

Getting there

The Red Line stops at Grand and at Chicago under State Street, two blocks west of the avenue. Several CTA buses run up and down Michigan Avenue, which is handy if your feet give out halfway. The Chicago Water Taxi stops at Michigan Avenue by the bridge and runs to Chinatown. The street is busiest on weekend afternoons. For a quieter walk and better photos, go on a weekday morning.

Photo by The West End, scmikeburton