The Chicago Tourist Trap You Should Avoid (And Where To Go Instead)

If your time in Chicago is limited, there's a case to be made that you should avoid Navy Pier in favor of less touristy sights. It's true that Chicago exhibited the first Ferris wheel at the 1893 World's Fair. However, there are arguably better ways to spend your time than a glorified shopping mall where a different Ferris wheel hawks VIP gondolas, while chain restaurants like Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville somehow get listed as part of the city's "rich culinary tradition."

On its website, Navy Pier also bills itself as the "People's Pier" and the "top visited destination in the Midwest," but you'll notice that the first phrase comes with an attached trademark symbol. It's as if McPier (Chicago's nickname for the MPEA, the municipal corporation that owns Navy Pier) can't help but acknowledge the pretense of this place belonging to the people. Yes, there's an actual McDonald's at Navy Pier, and as you stroll past its golden arches and gift shops peddling tacky souvenirs, it becomes clear that this place belongs more to the merchants milking tourists out of money on Lake Michigan.

In World War I, Navy Pier doubled as a U.S. military training center — hence its name — and a detention facility for draft dodgers. After World War II, it became a satellite campus for the University of Illinois. The modern Navy Pier only took shape in 1995, with the Centennial Wheel going up for its 100th anniversary in 2016. Today, on Tripadvisor, the pier doesn't even crack the top 15 things to do in Chicago based on traveler favorites. People would rather subject themselves to medieval torture (at the homegrown horror museum specializing in that) than Navy Pier. More than one review calls the pier a "tourist trap," and some locals voice the same sentiment on social media.

Foodies may already know how to spend one day in Chicago, according to Anthony Bourdain, but let's say you're on a 43-hour layover, like him, and you're looking for ways to fill your time outside meals. A boat tour might seemingly justify a trip to Navy Pier until you realize that some of the same tour operators depart from the Chicago Riverwalk. Shoreline Sightseeing, for example, has a second dock off Michigan Avenue where its boats depart for architecture tours of the Chicago River. The pedestrian Riverwalk parallels this dock, and it will put you on the ground right in the heart of downtown Chicago, aka the Loop.

This is where the first historic wave of skyscrapers sprang up in the late 19th century. UNESCO now recognizes nine of them collectively as a World Heritage site. The Riverwalk is the perfect place to get an up-close view of the Loop's high-rises and see why Chicago was ranked the "world's most beautiful city." As a waterfront destination, it trumps Navy Pier by thrusting you into the city center, as opposed to out on Lake Michigan, like you'd get with one of those speedboat thrill rides on the Chicago Seadog. If you're worried about missing out on the pier's fireworks shows, Shoreline's Michigan Avenue dock has a Wednesday evening tour that incorporates those, too.

An even better option for a river tour might be one aboard the First Lady. This is the Chicago Architecture Center's official cruise line, so its guides are trained experts who can make the trip informative even for locals with friends they're showing around town. The boat tour gets you discounted admittance to the museum center, located just off the Riverwalk. Admittance is free with the Lights, Camera, Architecture! walking tour, which should appeal to anyone interested in traveling to popular movie locations in Chicago.

Another place worth checking out on the Riverwalk is the McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum. It gives visitors an inside look at the gears that lift one of Chicago's moveable bridges, facilitating the passage of boats between Lake Michigan and winter storage yards. The seasonal boat runs happen in tandem, so it's like watching a maritime parade. According to the museum, the accompanying bridge lifts happen about 40 times a year from April to November, usually on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

These are the same days when the summer fireworks happen over Navy Pier, so you could see a boat run along the Riverwalk, then come back later for a nighttime cruise. If you'd rather do the paddling yourself, Urban Kayaks offers guided tours of the river. Even if you can't catch a boat run, the bridgehouse museum offers elevated views as it takes you up through five floors of a control tower that helps operate DuSable Bridge on Michigan Avenue. Unlike Navy Pier's overpriced retailers and restaurants (McDonald's included), the museum operates on a pay-what-you-can basis, with suggested donations of $5 to $10.

Another lakeside attraction in Chicago that you could substitute for Navy Pier is Lincoln Park. It has the Chicago History Museum, a free zoo and conservatory, views of downtown skyscrapers towering over the trees, and Standing Lincoln, the statue that's been voted Chicago's best (per Axios). While the park's Shakespeare sculpture doesn't quite rival the pier's Chicago Shakespeare Company, its south pond is only a 10-minute walk from the famous Second City comedy troupe's main stage. The Lincoln Park neighborhood is also home to the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which is just one of many options to consider when you're weighing what to skip in Chicago and what to do instead.