Neighborhood 48H guide
Magnificent Mile / Streeterville: Where to Stay & What to Do in 48 Hours
Michigan Avenue’s shops, the 1869 Water Tower, the Billy Goat Tavern and Navy Pier.
The Magnificent Mile is North Michigan Avenue from the river to Oak Street, with the old Water Tower near its north end. Streeterville fills the land east of it to the lake and Navy Pier.
Photo gallery
Photo: HaSt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Why stay here
Central, walkable to the lake and the Loop, with the city’s grandest hotels.
Who it's for: Shoppers, families and first-timers who want big hotels.
Pros
- Luxury hotels
- Walk to the lake and Navy Pier
- Shopping on Michigan Avenue
Cons
- Crowded sidewalks
- Expensive
- Mostly chains
48H on the Mag Mile
Michigan Avenue, the Water Tower and a lower-level burger.
10:00 – Michigan Avenue walk
From the river north to the Water Tower.
12:30 – Billy Goat Tavern
The ‘cheezborger’ grill on lower Michigan Avenue.
16:00 – Navy Pier
Lakefront pier with the Centennial Wheel and boat tours.
Named recommendations
Real places with links to their official site or a Maps place page. We do not invent hours, prices, or ratings.
Eat
Eat
Billy Goat Tavern
430 N Michigan Ave (lower level)
Lower Michigan Avenue grill, famous from Saturday Night Live’s ‘cheezborger’ sketch.
Official site / map →
Shop
Shop
The Magnificent Mile
N Michigan Ave
Flagship stores along North Michigan Avenue.
Photo: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
See / do
See / do
Chicago Water Tower
806 N Michigan Ave
The 1869 limestone tower that survived the Great Chicago Fire.
Photo: HaSt · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Official site / map →
Outdoors
Outdoors
Navy Pier
600 E Grand Ave
Lakefront pier with a Ferris wheel and boat tours.
Official site / map →
Where to stay
Specific named properties—not vague city-wide searches. Expedia stays use tracked Creator links; others open the hotel's official site.
Roam48 may earn a commission when you book a stay through Expedia or Vrbo links on this page, at no extra cost to you. All commercial stay links use rel="sponsored nofollow".
Hotel · Expedia
The Peninsula Chicago
108 E Superior St
Top-tier luxury a block off Michigan Avenue, with a top-floor pool and spa.
Check rates on Expedia →Hotel · Expedia
Park Hyatt Chicago
800 N Michigan Ave
Quiet luxury hotel facing the old Water Tower.
Check rates on Expedia →
Vacation rentals
Prefer an apartment or whole home in this neighborhood? Browse Vrbo listings for Magnificent Mile / Streeterville.
Chicago requires short-term rentals to be registered with the city, and some buildings and precincts ban them. Look for the city registration number on the listing before you book.
Browse vacation rentals in Magnificent Mile / Streeterville on Vrbo →Other ways to spend 48 hours in Chicago
- The Loop — The Art Institute, Millennium Park’s Bean, the Riverwalk and a rooftop above Michigan Avenue.
- River North — Marina City’s corncob towers, deep-dish pizza, a Portillo’s Italian beef and hotel rooftops.
- Gold Coast — Astor Street mansions, Oak Street Beach and the Drake’s Palm Court.
- West Loop / Fulton Market — Randolph Street’s Restaurant Row: Au Cheval’s burger, Girl & the Goat and Fulton Market’s old warehouses.
- Wicker Park — The six-way corner at North, Damen and Milwaukee, Big Star tacos, Myopic Books and The 606 trail.
- Lincoln Park — The free Lincoln Park Zoo, the glass Conservatory, Pequod’s pan pizza and late-night blues at Kingston Mines.
- Lakeview / Wrigleyville — Wrigley Field’s red marquee, Murphy’s Bleachers and a hotel across the street from the ballpark.
- South Loop / Museum Campus — The Field Museum, Buckingham Fountain and live blues at Buddy Guy’s Legends.
- Hyde Park — Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, the Museum of Science and Industry, the new Obama Presidential Center and Promontory Point.