What to Do in Chicago at Night

eATLAS has a trio of Chicago-based Adventures designed for evenings. Sip History: Chicago Cocktail Adventure (Part 1 and Part 2) visits bars located in historic buildings. The free Spirits of the Windy City is a pub crawl set in places rumored to be haunted.

By Dave Lifton (@daveeatschicago)

Chicago’s nightlife scene of restaurants, bars, and clubs is too vast and diverse to condense into a single post. Instead, this will focus on the city’s attractions that are open at night, either for those who are looking to pack as much fun as possible into their vacation or business travelers who spend their days in conference rooms but want to experience Chicago’s many amenities when they’re done. 

Both of the major observation decks have nighttime hours. 360 Chicago at the former John Hancock Center is open until 11 PM daily, and its CloudBar allows visitors the opportunity to enjoy a drink while staring out over light-filled skyline. The hours for the Willis Tower’s Skydeck are a little more complicated. From March through September, it closes at 10 PM, but during the fall and winter, that changes to 8 PM Sunday through Friday, and 9 PM on Saturday. 

To experience the skyline from high up and close range, try one of Fly Heli’s helicopter tours, which can be booked hourly until 10 PM. 

Most of Navy Pier’s restaurants, shops, and attractions shut down at 8 PM Sunday-Thursday and 10 PM on weekends (9 PM in the fall and winter), but Pier Park – where the Centennial Wheel and other rides can be found – runs until 10 PM on weekends all year long. The pier’s famous summer fireworks show takes place at 9 PM on Wednesday and Saturday at 10 PM. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the fireworks begin on Saturdays at 8 PM. 

Millennium Park stays open until 11 PM daily, giving people a chance to stop by “The Bean” before heading to their hotels for the night. In the summer, Buckingham Fountain’s beautiful light show runs until 11 PM. 

Several of Chicago’s most popular museums stay open one night a week. On Tuesdays, you can visit the Museum of Contemporary Art and Shedd Aquarium until 9 PM. Adler Planetarium stops its Sky Shows every Wednesday at 10 PM, and the Art Institute of Chicago closes at 8 PM on Thursdays. 

However, three of the city’s more innovative museums are open late every night. The Medieval Torture Museum’s macabre displays can be viewed until 8 PM Sunday-Thursday and 9 PM Friday-Saturday. Another Loop fixture, the Museum of Illusions, plays around with your sense of perception until 9 PM Sunday-Thursday and 10 PM Friday-Saturday. Across the river in the West Loop, WNDR Museum’s blend of art, science and technology closes at 8 PM Sunday-Thursday and 10 PM Friday-Saturday.

Learn about the seamier aspects of Windy City history with Chicago Crime Tours’ night tour. You’ll travel by bus to several locations, including the site of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and the alley where John Dillinger was gunned down, while watching videos and hearing stories of the Prohibition era.

Combine the mob with the spooky with a couple of excursions. The Gangsters and Ghosts Tour has walking (8 PM daily) and minibus (Wednesday-Sunday, 6 and 8 PM) options that last two hours. The Haunts and Hooligans Tour by Nightly Spirits is a 90-minute trek (Thursday-Monday, 5 and 8 PM, the latter is 18+) through the Near North Side where you can purchase drinks at the bars that you visit. 

Some evening tours are only offered during the warm-weather months. Big Bus Chicago’s Sunset Tour is a one-hour-and-45-minute ride through the Museum Campus, Loop, and River North on a double-decker, open-topped bus, with a guide who describes what you’re seeing. Similarly, all of the local architecture cruise companies – Shoreline Sightseeing, Wendella, Chicago Fireboat Tours, and Chicago Architecture Center – have sunset and fireworks cruises on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. 

And even with Chicago’s notorious winters, there are outdoor activities to be had at night. The skating rinks at Millennium and Maggie Daley Parks are typically open between mid-November and mid-February, with skating until 10 PM. 

Lastly, every year from the week before Thanksgiving until shortly after New Year’s, Lincoln Park Zoo comes alive at night with ZooLights. Stroll the grounds and see dazzling displays of color, watch an ice sculpture in progress, ride the Endangered Species Carousel or the Ferris wheel, or warm up with hot chocolate or apple cider. 

All closing times are correct as of November 2025. Some attractions have hours that change depending on the season. Be sure to check the official websites for the most up-to-date information.