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If you are in the Chicago area and plan on visiting Grant Park, make sure and stop by Buckingham Fountain. This amazing structure is one of Chicago's most popular attractions and is worth a trip to the park itself.

Commissioned in 1927 in honor of Clarence Buckingham, the fountain is one of the largest water fountains in the world. Buckingham Fountain is 280 feet in diameter and more than 23 feet high. It has three layers of basins that are surrounded by four pairs of seahorses that symbolize the four states that border Lake Michigan.

The design of the Buckingham Fountain was inspired by a fountain located at the Versailles Palace in France. The fountain itself was built by Edward H. Bennett, while the seahorse sculptures were crafted by artist Marcel F. Loyau.

Every hour there is a 15 minute water show for guests to the park to enjoy. The show is the result of 134 jets that push water through the fountain, with the central jet spouting water almost 150 feet into the air. Visitors particularly enjoy the water show in the evening, when computerized lights accompany the water show for a magnificent spectacle of light and water.

Where is Buckingham Fountain: Grant Park

How to get to Buckingham Fountain: Subway to Madison or Adams stations on the brown, green, orange, pink, purple lines




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